The Social Model of Health

To improve health , basic needs must be met These include: • Individual needs – age, gender• Individual lifestyle factors – smoking, drinking, exercise• Social and Community networks – transport, recreation• General socioeconomic, cultural and environmental conditions- food production, Education,

Work environments, unemployment, water and sanitation, healthcare services, housing.There are a set of guiding principles for the Social Model of Health• A ddresses all determinants of health• R educe social inequality – everyone should have access to health care regardless of gender,

socioeconomic status and location • E mpowers individuals and the community – providing resources and skills to improve health• A ccessibility to health care – health care should be affordable, appropriate and accessible to

all.

Ottawa Charter• There are five action areas of the Ottawa Charter. These are:• Build healthy public policy – rules, laws, regulations to improve health e.g. smoke

free work places, reduced taxes on low alcohol beer and sunhats as part of school uniforms.

• Create supportive environments – improving health by taking care of one another and our environment: e.g. recycling programs, and work-safe programs

• Strengthen community action – communities working together to promote health e.g. self help groups, community groups and the media promoting road safety

• Develop personal skills – providing opportunities for people to develop knowledge and skills that give them greater control over their health; e.g. health education in schools, information brochures in doctors’ surgeries and parenting courses

• Re- orient health services – moving away from the focus on curative services (quick fix approach) to services that focus on prevention and health promotion; e.g. doctors incorporating dietary advice and exercise programs in their treatment for high blood pressure

Build healthy public policy

• Build healthy public policy – rules, laws, regulations to improve health e.g. smoke free work places, reduced taxes on low alcohol beer and sunhats as part of school uniforms.

Create supportive environments

Create supportive environments – improving health by taking care of one another and our environment: e.g. recycling programs, and work-safe programs

Strengthen community action

Strengthen community action – communities working together to promote health e.g. self help groups, community groups and the media promoting road safety

Develop personal skillsDevelop personal skills – providing opportunities for people to develop knowledge and skills that give them greater control over their health; e.g. health education in schools, information brochures in doctors’ surgeries and parenting courses

Re- orient health servicesRe- orient health services – moving away from the focus on curative services (quick fix approach) to services that focus on prevention and health promotion; e.g. doctors incorporating dietary advice and exercise programs in their treatment for high blood pressure

How to remember the Ottawa Charter

• Bad - Build healthy public policy • Cats - Create supportive environments • Smell - Strengthen community action • Dead - Develop personal skills • Rats - Re- orient health services