Health Promotion

Term Paper # 102593

Medical and Health > Public Health Issues
Sociology > Welfare

Health Promotion

This paper examines the factors that determine health and associations that promote health for the total population.

2,460 words () | 12 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the social determinants of health are the mediating processes between the economic and social conditions in a society that influence whether people stay healthy or become ill. The author reviews the social determinants of health: poverty, class, gender, race, ethnicity and the weakening of working class power. The paper relates that the materialist, neo-materialist and the social comparison approaches have been developed to explain how political, economic and social forces shape health and health inequalities. The author explores the work of several health promotion organizations that believe that health is a fundamental human right.The paper underscores that the attainment of the highest possible level of health is a most important world-wide goal, which requires the action of many other social and economic sectors to support community groups that do not have the resources needed to ensure their health

From the Paper:

"Advocates also need to focus on primary health care since it is based in economic conditions as well as the political and sociocultural features of an area. Primary health care is fully based on the determinants of health such as education, proper nutrition, adequate water and basic sanitation, child health care, and prevention and control over disease. Governments should be lobbied so that they implement national policies and strategies to develop and maintain primary care as one aspect of the national health system."

Sample of Sources Used:

Bangkok Charter (2005). The Bangkok charter for health promotion in a globalized world. Belfast declaration for healthy cities (2003).
Bogota Confeence (1992). International Conference on Health Promotion. Health Promotion in Latin America. Bogota.
Canadian Public Health Association (1996). Action statement for health promotion in Canada. Ottawa.
Catford, J. (2000). Mexico ministerial statement for the promotion of health. Health Promotion International, 15 (4), 275-276.
Hofrichter, R. (2003). Health and social justice. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.