The Ottawa Charter and Health Promotion

Health care expenditure accounted for an estimated 11% (214.9 billion) of Canada’s GDP in 2014 (CIHI, 2014). Canada boasts a universal, cost-effective and fair health care system to its citizens (Picard, 2010). However, despite great claims and large expenses incurred Canada’s health care system has been reported inefficient in it’s delivery to the population (Davis, Schoen, & Stremikis, 2010; Picard, 2010). As inconsistencies exist in health care delivery across the country, choosing priorities for the health of the Canadian people becomes of vital importance. In Ontario, progress toward a better health care system has been stated to be moving forward by putting the needs of the “patient’s first” (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care [MOHLTC], 2015). This policy brief will give a background of health care issues in Canada related to Ontario. Three evidence-based priorities will be suggested for Ontario’s health policy agenda for the next three to five years. Furthermore, through a critical analysis of these issues a recommendation of the top priority issue for the agenda will be presented.

Alcoholism is one of the most intractable and pervasive psychological disorders known. Though the negative health consequences of alcohol are widely understood, and, if anything, the social consequences of alcoholism are even more widely acknowledged, it seems that no matter what steps are taken by public health officials or private organizations, no strategy can ever be fully developed for eradicating alcoholism. There are a number of reasons why this is true. This paper will explore some of the social and medical problems created by alcohol, but in it I will also consider the role of alcohol in my personal life and the way I have seen the disease play out in the lives of people around me. The paper will also examine the social and political responses to the problem of alcoholism and attempt to determine where productive approaches have been taken and areas where mistakes have been made. Before discussing such wide-ranging questions, it is important to understand what alcoholism is and how it is manifested.

These days there are a number of social issues in the community, such as drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse is rampant in today’s society, Australian Drug Foundation states that, “Alcohol is the most widely used psychoactive, or mood-changing, recreational drug in Australia.”(Healey, 2002, p. 11). Underage drinking and binge drinking are some of the problems associated with alcohol abuse.

Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health and wellbeing (Maggie & Scaffa, 2013). It has three key strategies including advocate, enable, and mediate (Tucker, Vanderloo, Irwin, Mandich & Bossers, 2014). Health promotion is through these three strategies that aim to achieve the five actions of the Ottawa Charter which include build healthy public policy; create supportive environments; strength community action; develop personal skills; and reorient health services (Tucker, Vanderloo, Irwin, Mandich & Bossers, 2014). In addition, the values of the health promotion include empowerment; equity and social justice; health as a human right; health as a holistic concept; and respect for cultural diversity (Tucker, Vanderloo, Irwin, Mandich & Bossers, 2014). There are a wide ranges of specific interventions, such as back education program for school children to improve back posture,

The Ottawa Charter for health promotion is a document developed in 1986 by the W.H.O that aims at enabling, empowering and encouraging people to improve, and increase control over their own health. In relation to road safety, all five action areas are addressed through the introduction and availability of specific services to the public by all levels of government, NGO’s, the community and individuals.

Outcome 1: Understand how to plan and provide environments and services that support children and young people’s health & safety.

The ‘Close the Gap’ campaign is a health promotion initiative that focuses on the lifestyle and decisions of indigenous people in Australia as well as explaining how the Australian government needs to focus on closing the gap of poor health between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Through the ‘Close the Gap’ campaign it advocates the five action areas of the Ottawa Charter, which are of the following:

If the youth’s family has a drinking problem or involved with selling or using drugs or alcohol. The cause of violence in young youth is from violent hostile families, violent friends, this will change the perception and attitude of the youth’s life. The problem with these families is that it is hard to get out of a situation like that. when you were raised like in a hostile environment you adapted to doing these things and you think it is right but in reality it is

There are some challenges, as well, in implementing health promotion programs that use the social ecological framework. One main challenge is that programs are expensive and complex to implement in certain community settings. Also, there needs to be close coordination and collaboration between individuals and groups. In the article by Wagemakers et al., the authors developed a framework that links the domains of social environment and health, with key health predicting mediators, and operational variables of participation and collaboration (6). They based this framework on experience in case studies, audits of community health programs in the Netherlands, and ideas found in the literature. The authors offer four key guidelines on how to apply the framework that can help increase community participation and collaboration. These guidelines are: use the variables as a menu, set specific aims for social change processes, use an action research approach and triangulate data. This framework can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of community health promotion designs and address the challenges faced in implementing new programs.

Question 1: The Canada Health Act is the overarching legislation for Canada’s national Medicare program. This legislation establishes a Canada-wide, publicly funded health care system that bases patients’ access to health care services on the need, not on the ability to pay. Describe and explain the criteria, provisions, and conditions associated with the Act. Does privatization have a role to play in improving health care in Canada? Defend your position.

Chronic Condition was an enthralling book to read. Most Canadians, myself included, take our health care system and how it came into existence for granted, so learning about the controversies and issues surrounding its creation are fascinating to learn about. This book went into great detail about the trials and tribulations that were faced in order to create the health care system that Canadians today have. Author Jeffery Simpson takes readers on the stimulating voyage of how Medicare came to be and the issues it has caused by analyzing the

Oral health is not considered an integral part of Canada 's universal, publicly-funded health care regime. Dental care, outside of a hospital setting, does not constitute a ‘medically necessary’ service for the purpose of maintaining health as per the Canada Health Act (1964). There are three components to the Canadian health system that exist today: universal, publicly-funded coverage for physician and hospital services (known as Medicare); goods and services such as home care, long-term care, and prescription drugs which are funded either privately (through insurance or out-of-pocket), or publicly (through targeted subsidies or direct delivery programs); and finally, private health care services which include dental care.1 Costs for

At the community/organisational level of health promotion is based on the Ottawa charter action area of ‘strengthen community action’ it increases access to health information, community involvement in health initiatives whilst empowering the community to make their own choices. (Who.int, 2016) An example of this can be displayed through the St George Illawarra Dragons community

Because these people used alcohol they automatically put themselves at a higher risk, than non-drinkers, for alcohol-related injuries, problems with the law and many different negative health effects, including liver dysfunction, (MU Health, 2004). Users of alcohol also put others around them at a higher risk for negative consequences including disruption of events and studying, (Statistics on Alcohol, 2000).

The speech is aimed at highlighting the negative effects that excessive intake of alcohol and habitual alcoholism can have on the social aspects of a person and the health repercussions of the aforementioned behavior. The content of the speech is largely informative and in very small part persuasive for people to reconsider their drinking habits.