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Discussion 1- National Health Policy

Navarro (2013) states, a key objective of a national health policy should be to create the

conditions that ensure good health for the entire population (p.31). Navarro (2013) goes on to

state that the local, regional, and national government is primarily responsible for developing

health policy.

According to Navarro (2013), national health policy consists of three major components.

The first component consists of structural determinants. This includes public interventions,

which affect the society and culture, or simply put, to ensure good health of the whole

population. Examples in this category include state policies on social security and welfare

providing them with knowledge and resources in order to have a sense of security, as well as

policies that reduce social inequalities including class, gender, race, ethnicity, and religion

(Navarro, 2013). The next component is lifestyle determinants. Lifestyle determinants affect the

individual. This primarily places the responsibility on the individual to change their behavior

and lifestyle in order to better his, or her, health (Navarro, 2013). Examples in this category

include interventions aimed at altering an individuals lifestyle, including safe sex practices,

increasing physical activity, healthy eating habits, and cessation of unhealthy social habits

(tobacco and alcohol). The final component of health policy is socializing and empowering

determinants, meant to help establish a relationship between cultural health and individual

health. An example in this category would include measures to help link an individual lifestyle

change with a group or society lifestyle change, such as support groups for weight loss or alcohol

cessation.

In the past, most aspects of preventative care worldwide has focused on the preventative

care of predominately children, elderly, and womens health, using measures such as
vaccinations and preventative screenings (Adamy et al., 2015). According to Adamy et al.

(2015), the hope of a study conducted in Brazil is to promote a greater focus with managers on

preventative mens health as well.

Adamy, E. K., Trindade, L. L., Teixeira, D. C., Brambilla, D. K., & Galli, K. B. (2015). National

policy health care of man: Vision of managers of SUS. Journal of Research

Fundamental Care Online, 7(2), 2415-2424. dio: 10.9789/2175-5361.2015.v7i2.2415-

2424

Navarro, V. (2013). What is a national health policy? In C. L. Estes, S. A. Chapman, C. Dodd, B.

Hollister, & C. Harrington (Eds.), Health Policy: Crisis and Reform (6th ed.), (pp. 31-38).

Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Penny,

I agree that as future healthcare providers, it will be part of our job and responsibility to

ensure the health and wellbeing of our patients. They will be depending on us to guide and

mentor them on proper treatment regimens, as well as providing them with information, and

suggestions for health promotion and wellbeing. As persons that many will look up to, as well as

look to for advice and guidance, it is essential that we be good role models and promote healthy

living ourselves.

I found an interesting article pertaining to bad health behaviors and a way that healthcare

providers can assist in correcting the problem. According to Freudenburg (2012), major
corporations often promote unhealthy lifestyles by manufacturing and advertising many

unhealthy options, such as foods and beverages. Freudenburg (2012) explains that major

corporations highly advertised and developed foods high in salt, fat, and sugar, which causes

people to crave these foods, leading to increased consumption and increased long term health

problems. In addition, the alcohol industry have developed wine coolers and flavored malt

beverages making them more desirable to the younger population, and mass production of

processed foods high in trans fats, which help to increase shelf life but also have been known to

cause cardiovascular and metabolic problems (Freudenburg, 2012). Healthcare professionals and

researchers can influence this trend by addressing healthier public policies. They can encourage

the government to, regulate advertising, hold companies liable for the health-related costs,

promote healthier and more sustainable lifestyles, and reduce corporations' disproportionate

impact on policy (Freudenburg, 2012, pp. 250-251).

Freudenburg, N. (2012). The manufacture of lifestyle: The role of corporations in unhealthy

living. Journal of Public Health Policy, 33(2), 244-256. Doi: 10.1057/jphp.2011.60)

Mckenna,

As you mentioned, the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF)

provides key information for healthcare providers in the United States. According to USPSTF

(2016), the task force is made up of expert volunteer members with backgrounds in behavior

health, family medicine, geriatrics, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and

nursing. The USPSTF uses evidence-based recommendations on clinical preventative services.

Each year USPSTF makes a report before congress on the gaps in research related to
preventative services and makes recommendations on areas that need further investigation

(United States Preventative Services Task Force [USPSTF], 2016).

I found an interesting article speaking about measures the United Kingdom is taking in an

attempt for better outcomes with health policy. According to Fletcher (2013), the United

Kingdom is using a South Australian model that provides a template to help guide their public

health policy team in their early stages of development with all future policies. This allows the

team to intervene in policy making at its earliest stages, in order to health proof all policies. This

will ensure that during the development stages policies will be evaluated for health impact,

instead of the current retrospective approach. Healthcare professionals will also play a key role

in putting the health principals of the new and existing policies into action (Fletcher, 2013).

Fletcher, A. (2013). Working toward health in all policies at national level: Wales as a world

leader? British Medical Journal, 346(7896), 10. Doi: 10.1136/bmj.f1096

U. S. Preventative Services Task Force [Internet]. (2016, December). About the USPSTF.

Retrieved from: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Name/about-the-

uspstf

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