SunSmart and the Ottawa Charter
Instructions:-
The potential success of health promotion in practice is closely associated with a comprehensive approach that integrates the five components of the Ottawa Charter (1986).
The ‘UV (ultra violet). It All Adds Up’ (http://www.sunsmart.com.au/about/media-campaigns/current-campaigns/uv-it-all-adds-up)
is an Australian health promotion campaign targeting skin cancer. Using a table format, provide an evaluation of how the program addresses the Ottawa Charter’s (1986) five endorsed areas to promote health and wellbeing.
1. Building Health Public Policy
2. Creating Supportive Environments:
3. Strengthening community action:
4. Developing personal skills:
5. Re-orientating health services.
Solution
SunSmart and the Ottawa Charter
Introduction
The Ottawa Charter has five main areas which are set to promote health. These include building healthy public policy, developing personal skills, creating supportive environments, re-orienting health care to help prevent illness and strengthen community actions.
Building public policy
This organization provided leadership and innovation in the UV (Ultraviolet Radiation) protection. The program is active in territories of Australia under Cancer Council. The program uses common principals, however, the implementation is subject to jurisdictional priorities.
Some of the objectives of the mission are the improvement of skin cancer prevention awareness, attitude, and behavior in the community. The organizations also advocate for measures which economic and health burdens brought by skin cancer and helps the community detect skin cancer early (SunSmart, 2016).
SunSmart has incorporated mass media work, engaged in sponsorship of sporting activities, help in resource development and dissemination, created and advocated of policy and professional education and evaluation component (RSHS, 2016). The aim of the policy initiative is to change personal and organizational behavior and attitude through institutional and environmental changes and monitors and control the diseases and also reduce the chance of occurring and mortality of skin cancer.
Strengthening community actions
SunSmart mission helps the community by reducing the chance of contracting skin cancer. These efforts also reduce mortality and morbidity through early detection and prevention of the skin cancer.
This is a community organization which has been funded by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and Cancer Council Victoria since 1988. The organization has been actively engaged in the skin cancer prevention
According to the organization data, the SunSmart mission is cost-effective in the management of funds. Every dollar spent in the organization through the Victoria program earns the organization a return of $2.20. VicHealth program and sponsorship for SunSmart is approximate $500,000 per year (Staples, Elwood, Burton, Williams, & Marks, 2006)
The SunSmart organization supports the community actions by embracing values and norms which improve the public health, working with the organization to develop personnel who can implement health programs. This is done by training, education, and supply of resources to help field workers. The organization also works with other institution to the build capacity to support health promotion.
Creating supportive environment
Cancer Council Victoria a collaborator of SunSmart has been nominated as World Health Organization Collaborative Centre for UV since 2004. The SunSmart mission is supported by other organizations such as Centre for Behavioral Research in Cancer, Cancer Information and Support Service and the Cancer Epidemiology Centre.
Local government plays an important role in the prevention of the skin cancer in the large population. It does this by addressing sun protection by creating Council policies, identifying the public health as important issues and setting strategies and plans.
The SunSmart provides resources which help the local government to address skin cancer in the community. Additionally, the organization helps the local government identify the skin cancer as a public health issue and thus set strategies which help in the sun protection.
Other initiatives by the organization which improves and supports the environment for cancer protection includes designing and planning effective shade for the community through creating effective shade, drafting shade guidelines, designing healthy and safe natural shades.
SunSmart organization also helps the local government to implement sun protection program by giving UV safety training program and developing UV protection program. For support of the local government, SunSmart set policy advice and does OHS presentation among other resources.
A SunSmart accreditation program has been effective in the Victoria school since 1994. This initiative expanded and by 2000, about 71% of schools in the area were accredited as SunSmart schools. This means that the schools adopted sun protection policy which includes wearing fit attires during summer, having recommended structures for sun protection as learning program.
Reorienting health care
The SunSmart organization has a track record of helping communities prevent cancer-saving lives. The statistics show that the organization has prevented more than 43,000 cases of skin cancer and 1400 possible death between 1988 and 2011 (Redman, Sinclair, & Stent, 2001). The partnership with other community agencies has caused changes in social norms and community health
In Victoria, the chances of Melanoma has been on the rise, however, the impact of the SunSmart Program has seen falling incidences in women and men who are less than 40 years. This is attributed to behavioral changes initiated by the SunSmart mission.
A Survey shows that since the period when the SunSmart was launched, the rate of people in Victoria who have been seeking skin treatment has reduced significantly. In 1988 about 61% of the population sought medical attention, however, this has reduced to 35% in 1998 (Cancer Organization, 2017).
The organization has worked with organizations to bring about changes in the working process. Institutional changes which are related to SunSmart program have been initiated at the organizational levels. SunSmart has worked with trade union to ensure the outdoor workers comply with health and safety policies. The development of these guidelines has set the basis of industrial and standard practice in Victoria.
Australia has recorded the highest level of skin cancer patients. It is recorded that two in every three people in Australia are diagnosed with skin cancer before they hit 70 years. The death rate is estimated to be 1,800 per year (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). This trend is changing since SunSmart started initiatives in Australia. The mission has created a positive impact on health finance.
Developing personal skills
With the collaboration of the Cancer Council Victoria, the SunSmart mission provides education, support, and resources for health professional based on updated research and test on skin cancer.
Some of the educational activities which are initiated by the SunSmart include skin cancer prevention and vitamin D online education. This is an hour online lesson which gives guideline through epidemiology of skin cancer. It helps diagnosis and prevent skin cancer and manage vitamin D.
The development of personal skills is suitable for health professionals as the online education is accredited. The other education initiative includes the prevention and detection of skin cancer through a six-hours learning module by offering guide via Epidemiology, vitamin D awareness, skin cancer prevention and the balanced approach to UV.
The development of skills through education is also done in two-hour activities which include diagnosis and treatment of melanoma, biopsy techniques and management and diagnosis of non-melanoma skin cancer.
In Victoria from the month of May to around August, the level of the Ultraviolet radiation is generally below 3, during this period, the SunSmart recommends people to remain outdoor at least during the midday and leave some skin exposed. Engaging in outdoor activities during this time makes the body synthesize enough vitamin D. Additionally, the use of sun protection is not advisable until the UV goes past 3.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010). Causes of death 2009. (A. Canberra, Producer) Retrieved August 20, 2017, from Commonwealth of Australia: www.abs.gov.au
Cancer Organization. (2017, August 8). Preventing skin cancer. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org.au/preventing-cancer/sun-protection/preventing-skin-cancer/
Redman, K., Sinclair, C., & Stent, C. (2001). Skin Cancer Control and 20 Years of Population Based Campaigning. Health Education and Behaviour, 28(3). Retrieved August 20, 2017, from http://www.sunsmart.com.au/downloads/about-sunsmart/sunsmart-20-years-on.pdf
RSHS. (2016). Sun Smart Policy. Retrieved August 20, 2017, from Rossmoyne Senior High School: http://www.rossmoyne.wa.edu.au/about-us/policies/sun-smart-policy/
Staples, M., Elwood, M., Burton, R., Williams, J., & Marks, R. (2006). Non-melanoma skin cancer in Australia: the 2002 national survey and trends since 1985. Medical Journal of Australia, 6(10), 184.
SunSmart. (2016). Health professionals. Retrieved August 20, 2017, from SunSmart: http://www.sunsmart.com.au/skin-cancer/health-professionals#SiteMenu
