MHST 631 Unit 2 Activity 5: The Role of Ottawa Charter in Health Promotion Evolution

                Health promotion focuses on providing people the ability to have control over and improve their health (World Health Organization [WHO], 1986). Health promotion goes beyond the responsibility of the health sector, and it requires empowerment from individuals, communities, and governments to improve health outcomes (Jackson, 2022; WHO, 1986).

The Ottawa Charter

The Ottawa Charter was a breakthrough for health promotion and continues to reflect the gold standard (WHO], 1986; Thompson et al., 2018). The charter established that health has prerequisites (WHO, 1986). The Ottawa charter had the view of empowering health as something to be achieved through the strategies of advocating, mediating, or enabling changes that impact the social determinants of health (Potvin & Jones, 2011; Thompson et al., 2018). These strategies are then applied to the five actions of building healthy public policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and reorienting health services which influence health promotion to pivot from individualistic approach to be a societal wide approach (Potvin & Jones, 2011; Thompson et al., 2018; WHO, 1986). As Jackson (2022) noted the “historical significance of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion is about the reorientation of health promotion away from avoiding disease and towards prevention through a multi-sectoral approach using the 3 strategies and 5 action areas” (para.8).

International Impact

                The Ottawa charter was established during the first International Conference on Health Promotion held in Ottawa in 1986 as a response to public health movements internationally (WHO, 1986). Globally, in response to the charter, multiple countries saw health promotion as a priority for political agendas and health departments (Thompson et al., 2018; WHO, 1986). As part of the three strategies outlined in the charter, it calls for the coordination of all, such as, governments, organizations, communities, individuals, to work together with differing interests to promote health (WHO, 1986). With the Ottawa charter as a guiding framework, health promotion is practiced across the globe (Potvin & Jones, 2011). The Ottawa charter remains relevant to health promotion globally despite challenges as it provides vision, clarity to actions and core values for health promotion (Potvin & Jones, 2011).

National Impact

                The WHO health definition which focuses on well-being over absence of disease established that health was a human right which served as an introduction to the Ottawa Charter (Potvin & Jones, 2011). Prior to the Ottawa Charter formal development, the Lalonde report started health promotion for Canada (Glouberman & Millar, 2003). The Lalonde report acknowledged the existing responsibility gap for health and recognized the need for intersectoral collaboration and interventions were needed (Glouberman & Millar, 2003).  This report established that prevention should be a priority for the health system and the four elements of the heath field (Potvin & Jones, 2011). The Ottawa charter founded in some of the Lalonde report findings, endorses that public health action addresses health inequality and people’s living conditions (Potvin & Jones, 2011). Nationally, the Public Health Agency of Canada applies a population health approach to health promotion (2012). Population health aims to improve health outcomes of an entire population while addressing health disparities from a comprehensive set of factors known as the social determinants of health (PHAC, 2012). Addressing the health disparities is grounded in applying the five calls to action of the Ottawa charter at various societal levels.

Professional Practice Impact

                Professionally, as a registered nurse within an acute care setting, the principles of the Ottawa charter can be applied to interventions to prevent adverse hospital outcomes. Senior friendly care should have a focus on achieving best possible outcomes for the elderly (Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto, 2020). As stated by Sanon (2020) “the most common hazards of hospitalization older adults are faced with during the period of an acute hospital stay, including functional decline, delirium, malnutrition, medication side effects, hospital-acquired infections, pressure ulcers, and the use of physical and pharmacologic restraints” (para. 1). I have professionally had the opportunity to be apart of a working group that focused on creating policy for delirium prevention which is support of building public policy and creating supportive environments. This work encouraged a health promotion approach to a vulnerable population at risk and applied actions from the Ottawa charter to implement change within the organization.

References

Glouberman, S., & Millar, J. (2003). Evolution of the determinants of health, health policy, and health information systems in Canada. American journal of public health, 93(3), 388–392. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.93.3.388

Jackson, D. (2022). The historical significance of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. HSC PDHPE. https://pdhpe.net/better-health-for-individuals/what-strategies-help-to-promote-the-health-of-individuals/the-ottawa-charter-as-an-effective-health-promotion-framework/the-historical-significance-of-the-ottawa-charter-for-health-promotion/

Potvin, L., & Jones, C. M. (2011). Twenty-five years after the Ottawa Charter: the critical role of health promotion for public health. Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique, 102(4), 244–248. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404041

Public Health Agency of Canada. (2012). What is the population health approach? Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/population-health-approach.html

Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto. (2020). The Senior Friendly Care Framework.  https://www.rgptoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/The-Senior-Friendly-Care-Framework-11x17-Handout.pdf

Sanon M. (2020) Hazards of Hospitalization. In: Chun A. (eds) Geriatric Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19625-7_33

Thompson, S., Watson, M. & Tilford, S. (2018) The Ottawa Charter 30 years on: still an important standard for health promotion. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 56(2), 73-84, DOI: 10.1080/14635240.2017.1415765

World Health Organization. (1986). Ottawa charter for health promotion, 1986 (No. WHO/EURO: 1986-4044-43803-61677). World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/health-promotion/population-health/ottawa-charter-health-promotion-international-conference-on-health-promotion/charter.pdf