As I reflect on my progress in the study of Health promotion, I think the most interesting piece so far has been learning about the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2022). I had not heard of these goals before and now I can connect how these goals have created traction in the private and public sectors with initiatives to improve the life below water, life on land, climate action, and clean water and sanitation goals. In fact, there are many aspects of Health promotion that are new to me, something I hope is changing for new students entering the profession of Diagnostic Imaging and healthcare in general. Refreshing on the social determinants of health has also been interesting. Connecting on the inequalities that the social determinants of health cause for different groups and using that information to create tailored Health promotion initiative is exciting.
For the topic I focused on for this course, creating breast screening campaigns targeted on Indigenous women to bring this group’s breast cancer survival rates in line with their non-Indigenous peers, learning about the different theories and models, especially some that are Indigenous created has been helpful to really understand the areas to focus on that will lead to success. The Health Belief model, which operates at the individual level, really resonated with me for this problem as it helps us understand why this group might not be currently placing much priority on screening. It also guides us to what areas to focus on to gain the women’s trust in the process by considering the six points perceived severity, perceived susceptibilities, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy (Boskey, 2022).
Evidence-based practice and evaluation is a critical part of a health promotion initiative (Centers for Disease, 2015). I think the biggest problem with Health promotion so far is that it is difficult to measure successes as many successes are not visible for many years after the intervention program making it hard to manage the longer-term funding, making choosing appropriate metrics critical.
The coin model as described by Nixon (2019) was probably the most interesting model reviewed so far and it really does make you stop and think about what side of the coin you are on in situations and how you can use the unearned power for change. Using your power to include those who do not have power and letting them become partners in creating a change is key to removing inequalities.
Finally, taking a moment to be aware of the implicit bias we all carry and how to work to reduce them was also illuminating. The article by Edgoose et al. (2019) was helpful as they list eight ways to work to reduce bias. Introspective and perspective-taking were two point that particularly jumped out as import and speak to understanding what your own biases are as well as trying to place yourself in the others’ shoes and then respond accordingly.
Boskey, E. (2022, January 27). What is the Health Belief Model? Verywell mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/health-belief-model-3132721
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015, December 8). Evaluation. https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/model/evaluation/index.html
Edgoose, J., Quiogue, M., & Sidhar, K. (2019). How to Identify, Understand, and Unlearn Implicit Bias in Patient Care. FPM. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2019/0700/p29.html
Nixon, S. A. (2019). The coin model of privilege and critical allyship: Implications for health. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1-13. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12889-019-7884-9.pdf
United Nations Development Programme. (2022). What are the Sustainable Development Goals? https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals
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