Health_Promotion

HEALTH PROMOTION. Introduction: This essay will aim to assess, plan, implement and evaluate a health promotion activity. The activity was presented during a health forum at the University for a Specific Target Group. The health promotion issue that was presented at the forum was raising awareness of Chlamydia. Epidemiological and demographic data relevant to this health promotion activity will be used to the needs of the specific target group. Bradshaw (1972) normative assessment of need will be used. The approach that the health promoters will use is the educational approach. Also this assignment will be evaluated at the end using the appropriate evaluation tools. Assessment of health need : Health promotion is define as the means of enabling individual to amplify control over, their health as well as improving the health of the society and the public as a whole. WHO, (2010). Health can be defined as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well- being not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” the world health organisation (1946) cited in Naidoo and Wills (2000). Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a bacteria known as trachomatis. WHO, (2007). It is usually passed from one person to another during vaginal, oral or anal sex, or even from sharing sex toys. WHO, (2007). According to world health organisation Chlamydia can be passed from a pregnant mum to the unborn child. Statistics shows that about 70% of infected women and 50% of infected men will not have any obvious signs or symptoms. United Kingdom National Guideline For Chlamydia, (2006). Chlamydia however has signs and symptoms in both men and women, In women vaginal discharge, bleeding, pain during and when passing urine and also pelvic pain. And in men cloudy discharge from the penis, burning and itching in the genitals area, pain when passing urine and painful swollen of the testicles. UK National Guideline for Chlamydia, (2006). According to the UK National Guideline for Chlamydia, (2006), this infection may cause infertility, ectopic pregnancy and even blockage of the fallopian tube in women and in men it can cause infertility and infection in the testicles. The National Chlamydia screening programme, (2008) came out with channel for the prevention of this infection. Abstinence, regularly use of condoms and screening usually in the form of swab or urine test. Chlamydia infection can be treated if detected early with antibiotics known as Azilhromycin or Doxycycline. (National Chlamydia Screening Programme, 2008). According to the Health Protection Agency Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed sexually transmitted infection in the United Kingdom among young people aged 16-24 years old. This age group are most at risk of getting infected. Health Protection Agency, (200…..). According to a report from the HPA, in (2004) Chlamydia was the most common infection diagnoses made in the United Kingdom, in (…………………..GUM clinics. The report clearly shows women between the age group of 16-19 and men between the age group of 20-24 are the most at risk. A further report shows an increase of diagnoses from 17,297 in 1995 to 46,601 in 2003 in women alone. Health Protection Agency, (2004) A survey report carried out in 2007 shows that 9.5% of women and 8.4% of men screened for Chlamydia all tested positive. Ref……….in the UK in 2008 the number of Chlamydia diagnosed by sex and age are 15years and under was 449, (male=45, female= 404). 15-24 years 156,147 (male = 53276 , female 101801) and the 24 and above 44,004. (male, 27956, female, 16036). And in England that same year the 15 and under were 355, (male= 34, female= 321) the 15-24 was137, 482 (male = 46,731, female = 89691.) and the 24 and above were 36,640 (male = 24,020, female = 12,620). HPA,(2004…………..'). With all this reports and statistics the health promoters decided that a need to promote health must be carried out this is because according to Nainoo and Wills, (2000) “health promotion is frequently seen as the prevention of disease often though targeting high risk groups who have an increase likelihood of developing a specific disease, therefore the target group chosen was the young people aged 19-24 years old. The rationale behind the choosing of this target group is as a result of the statistics and report of the epidemiology that clearly show the chosen target group are at high risk of being infected. Chlamydia trachomatis is considered a public health issue this is because Chlamydia is the most common spread infection in the world now particularly in young adult WHO, (2011).in the uk alone Chlamydia has cost the government an estimated £100 million since 2003 to 2008 through the National Chlamydia Screening Programme, with the rationale of aiding to treat, identify and to control the infection in young adult under the age of 25. NICE, (2009). Discuss the factors such as behaviour …… There are different policies the government set to embark upon preventing the spread of Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Prevention of the infection is one of the government’s top primacies. In 2003 the government in the United Kingdom set out an organisation The National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) to aid control the spread of Chlamydia through voluntary screening and treatment of the young adult aged 15-24. DOH, (2005). This document sets out the current inequalities in sexual health, the national policies that are already in place to reduce and eliminate these inequalities, and an action plan to improve national sexual health policy by continuing to narrow them by improvement in access to screening and testing across Department of Health (2010), More effective and advanced to test the infection ,according to a report by the DOH, (2003) the government announced £8 million that was given to laboratories moving from the enzyme immuno-assay( EIA) to more advanced and effective technologies. DOH, (2003). Guidance was set up by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) encouraging countries to implement national strategies that will aim to deal with the rising and wide spread oof Chlamydia infection. British Medical journal, (2009).