Strategies for community health promotion Essay

Strategies for community health promotion - Essay Example Thus, when the people’s health is at stake, while healthcare personnel might be responsible for initiating such moves, it would also be up to the people on whether or not they would do steps in order to keep their health at the most optimal state. Most people are more than willing to do things in order to keep themselves healthy. Some change their lifestyles, eating habits, and get regular checkups to maintain their health, which shows that people are capable of improving their lives. However, there are many instances that despite having the will to participate in such activities, some people encounter various hindrances that prevent them from attaining optimal health. Various factors can be attributed to such issues, such as socio-cultural factors, economic factors, or lacking information with regards to the importance of promoting health (Sines, et al.; 2009). Some persons may not be able to get proper medical attention due to their attitudes on health, such as deeply-rooted belief systems, or they may not have enough money to pay for doctors or medicine since they had to use money for much more important things, or simply because they feel that as long as they do not feel ill or they could still stand, they do not need to get any kind of medical attention (Hernandez, 2011). These kinds of outlooks regarding how overall health are viewed show that health promotion is not something that is solely affected by an individual’s attitude on health, but is also affected by other factors, whether external or internal. Thus, it is up to medical personnel such as community health nurses to create additional efforts in the creation of various methods by which interventions regarding the promotion of health within communities can be made, as well as identifying whether certain social or economic factors can be mediated to improve the outlook on health and wellness of people within an at-risk population. Description of an Aggregate Group for Community Health Promotion People belonging to at-risk populations mostly belong to either or both of the following: a population with high instances of developing the disease due to genetic factors; and a financially-disadvantaged population (Piper, 2009). In some communities or families it is the combination of having high disease risks and having financial limitations that cause problems in terms of keeping themselves healthy, and thus this describes the target group for the creation of health promotion strategies. For this study, Latino women living in Los Angeles were initially targeted as an aggregate group for community health promotion with focus on their outlook on health, particularly with breast cancer, an inherited disease. While their population in general is seen as a group with comparatively lower risks for breast cancer, some factors were identified to increase their risks for the disease such as socio-cultural and economic factors (Winchester, 2006). Due to the underlying problems surrounding the increase in their risks for the disease, some interventions are to be made to inform them regarding how the disease attacks the body, what treatment or other options are available for them within the community setting, as well as lobbying for them and raising their causes to at least the state government level. However, in order to understand their conditions