Important Responses in Public Health and Health Promotion - Essay Example

Public Health and Health Promotion Name Student ID Course Tutor Date Public Health and Health Promotion Significant initiatives in public health and health promotion have dynamic roles to help in disease prevention, injuries and other health issues and to empower people’s health. Public health refers to promotion of good health and the avoidance of diseases amongst a group of individuals, societies, and whole nations. Health promotion refers to the establishment of enabling societies to develop proper health and improve the power of health management and wellbeing. It does not just focus on personal behavior but it involves social and environmental aspects. The Australian National Binge Strategy initiative aims at fighting health issues related to alcohol in the society. Quit Victoria is an initiative which focuses on reducing the consequences associated with negative smoking in the society. The international initiative referred to as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) aims at fighting HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other illnesses and focuses on provision of aids for communities in the world that are highly vulnerable for these illnesses. This paper aims at discussing the role of the three initiatives in Australia. The Australian government funds the National Bing Drinking Strategy (NBDS) which carries out activities which aim at the reduction of negative effects associated with alcohol consumption in Australia. The initiative aims at dealing with Australia’s unsafe culture, especially amongst the young people (Brown & Gregg, 2012, p. 358). NBDS initiated society argument initiatives to improve the culture of excessive consumption of alcohol, especially in sport organizations. The initiative established an initial involvement program to concentrate on the youth and ensure that they understood personal responsibilities for their binge drinking (STRATEGY, 2004, P. 1). Also, it established the advertising campaign that explained the expenditures and effects of binge drinking amongst the young people which was referred to as the’ Don’t Turn a Night Out into a Nightmare.’ The initiative was allocated further funding by the government between the year 2010 and 2014 to expand the NBDS to the Australian National Preventive Health Agency (NBDS). The stratagem focused on elevating the level of awareness on the consequences of binge drinking amongst the youths, and over the years leading to development of an improved healthy drinking culture in Australia (Keane, 2009, p. 136). Preventive Health Agency also focused in the direction of changing environmental aspects in organizations to reduce the threat of binge drinking by taking accountability of programs such as the extension of the Good Sport Program. This programs aims at backing up local sporting clubs within Australia to develop a tradition of responsible drinking at interior level. The Good Sports Accreditation Progress indicated that 1826 clubs have attained the first level accreditation which is inclusive of aspects such as; Liquor license, Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) teaching, Bar management strategies, and non-smoking environment. Numerous clubs are aiming at level 1 Accreditation. The significant role of NBDS is realized by elevated mortality and morbidity rates from alcohol related complications in Australia causing death of 3000 individuals and more than 60000 hospitalized annually (Laslett et al, 2011, p. 1604). Alcohol among the major providers of drug of harmful drugs in Australia and it comes second after tobacco (Reavley, Cvetkovski, Jorm, & Lubman, 2010, p. 730). The detrimental alcohol related effects in the short term include accidents, injuries, and physical troubles. The major causes of death which result from excessive alcohol consumption include alcoholic liver cirrhosis, cancer, and road trauma. The youths are at high risks of intoxication related deaths. Additionally, it has great impact on the Australian economy (van Gemert et al, 2011, p. 482). Between the years 2004 and 2005, alcohol consumption accounted for an estimate of four billion dollars in Australia. The efficiency of NBDS is reflected in research outcomes which suggest that advocate a relation between progressive alcohol responsibility campaigns and improved attitudes and behavior. For instance, an assessment survey in the year 2009 for the ‘don’t turn a night out into a nightmare’ campaign proved that majority of the youths admitted that the campaign made them redirect their drinking attitudes. Others reduced their alcohol intake levels which demonstrate that the campaigns have had positive influence on the perspective of young people and has led to reduction in alcohol related consequences (Winstanley, 2011, p. 480). In this method, NBDS utilizes health promotion tactic as it works towards improvement of social determinants such as health physical environments, and community support systems for the sport clubs. The initiative aims at reducing the exposure of young people and children to alcohol imagery and branding. Also, it aims at offering support to community based institutions in the provision of alcohol-free environments for minors. The other objective of the initiative is the reduction of harmful alcohol consumption through proper accountable services of alcohol provisions at community events. Secondly, the QUIT VICTORIA was established in the year 1985 and it is a united initiative of The Cancer Council Victoria, VicHealth, The Department of Health, and The National Heart Foundation. It is guided by the ministry of Health and aims at reduction of commonness of smoking in Victoria (Thompson, 2010, p. 90). The initiative aims at reducing ache, expenditure, and negative consequences resulting from tobacco use. In the year 1987, the Victorian Tobacco Act was ratified. It led to the introduction of levies on the wholesale trade of tobacco produces (Durkin & Wakefield, 2006, p. 4). QUIT VICTORIA established campaigns which include the tobacco campaign referred to as the ‘4000 Chemical Campaign 2010’ that challenged Australians to redirect the chemicals they inhale as they smoke and the systematic destruction which takes place to their health. . The significance of QUIT VICTORIA is demonstrated in the short-term and long-term outcome resulting from tobacco smoking. In each year, smoking causes death of an estimate of 15,000 Australians and 31.5 billion dollars on social and economic expenditure (Craven, 2013, p. 40). Reduction in tobacco use minimizes the rate avoidable diseases and deaths. Diseases associated with tobacco smoking include; cancer, reproductive complications, pulmonary illnesses, and many other chronic illnesses. Nicotine, a component in tobacco, results to addiction and it is the source of smoking addiction. Through smoking, an individual inhales other 7000 chemicals that are noxious and negatively affect majority of the organs in the body (Wakefield, Germain & Henriksen, 2008, p. 324).Tobacco smoke in air is referred to as passive smoking; passive smoking may lead to various ill consequences which are similar to direct smoking if tobacco which include heart complications and lung cancer. The quit effectiveness is in the 2010 National Tobacco Campaign activity which was conducted between February and June 2010. It involved Television Commercials, Radio Advertisements, and Print Advertisements. The major role of the campaign was to reduce the smoking prevalence among the youths in Australia (Trotter & Inglis, 2003 p.1).From the outcome evaluation, an estimate of 6 out of 10 consistent smokers agreed on quitting. More than 50% of non-smokers considered that they would never take up smoking. More than 30% agreed to dishearten other individuals from smoking which showed positive effects for the 2010 smoking campaign. Also, research showed that smoking prevalence dropped significantly for both males and females. In males, it dropped by 7% and in females it dropped by 5% in rural areas. QUIT VICTORIA plays a significant role in dealing with the health problems associated with tobacco smoking. Although there is much improvement which ought to take place in the initiative, it has resulted to significant reduction of tobacco prevalence in Australia. QUIT VICTORIA is a health promotion strategy because it enhances skills and support for the community to quit, enhances strategies towards various groups of people in the society, and enhances change of behavior. This initiative utilizes the health promotion strategy as it aims at improvement of social determinants. The initiative aims at assisting smokers to quit through media action, quit courses, and campaigns. Also, it works in the prevention of young people from taking up smoking. It achieves this objective through community education programs, supporting legislation so as to amplify tobacco prices and restriction of tobacco adverts. The initiative works to minimize the number of areas where people are exposed to injurious stuff in tobacco smoke. It achieves this objective by supporting legislation to prohibit smoking in public areas and supporting the SmokeFree message through funding. This initiative supports legislative policy change by taking part in research into tobacco control matters and gathering information on tobacco control matters to the community. The third initiative is the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The initiative was established in December 11, 1946. UNICEF aims at providing urgent food and health care to children in the poor countries (UNICEF, 2010, p. 1). The initiative established the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) which involves 8 goals each with a defined significance; disease, inadequate shelter, gender equality promotion, environment sustainability, poverty reduction, hunger, and education. The MDG 6th goal referred to as the HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other illnesses has merged with programs such as; RapidSMS and technological apps which stimulate change in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Zambia. Also, it has merged with a program referred to as ‘nothing but nets challenge’ whose main objective is to assist in malaria prevention by use of mosquito nets. Additionally, environmental and social aspects significantly contribute to spread of malaria in poor societies. This goal plays a significant role because malaria related deaths are constantly high in the poor countries. In the year 2010, malaria accounted for 1.2 million deaths in these countries. In the year 2012, an estimate of 2.3 individuals was infected with HIV/ AIDS and more than 35 million individuals were living with the virus (Hillis et al, 2012, p. 105). In the same year, 1.7 million individuals died of AIDS; among this, 230000 were children. HIV/AIDS lead to increment in poverty levels and results to income inequality because it wears down humanity (Hotez, & Pecoul, 2010, e718). For instance, in Botswana, the rates of AIDS effects increase at 0.5 % annually. UNICEF has succeeded in its goals and the results are evident from the reduction in the rate new HIV infections in most regions across the globe. The rate reduced by 44 % between the years 2001 and 2012. The number of deaths caused by HIV/AIDS infection reduced by 110000 in the year 2012 in children. The SMS conveyance of the DBS is significant for this outcome. The global effort for malaria eradication is extending significantly with the ‘nothing but nets’ campaign (Bogich et al, 2012, p. e1001354). UNICEF donated over $50 million which used in the allocation of over 7 million mosquito nets to families in the third world countries in the year 2014. Between 2000 and 2012, a reduction of 42% in malarial deaths was noted due to increase in malaria interventions. In the globe, the deaths reduced by 45% and by 49% in the poor countries (Aknin, Dunn, Whillans, Grant & Norton, 2013, p. 91). There was prevention of more than 3.3 million deaths from malaria in the year 2000 and majority of children were now sleeping under mosquito nets in the developing countries. UNICEF’s goals indicate the significant of constant primary prevention initiative for malaria and HIV/AIDS. From research, it is clear that malaria interpolations and HIV treatment have momentous mortality and morbidity effects. Further enhancements are necessary for this health issues; however, UNICEF has made an effectual effort in the reduction of malaria and HIV management in the poor countries. UNICEF is an example of Public Health Strategy because its aims at promotion of good health and the disease avoidance by malaria prevention and assisting in maximizing HIV treatments thorough provision of mosquito nets and Antiretroviral drugs (Unicef, 2012, p. 1). The initiative aims at scaling-up high impact involvements by promoting general enhancement of health systems. It promotes healthy behaviors by working with governments in the promotion of practices at the society level that prove to enhance child health and development which include; seeking vaccination, diarrhea management, nutrition improvement, and injury prevention. UICEF also aims at uniting the community to deliver excellent possible results for both children and women. In conclusion, assessments of the above discussed initiatives convey a significant impact on the progress and prevention of illnesses and leads to development of influences on health issues. 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