Ottawa Health Promotion Strategies - Case Study Example

MENTAL HEALTH IN NEW ZEALAND The Ottawa charter is a document that was produced by the World Health Organization. It was presented in 1986 in the first health Conference, held in Ottawa, Canada. The charter focuses on promoting health in the world. Good health is the basic necessity of human beings. But over the years humans are being deprived off this basic right all over the world. Ottawa Charter tries to establish a healthy lifestyle among individuals, by taking initiatives for improving physical, mental and social wellbeing around the world. According to the Ottawa Charter, the pre-requisites for health, pointed out by the World health Organization, are peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable eco-system, sustainable resources, social justice and equity. Without these requirements, a good physical, mental and social wellbeing cannot be achieved. Promoting health is necessary. It gives people the control over the factors that affect their health, and help them to improve it. Ottawa charter tries to achieve health for all. Good health is very important for nations to grow and prosper. It encourages the government, health sectors, economic sectors, non government and voluntary organization, local authorities, media, the local public itself to design the pre-requisites for health, and the strategies that aim to achieve health for all. The Ottawa Charter has identified health promotion strategies in five action areas: Build healthy public policy, create supportive environments, strengthen community actions, develop personal skills, and reorient health services. The strategies and programs for promoting health need to be designed according to the local needs of countries and regions. New Zealand also takes different measures in the pursuit of better health for New Zealanders, especially in the area of mental health. “Mental health is that which nurtures spirituality, family, psychological/mental/emotional wellbeing, religion, physiology, environment, social responsibility, old world, new world, and self”, which is defined by Durie (1994). Like physical health, mental health also needs to be taken care of. It is important because it is the cognitive and emotional wellbeing of a person. Without proper mental health care, people suffer from different mental health problems or disorders that lead to their inability to perform well; which is socially, economically, and politically a threat for nations. Te Rau Hinengaro: The New Zealand Mental Health Survey, 2006, Ministry of Health shows that about 47% of New Zealanders will experience a mental illness and/or an addiction at some time in their lives, with one in five people affected within one year.  The most common mental illnesses that require support are schizophrenia, manic depression (bipolar) illness, personality disorders, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, addictions and drug-induced psychoses.  According to Christchurch Psychiatric Epidemiology Study, 32.9% people in New Zealand suffer from any of the following disorders in their life: Affective disorder, Substance use disorders, Schizophrenia, Anxiety/somatoform disorders, antisocial personality, Cognitive impairment, Alcohol abuse/dependence. For this reason, the Ministry of Health of New Zealand takes initiatives in order to control the affect of these diseases. The National Mental Health Group has advised a policy to the Ministry of Health. It focuses on implementing a government policy through collaborative efforts with district health boards, and for the administration of mental health legislation. The group’s major goals are to reduce the prevalence of mental disorders and problems, and to reduce the impact of these on individuals and society (Ministry of Health 1994). They have a project ‘Te Tāhuhu – Improving Mental Health 2005-2015: The Second New Zealand Mental Health and Addiction Plan’. According to this project, all New Zealanders can make decisions about promoting mental health and wellbeing, value diversity and support people suffering from mental illnesses, and see a well developed and high performing mental health sector which they can trust. The people who have experience of mental illnesses can participate in the society just as everyone else, can experience trustworthy agencies, and have recovery-focused or mental health services. Their families and friends can maintain their own wellbeing, and experience agencies that support their loved ones in curing their mental illnesses. The aim of their project is to create a society where those who suffer from any disorder as well as their families and other New Zealanders can have equal opportunity to participate in society and maintain their wellbeing. After creating a healthy public policy, there has to be supportive environments to make sure that they are enabling the people to maintain their mental and social wellbeing. The International Sundsvall Conference on health promotion also presses on the need for having a supportive and sustainable environment in order to have a healthy living. The Ministry of Health’s intervention framework for reducing inequalities has set some action plans for creating a safe and supportive environment for mental health. The plan calls for actions such as clean and healthy environment, less workplace stress, secure cultural identity, develop mental health training programs for local public, protect communities from violence, promote cultural norms that support development of positive mental health, and support education. There will be programs like Strengthening Families, safer community council programs, parents as first teacher programs, zero-tolerance for violence etc. Similarly a nongovernmental organization, The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand has a project of Environmental Protection (Waiora). The aim of this project is to create a supportive social and physical environment and increase the awareness of the impact of surroundings and environments on the mental health of people. One of the projects that aim to achieve a supportive environment in New Zealand is Community Vintage Part, which is collaboration between Age Concern, Neighborhood support, New Zealand Police, Palmerstone North City Council and Public Health Services. It aims to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of those who are living alone; by making them network with people. Another similar project is Ra Ngati Ra, which focuses on protecting the communities’ cultural identity. Strengthening Community action is very important. In order to determine mental and social wellbeing, communities need to take part actively. Without the help of communities in the pursuit of mental health, other measures taken cannot be very effective. The Ministry of Health framework has devised an action plan for strengthening communities. The plan calls for actions such as joint planning mechanisms with government and non government organizations, promote sector actions that encourage and integrate mental health promotion approach, collaborate with communities to develop and implement mental health promotion programs (e.g. schools, recreation centers, churches, workplaces, public health organizations, etc). The project also aims to build on existing networks such as Mental Health Advisory Committee, National Advisory Groups, District Advisory Groups, Intersectoral Inequalities Working Party, Te Waipounamu Health Promotion Coalition etc. It also includes supporting programs such as Grief management Programs, new arrival or refugee settlement program etc. The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand has set up a project Nga Manukura, which has a collaborative leadership approach. Their aim is to enhance the abilities of community to have an impact on the determinants of health, which will improve the overall wellbeing. They will partner or collaborate with other organizations and agencies. Their main strategies are to develop programs in mental health literacy, to monitor the media so that it does not give negative coverage, to strengthen relationships with local and regional government, to enhance the capability of Primary Health Organizations in order to utilize a mental health promotion approach. Health Action - Te Mana Taki Hauora is a nelson based, regional community health promotion trust. It is one such agency that aims to focus on youth well-being issues, drugs and youth mental health. Personal skills development is one the most important strategy in maintaining a healthy life. In case of mental health, it is of very high importance, because a person needs to develop his/her own skills in order to have a sound mind and positive thinking, which leads to a good mental health. The Ministry of Health action framework has devised a plan which includes development and implementation of programs that develops skills in individuals to cope with their life circumstances, and their mental health problems. It supports programs that encourage bonding and positive child development, supports job search for the unemployed, supports positive parenting skills development programs, promotes leisure, cultural, recreation and physical activity programs. One example is a ‘beyond body program’ so that young people like and accept who they are. The Mental Health Foundation has a program called Mana Whakahaere: Autonomy, which is a self determination program. Its aim is to increase access to information, and build capacity and opportunity for self determination of priorities, processes and structures. They try that all their actions and activities will promote a sense of belonging and self determination in individuals. The main strategies for Mana Whakahaere are to strengthen their work with consumer led organizations, to develop networks of young people with experience of mental illness to challenge discrimination, increase the reach of their information, and promote older people’s mental health. Another project by Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand is Taiora: Healthy Lifestyles and Choices. It supports the individuals to enhance their own mental health. YouthLine is one such organization that has been counseling young people since 1970. They counsel the young people, hold training programs, and focus on community development. They even provide a free, confidential, non-judgmental telephone counseling service. They help the callers in determining their own choices, skills and knowing themselves better. Reorienting health services to reduce inequalities between socio-economic groups is the final action plan for maintaining health. The Ministry of Health Actions Framework focuses on collaborating across sectors to develop, implement and sustain an integrated mental health promotion strategic focus, develop policies that encourage equitable education, labor market and housing outcomes, develop capacity to deal with emerging issues etc. Advocacy to health is maintained by creating Political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioral and biological factors favorable for people. For mental health in New Zealand, everyone tries to have a good political, economical, social, and cultural environment, as mentioned in the above paragraphs. Ministry of Mental Health frameworks and Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand provide foundations to enable all people to reach their fullest potential, and improve their mental health and well being. People from all walks of life make sure that pre-requisites of health are being determined according to their local needs. The strategies mentioned above are more of an individualized health promotion, rather than Structuralist-Collectivist health promotion. Most of the strategies focused on providing education about mental health, which is obviously important; but they did not focus much on creating a process which will itself enable mental health promotion. For example they focused too much on educating the people on mental health, than actually establishing a system to avoid these mental illnesses. Mental Health, as mentioned earlier is very important. Just as breathing is vital for humans, a healthy mind and social wellbeing is of utmost importance. New Zealand has taken a lot of initiatives in order to improve mental health in its people. The Mental Health Ministry and organizations like Mental Health Foundation are actually designing strategies for promoting mental health. But there has a lot to be done. There are many strategies that actually need to be implemented in order to make a complete healthy society for everyone. References: World Health Organization. Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, First International Conference on Health Promotion Ottawa, 21 November 1986 - WHO/HPR/HEP/95.1 Pete M Ellis., Ed. Wellington School of Medicine. Public health report Number 3. 1997 Ministry of Health. Making mental health everybody’s business-the mental health foundation of New Zealand, strategic plan 2006-2010. Building on Strengths – A new approach to promoting mental health in New Zealand .Ministry of Health 2002. Mental health- about the mental health group. Ministry of Health. 13 September, 2007. Web. http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/mentalhealth viewed on 30 April, 2010. Tracy Lloyd. Aug 8, 2009. Health promotion and the Ottawa charter-Improving public Health through worldwide action. Web. http://healthfieldmedicare.suite101.com/article.cfm/health_promotion_and_the_ottawa_charter viewed on April 29, 2010 Mental health. Ministry of Health. March 10, 2010. Web. http://www.moh.govt.nz/mentalhealth viewed on May 01, 2010. Public Health: Mental Health Promotion. Mid Central District Health Board. February, 23, 2010. Web. http://www.midcentraldhb.govt.nz/HealthDisability/HospitalAndAssoc/PublicHealth/MentalHealthPromotion/. Viewed May 02, 2010 YouthLine- Counseling for Young people. Everybody.co.nz. Web. http://www.everybody.co.nz/page-34bcb9be-2b49-467b-afff-be9a252def05.aspx Viewed May 02, 2010. Mental health. World Health Organization. Web. http://www.who.int/mental_health/en/ viewed May 01, 2010. Read More