ottowa charter

• DEFINE ottowa charter for health promotion:

  approach to health developed by the WHO that aims to reduce inequalities in health. it reflects the social model of health and provides 5 action areas that can be used as a basis for improving health status, all of which are centred around 3 strategies for health promotion which are enabling, mediating and advocacy.
• action areas of the ottowa health charter:

  • build healthy public policy
  • create supportive environments
  • strengthen community action
  • develop personal skills
  • reorient health services
• build healthy public policy:

  • relates directly to the decisions made by the government and organisations in relation to laws and policies that affect health
• examples of building healthy public policy:

  • increase tax on tobacco and alcoholic drinks which aims to discourage unhealthy behaviou
• create supportive environments:

  • promoting health by being safe, stimulating, satisfying and enjoyable
• example of creating supportive environments

  • providing shade in school environments to reduce the rate of UV exposure
• strengthen community action

  • focuses on building links between individuals and the community and centres on the community working together to achieve a common goal
• example of strengthening community action:

  • immunisation strategy - using media, doctors, schools and parents working together to achieve higher immunisation rates for children
• develop personal skills:

  • delivering health promotion that provides people with resources that they can use to take control and improve their health and wellbeing
  • education: gaining health-related knowledge and gaining life skills that allows people to make informed decisions that may indirectly effect health
• reorient health services:

  • shifting the health system from the biomedical model to using health promotion to prevent the development of illness and disease althogether
• example of developing personal skills

  • educating parents about the importance of putting sunscreen on kids
• example of reorienting health services

  • doctors focusing a discussion around health eating rather than medication or surgery to reduce the impact of CVD
• advocate: Actions that seek to gain support from governments to make changes to improve health and wellbeing factors for everyone.
• enable

  Ensuring equal resources (education, employment, housing, food, healthcare) are available to all to allow the achievement of equal health.
• mediate

  • Resolve conflict to make outcomes that promote health, and ensure coordination in all sectors.