Health Promotion - Basic Factors, Principles, Methods

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Health promotion

Health promotion is the process of empowering people to influence and improve their well-being by making all the necessary lifestyle adjustments to improve physical and mental well-being.

Health promotion factors

A healthy lifestyle is the main factor in promoting health in modern conditions. Its principles are simple: daily eight hours of sleep, keeping the body in good shape, giving up bad habits and regular physical activity. There are a number of reasons that have a great impact on the possibility of lifestyle change - personal, cultural, family, social. For example, people with long-term life prospects have stable social connections, are open and ready to listen to the opinions of others, are distinguished by optimism and high self-esteem. They have more opportunities to make the necessary changes than people who do not have these qualities. Therefore, leading a healthy lifestyle means, first of all, changing your worldview and taking an active life position.

The environment is a secondary health promotion factor. Natural conditions have a direct impact on human well-being. For a full-fledged existence, fresh air and clean water are needed. Even a few hours of outdoor activities will benefit the body, not to mention regular walking and jogging or swimming. Of course, there are problems associated with environmental pollution. But the solution to these problems can be carried out only with the introduction of a new socio-economic policy and a change in man's attitude to the environment.

Health care is also one of the factors influencing the quality of human life. The set of measures to improve the health of the population on the part of healthcare includes:

• Improvement of consumer products;
• Sanitary control over the cleanliness of the environment;
• Prohibition of smoking in public places;
• Vaccinations and medical examinations;
• Provision of preventive health services.

Health promotion system

You should take care of your well-being constantly. For this, a health promotion system was developed, aimed at changing and improving the way of life. It consists of the following components:

• Preparation - gathering information about a new lifestyle, as well as screening for risk factors (blood pressure, body weight, general physical condition);
• Setting goals and objectives - a clear formulation of the desired result and determination of the means to achieve it, taking into account their real capabilities;
• A gradual change in habits - limiting adverse effects on the body is carried out sequentially, since an attempt to change several habits at the same time leads to failure;
• Strengthening motivation - encouraging success in promoting health;
• Maintaining incentive - creating the conditions necessary for the consolidation of new behavior and helping to establish the principles of a correct lifestyle;
• Social support - a positive attitude towards the ongoing changes on the part of others;
• Relapse prevention - predicting and avoiding situations that entail a temporary return of bad habits.

With this health promotion system in mind, you should plan your daily routine, eat right, exercise, and walk outdoors.

Health promotion methods

All health promotion methods are based on the principles of a rational lifestyle.

The daily routine is the basis of normal life. The correct regimen ensures high performance, protects the nervous system from overwork and increases the overall resistance of the body. It is necessary to maintain an optimal balance of work and rest on a daily basis, as well as intelligently distribute mental and physical stress. The daily routine includes:

• Eight hours of sleep;
• Walking or exercising in the fresh air;
• Labor activity;
• Free time;
• Food intake;
• Personal hygiene.

Physical activity is one of the most important components of health formation and strengthening. A sedentary lifestyle affects the work of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and leads to other adverse consequences. Metabolism deteriorates, blood stagnates in the lower extremities, which leads to a decrease in the efficiency of the whole organism and especially the brain - attention and memory are weakened, coordination of movements is impaired, and the time of mental operations increases. When choosing exercises, one should take into account not only their frequency and systematicity, but also the initial state of the body. Walking, jogging, swimming, skiing, cycling, and flexibility exercises are the best health benefits.

Rational nutrition is a physiologically complete and balanced menu of a healthy person, taking into account his gender, age, work activity and climatic living conditions. This health promotion is based on four principles:

• Regularity. The need for regular food intake is due to the laws of life, since breathing, heartbeat, cell division and other processes are rhythmic. Irregular nutrition creates additional stress and favorable conditions for various disorders;
• Diversity. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals should come from food. Lack of any of these substances can lead to serious malfunctions in the body, so the diet should consist of all food groups - meat, dairy, fish and vegetable;

• 

  Adequacy. Food should replenish the energy expended during the day. For normal health, both overeating and malnutrition are dangerous. In each case, the amount of calories required is different, so it is important to consult a dietitian;
• Safety. Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, the ability to distinguish between fresh and stale food, as well as careful handling of unfamiliar products ensure food safety.

Eliminating bad habits is a key health promotion method. Smoking and alcoholism dramatically shorten life expectancy and are the cause of many chronic diseases. These are the strongest depressants and their use relieves psychological dissatisfaction only for a short time. The difficulty in quitting bad habits is associated with withdrawal syndrome. The body does not immediately restore the disturbed mechanisms of dopamine release, which is usually produced during positive experiences (pleasant sensations or eating tasty food). Therefore, giving up nicotine and alcohol, a person experiences depression and irritation. Once dopamine is naturally produced, the short period of withdrawal is over.

All health promotion activities should be planned after consulting a doctor.

YouTube video related to the article:

Found a mistake in the text? Select it and press Ctrl + Enter.