Discuss about the Exposure Assessment in Environmental Epidemiology.
Health promotional program is the most successful and implemented programs in the history of healthcare while providing care and wellbeing to a larger population or a section of society (Eldredge et al. 2016). Mental health and psychological stability are few of the issues in several international universities nowadays and due to which, rate of drop outs, mental harassments, and suicide has been witnessed in the recent cases (Dix et al. 2012). Therefore, this chosen topic and successful implementation was important for the population as well as the university.
Aim of the proposed plan
The primary aim of this community health program to assess mental health and social support needs of the international students enrolled in the University of Wollongong (UOW). The proposed community health program also aims to draft interventions which can be effectively implemented in order to satisfy the mental and the social needs of the international students of UOW. Exposure Assessment In Environmental Epidemiology Essay Paper
Objectives of the proposed plan
The first positive implication of this health promotional program was its specific topic and its successful implementation. Starting from the planning, its implementation, its budgeting and the focused group, every aspect of the study was properly planned and hence, it was able to point out positive health impact on the student community, who are suffering from mental and psychological pressure in a different country (Conley, Durlakand Dickson 2013). Further, they would start trusting their university officials, their friends and others if they are provided with their rights as per mentioned by the Australian and Wollongong university. The second positive impact will be providing them with confidence and self-esteem while communicating their pain and grief. It is a serious concern as international students in Australia are not much spoken about their sufferings and concerns and they are not also provided with platform so that their issues could be communicated to others (Wierenga et al. 2012). However, this community health promotional program helped them to take part in surveys, group discussion and other public forum so that they can share their thoughts to others and their health issues could be resolved. Thirdly, the plan and timeline of the project is very small and as per the timeline, the commencement to evaluation will take 6 months or lesser, which is a big positive factor for the health promotion plan as it provides quick interventions a quick support for the social needs related issues of students of the Wollongong university (Eime et al. 2013). This impacts the students positively as they feel safe and important in a different country and their confidence and self-esteemed is enhanced.
Associated positive implication of this health promotion program is aims to employ open-ended questionnaire in order to assess the mental needs of the international students of UOW. According to Roberts et al. (2014), semi-structured interview with open-ended questionnaire helps to analyse the emotional consequences that through which a person is passing through. This open ended questionnaire based interview when held under the friendly atmosphere helps in the generation of trust which helps the respondents to open-up with their complex emotional consequences.
Besides the above-mentioned positive aspects, there were several negative aspects of the conducted community health promotional program for the students of Wollongong university. The first negative impact would be the negative reactions from the Australian students of the same university, who faces almost similar mental stress and tension while competing and studying in such universities (Dix et al. 2012). They will feel discriminated and hence, it will be a major negative impact of the campaign. Secondly, conduction of the campaign required hospitals, gathering areas, counselling sessions and other public and private properties, however, no consent or approval letter was received from the local government, university and the hospital involved (Eldredge et al. 2016). Therefore, it is a big negative impact as it may affect the credibility of the entire health promotional campaign. Using survey based method and interview method in order to ascertain the level of depression or the social stigma or the other social requirement of the international students of UOW as certain negative aspect in the domain of privacy and confidentiality. The international students might feel that their level of privacy might to bridged leading to decrease in the overall participation. The international students at times are not well-versed in the Engling language and such that organising interview and survey with English Questionnaire might not provide the expected results (Roberts et al., 2014).
There are several factors of the health promotional programs that determine the intended or unintended consequences of the proposed plan. These factors are flexibility and complexity of the program, the characteristics of implementer, context of the university, priorities of the student and the time of the year such as examinations or general classes. These factors determine the consequences because these factors decide the mental pressure and tension faced by the students while studying in universities (Bonell et al. 2012). Especially, the international students because they have to think about their other aspects with proper students in an another country.
The intended consequences of the community health promotion program were involvement of hundreds of international students who are unable to express their concerns to anyone because of their fear of discrimination, and hence, this promotional program helped them to discuss their mental health concern using social media application, in which they filled a questionnaire or provide them a platform to discuss their psychological needs (Jagosh et al. 2012). On the other hand, providing a shorter timeframe and specific goal to the promotional campaign helped them to understand the level of such concerns in the university campus and the actions, the university authorities have taken to overcome the problems of these international students (Eldredge et al. 2016). Exposure Assessment In Environmental Epidemiology Essay Paper
While making the budget of the health promotional program, the distribution of money was done roughly, however if the practical situation is considered, the consequences will be unintended or different (Kohl et al. 2012). Hiring staff and booking place would require more than $20000, whereas, the facilities for recruited staff and others could be done in $12000. Therefore, its consequences will be different from the proposed plan dynamics. Further, as per the proposed plan, the timeline of the study starts in July and ends in December, that denotes that within 6 months it can completely evaluate the need of international students studying in the University of Wollongong (Bonell et al. 2012). However, conducting such an important project within shorter time would not be able to provide complete details of the study. Therefore, it is one of the negative consequences of the health promotional program and hence had the ability to affect the credibility of the program.
The advocacy is the method using which outcomes of any program can be influenced by including several resource allocation decisions, political, social and economic system, which affect people and their life directly. This helps to promote the public health related objectives, protect human rights, overcome barriers, and provide them with quality life (Kohl et al. 2012). Further, to empower the personnel involved in the organization and arrangement of the program so that they can use their decision-making skills to broaden the health initiative. The advocacy tool which will be used in this case are lobbying, meeting, project visits and community organizing.
Lobbying is the advocacy tool, which determines the influence of the project on the community involved, the organizers and the higher authorities which will be asked for economic and moral sanctions. As per Dix et al. (2012), lobbying helps to gain grants and permission of the governmental and other important institutes which are required by this promotional program for international student in the university of Wollongong. Therefore, as the advocacy tool, lobbying will help to create a good relationship with public and private authorities who will be able to help the organizers to conduct the health promotional program smoothly without any negative consequences. This will also help them to discuss the strategy with their officials and hence, a proper strategic planning for the people will be observed (Golden and Earp 2012).
Meeting is an another advocacy tool which will help the organizers with a position so that they can negotiate their demand with the governmental or non-governmental authorities. It is a part of the health promotional program related lobbying and hence, it would create the collaboration between the organizing authorities, the chosen population of the promotional campaign and the governmental and non-governmental authorities so that they can understand the smaller nuances of the promotional program and take part in that to increase its efficiency (Fertman 2016).
Nursing Community organizing is the third advocacy tool using which, all the international students will be provided with help and communication so that they can be provided with proper support and intervention to withstand their mental health and wellbeing. On the other hand, this advocacy will be able to create a unity among the international students and in future the will be able to provide them support in their tough conditions while studying in the university of Wollongong (Kohl et al. 2012).
Project visit is the final advocacy tool which will be used in this health promotional program as it is one of the major aspects of this health promotional program. This determines good practice and sharing of information due to which international students are provided with opportunities so that they can convey their concerns to higher authorities. Besides this, it also ensures that students who are having mental or psychological trauma, could be provided with counselling or other sessions to provide them confidence and self-esteem (Golden and Earp 2012). In this the organizers will visit hospitals, offices, governmental meets so that conduction could happen smoothly.
Risk assessment forms a vital tool that helps in identifying the associated risks attached with the implementation of a strategy (Covello and Merkhoher, 2013). According to Nieuwenhuijsen (2015), the successful implementation of a strategy must be preceded with the designing of a risk-assessment matrix so as to consider a scope of continuous evaluation and improvement. The following risk-assessment matrix would help in evaluating the risks associated with the planned strategies in this project:
References
Bonell, C., Fletcher, A., Morton, M., Lorenc, T. and Moore, L., 2012. Realist randomised controlled trials: a new approach to evaluating complex public health interventions. Social science & medicine, 75(12), pp.2299-2306.
Conley, C.S., Durlak, J.A. and Dickson, D.A., 2013. An evaluative review of outcome research on universal mental health promotion and prevention programs for higher education students. Journal of American College Health, 61(5), pp.286-301.
Covello, V.T. and Merkhoher, M.W., 2013. Risk assessment methods: approaches for assessing health and environmental risks. Springer Science & Business Media.pp.112
Dix, K.L., Slee, P.T., Lawson, M.J. and Keeves, J.P., 2012. Implementation quality of whole?school mental health promotion and students’ academic performance. Child and adolescent mental health, 17(1), pp.45-51.
Eime, R.M., Young, J.A., Harvey, J.T., Charity, M.J. and Payne, W.R., 2013. A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport. International journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 10(1), p.98.
Eldredge, L.K.B., Markham, C.M., Ruiter, R.A., Kok, G., Fernandez, M.E. and Parcel, G.S., 2016. Planning health promotion programs: an intervention mapping approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Fertman, C.I., 2016. Health promotion programs: from theory to practice. John Wiley & Sons.
Golden, S.D. and Earp, J.A.L., 2012. Social ecological approaches to individuals and their contexts: twenty years of health education & behavior health promotion interventions. Health Education & Behavior, 39(3), pp.364-372.
Jagosh, J., Macaulay, A.C., Pluye, P., Salsberg, J., Bush, P.L., Henderson, J., Sirett, E., Wong, G., Cargo, M., Herbert, C.P. and Seifer, S.D., 2012. Uncovering the benefits of participatory research: implications of a realist review for health research and practice. The Milbank Quarterly, 90(2), pp.311-346.
Kohl 3rd, H.W., Craig, C.L., Lambert, E.V., Inoue, S., Alkandari, J.R., Leetongin, G., Kahlmeier, S. and Lancet Physical Activity Series Working Group, 2012. The pandemic of physical inactivity: global action for public health. The Lancet, 380(9838), pp.294-305.
Nieuwenhuijsen, M.J. ed., 2015. Exposure assessment in environmental epidemiology. Oxford University Press, USA.
Roberts, M. E., Stewart, B. M., Tingley, D., Lucas, C., Leder?Luis, J., Gadarian, S. K., … and Rand, D. G. 2014. Structural topic models for open?ended survey responses. American Journal of Political Science, 58(4), 1064-1082.
Wierenga, D., Engbers, L.H., Van Empelen, P., Duijts, S., Hildebrandt, V.H. and Van Mechelen, W., 2013. What is actually measured in process evaluations for worksite health promotion programs: a systematic review. BMC public health, 13(1), p.1190. Exposure Assessment In Environmental Epidemiology Essay Paper