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Introduction
Health Promotion is a rapidly growing field that has a wide variety of definitions. Above all these definitions, I like the one by (Kumar and Pretha., 2012) which adduces to the fact that health and well-being are determined by many factories outside the health system. They went further to list the following as factors that determine health, socioeconomic conditions, patterns of consumption associated with food and communication, demographic patterns, learning environments, family patterns, the cultural and social fabric of societies; sociopolitical and economic changes, including commercialization and trade and global environmental change. (Kumar and Pretha., 2012). They further posit that health promotion essentially involves enabling individuals to take control over their health and the factors that determine their health, (Kumar and Pretha., 2012). in their definitions, they acknowledge the importance of lifestyle and environmental adaptations to promote health and well-being.
Key terms, Concepts, and Strategies of health promotion.
Health Promotion emerged in Canada after 1974 when it became obvious that health education did not have the desired effect to produce a healthier population. Several milestones were reached post-1974 leading to the eventual formation of health promotion Canada in 2016. Modern-day health promotion has evolved and now has many key concepts and unique features which include a holistic view of health and a focus on a participatory approach, there are also key health promotion values which include empowerment, social justice and equity, inclusion and respect. Other unique features include a focus on social determinants of health, building in strength and assets and using multiple complementary strategies to promote health. There are also key health promotion concepts such as understanding health inequities patterns and understanding unconscious bias, it is important to fully comprehend these concepts to have a robust perspective on health promotion.
A student health issue to be used for the purpose is the risky health behavior of decreased physical activity or physical inactivity in University students leading to risk for Ischemic heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and so many other chronic non-communicable illness (Plotnikoff et al,. 2015). Currently, there are about 1.3 million students in Canadian Universities representing about 5% of the total population. There is established research that suggests that students living on the campus are less likely to be active and thus may be at risk of poorer health. (Irwin., 2004). Irwin further suggests that more than one-half of University students in the United Dates and Canada are not active enough to gain health benefits. (Irwin., 2004). According to data collected from an experiment to measure the prevalence of health risk behavior among Canadian post-secondary students where Data from over 8,000 Canadian university students were collected and analyzed, it was revealed that the prevalence rate for physical inactivity stands at 72.2% which starts up the risk for atherosclerosis, obesity and diabetes in the second and third decades of the student’s life. It is however dangerous to note that the students do not even associate this health-risk behavior of physical inactivity to such diseases (Kwan et al., 2013). The researchers further posit the need for concentrated health promotion campaigns as one of the solutions to the identified health issue. (Kwan et al., 2013). Physical inactivity remains a major cause of chronic disease and it is a major public health concern in Canada. (Yun et al., 2018). All the research is done and the data available point to targeted health promotion as a strategy for solving the health issue. According to (Bonevski et al., 2014) in a survey assessing health risky behaviors in students of tertiary institutions, the results show a prevalence rate of 88% for physical inactivity. They also posit that strategies to promote physical activity have become an important public health approach for the prevention of chronic disease (Boveski et al., 2014).
Health promotion strategy review, program planning, and evaluation
While it is an established fact that physical inactivity among University students is a public health concern leading to an increased risk of a wide variety of chronic illness, incommunicable diseases and morbid sates, the overwhelming prevalence of physical inactivity and the lack of awareness or even acknowledgment by the affected population of the potential ills of physical inactivity make it more worrisome. It is also an established fact that the use of targeted intervention and health promotion strategies to solving health issues allows for efficient and measurable outcomes and the social cognitive theory has been identified as an adequate health promotion strategy to combat this health issue.
When a health promotion intervention has been identified as the solution to a named health issue, it is important to implement health planning and evaluation methods in the design of such programs, according to (Fernandez et al., 2019) Evidence-informed health intervention planning that incorporates theoretical and empirical evidence and engages key stakeholders and community members or patients in the planning process results in interventions that are more effective. Program planning and evaluation involve assessing the needs, setting goals and objectives, developing an intervention, implementing the intervention, and evaluating the results. (King and Hartson., 2020)
The Social cognitive theory is the health promotion strategy that has been found to be used in the intervention programs that address this health issue. The Social cognitive theory is quite apt as it describes the influence of individual experiences, the actions of others, and environmental factors on individual health behaviors. (Rural Health Information Hub., 2021). This health promotion theory provides opportunities for social support through instilling expectations, and self-efficacy and using observational learning and other reinforcements to achieve behavior change. (Rural Health Information Hub., 2021) In this case when the social cognitive theory is applied, University students change their attitude to physical activity. Knowledge of health risks perceived self-efficacy, outcome expectations, health goals and perceived social and structural facilitators are core determinants of effective health practices. (Bandura., 2004).
Summary of Findings and government strategies
This experiment was a 12-week intervention to induce the health-promoting behavior of physical activity in University students based on the social cognitive theory. Their physical activity pre and post-test levels were measured and it was discovered that there was a significant shift from baseline level even for a wide variety of health-promoting behavior including nutrition behavior, health responsibility, social support, exercise behavior, stress management and overall health-promoting behavior which justified the effectiveness of the social cognitive theory-based approach to the health intervention. (Ince., 2008). The results observed support earlier studies indicating the impact of a social cognitive theory in predicting and guiding health-promoting behaviors (Ince., 2008).
As knowledge of health promotion increases, there have been various public health interventions by the government which use specific health promotion programs to design health intervention programs in a bid to address public health programs, these include the five strategies set out in the Ottawa charter for health promotion which is listed here: build healthy public policy, create supportive environments, strengthen community action, develop personal skills, reorient health services. Other government strategies aimed at effective health promotion programs include Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention, Heart Health, Tobacco Use Reduction, Promoting Physical Activity, Protecting Children, and Nutrition. These health promotion programs have different health promotion theories and sometimes a blend of health promotion theories and strategies used in its execution to facilitate maximum beneficial results.
Conclusion
For all the literature reviewed, there seems to be no doubt as to the impact of designing a health intervention around a fitting health promotion theory for maximum success. The inclusion of a well-understood health promotion strategy in the design process appears to make the program well targeted, well received by the audience, allows for a specific measurable outcome, and provides desired reinforcement to achieve the desired health behavior change.
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