Content area
Full Text
Morton K (2013) Implementing evidence-based health promotion strategies.
Nursing Standard. 27, 33, 35-42. Date of submission: August 16 2012; date of acceptance: November 8 2012.
Abstract
This article describes two modifiable risk factors contributing to chronic disease in Scotland: excessive alcohol consumption and physical inactivity, and discusses evidence-based health promotion measures to address these factors. It illustrates examples of medical, behaviour change, education, client-centred and societal change approaches to health promotion. The article emphasises the need for nurses to engage in a wide range of approaches to health promotion and not merely to rely on telling patients what to do.
Keywords
Alcohol, behaviour change, health education, health promotion, physical activity
Review
All articles are subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software.
Online
Guidelines on writing for publication are available at www.nursing-standard.co.uk. For related articles visit the archive and search using the keywords above.
The synthesis of art and science is lived by the nurse in the nursing act
Josephine G Paterson
HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCY in Scotland - 60 years for men and 62 years for women - falls far short of actual life expectancy - 76 years for men and 80 years for women (Scottish Government 2011a). With a predicted 26% increase in the number of pensionable-aged people in Scotland by 2035 (Scottish Government 2011b), the likelihood of a 16-18 year period of chronic disease for many people has led to a focus on the health risks associated with behaviour (Dixon and Johnston 2010).
These risk factors - termed modifiable health behaviours (Armitage 2009) - include alcohol consumption outside recommended limits, cigarette smoking, not meeting physical activity recommendations, eating fewer than five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, and having a body mass index of 25 or more. At least one of these factors applies to 98% of the adult Scottish population, and three or more factors apply to 59% of the population (Scottish Government 2011c). A similar pattern is seen across the rest of the UK (Department of Health (DH) 2011, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) 2012a).
The RCN's (2012a) publication Going Upstream: Nursing's Contribution to Public Health highlighted several nurse-led public health initiatives seeking to address health behaviour risks through targeted health promotion. It also...