Reflective
Exercise
Comparing Definitions of Health
Promotion
The
definition of health promotion provided in the Ottawa Charter is
the most widely accepted definition of health promotion. In the
Ottawa Charter, health promotion is defined as:
"the
process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve,
their health” (Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, 1986).
However,
it is not the only definition of health promotion. For example,
The American Journal of Health Promotion (AJHP) offers another definition.
"Health
promotion is the science and art of helping people change their
lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health. Optimal health
is defined as a balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual
and intellectual health. Lifestyle change can be facilitated through
a combination of efforts to enhance awareness, change behavior
and create environments that support good health practices. Of
the three, supportive environments will probably have the greatest
impact in producing lasting change.” (American Journal of
Health Promotion, 1989, 3, 3, 5).
Points
to Ponder
How is this AJHP definition of health promotion similar
to the Ottawa Charter definition? How is it different from the
Ottawa Charter definition?
Two health promoters
working for different organizations are hired to develop programs
to prevent diabetes among low-income, socially isolated seniors.
One health promoter accepts the Ottawa Charter definition of health
promotion, while the other accepts the definition of health promotion
provided in The American Journal of Health Promotion. How might
their approaches to addressing this health problem differ from
one another? Which of the health promotion strategies described
in this section would each health promoter be more or less likely
to use?
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