It is hard to believe it was just a few short years ago when I established my ePortfolio for the first course of the Masters of Health Studies Graduate Degree program that I am taking through Athabasca University. My ePortfolio aims to introduce my digital identity as a nursing professional, highlight my career, demonstrate my educational development and refine and share curated evidence-based resources that substantiate the foundation of population health and health promotion. The information shared within my blog posts demonstrates a good mix of conversational and academic writing for a comprehensive understanding and transparency of various health issues. I have put great effort into making my ePortfolio usable and accessible while incorporating graphics and multimedia elements to engage others effectively.
In the previous course I completed, MHST631 (Health Promotion 1: Foundation), my focus for health promotion coursework included the complex health issue of rising rates of infectious syphilis amongst females of reproductive age within the North Bay Parry Sound District (NBPSD) and proposing comprehensive health promotion strategies that carefully consider the determinants of the health and local needs of the targeted group, improving population health. To comprehend and address this issue, I analyzed select social determinants of health (SDoH) as they related to the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) and the Capacity, Opportunity and Motivational Behavioral Model (COM-B) contributing factors to rising syphilis rates. The SEM is a multilevel health approach that places the individual in the center of various other systems and demonstrates the embeddedness of how "health is affected by the interaction between the characteristics of the individual, the community, and the environment that included the physical, social and political components" (Kilanowski, 2017, p. 295). The SEM emphasizes the complexity of the intricate layers that intertwine from an individual problem to those at a much larger societal level, which could help identify the root cause of rising syphilis rates amongst a vulnerable population, aiding in developing comprehensive and supportive strategies for health promotion initiatives. The COM-B model of behavior is widely used and is based on the concept that capability, opportunity and motivation must be present for a behavior change intervention to be effective (Michie et al., 2011). The COM-B model is particularly relevant for the identified health problem of rising rates of syphilis amongst females due to the understanding of the variables that may contribute to a lack of skills and knowledge, intention and access to prevent, test, and treat.
In exploring the diverse theories, models and frameworks, the limitations I experienced were the multitude of frameworks and determining which is the best suited to support health promotion planning, implementation and evaluation for my targeted population. The frameworks chosen provided me with a structured way to understand the multilevel influences and that addressing the rising rates of infectious syphilis in the NBPSD cannot be done by one person, organization, or institution alone and needs the support of the community to educate and implement strategies to increase equitable access to prevent and minimize risks associated with delayed interventions.
In MHST632 (Health Promotion 2: Situational Assessment and Priority Setting), I hope to build upon my "toolbox" of approaches and improve my understanding and ability to critically analyze researched evidence and apply conceptual frameworks while using my skills and experiences most suitable for complex yet specific health issues.
Some burning questions that I hope to explore in MHST632 concerning assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion actions to address the rising rates of syphilis amongst females of reproductive age include:
How can we assess the needs of females of reproductive age to inform the planning and implementation of targeted health promotion interventions?
What are the primary barriers to accessing information and access to non-traditional means of syphilis testing to facilitate earlier detection of infectious syphilis?
References
Kilanowski, J. (2017). Breadth of the socio-ecological model. Journal of Agromedicine, 22(4), 295-297. DOI: 10.1080/1059924X.2017.135897
Michie, S., Van Stralen, M., & West, R. (2011). The behaviour change wheel: A new method for characterizing and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science, 6(42), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-6-42
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