Applying Models of Health Promotion to Improve Effectiveness of Pharmacist-Led Campaign in Reducing Obesity in Socioeconomically Deprived Areas The WritePass Journal

Applying Models of Health Promotion to Improve Effectiveness of Pharmacist-Led Campaign in Reducing Obesity in Socioeconomically Deprived Areas Abstract Applying Models of Health Promotion to Improve Effectiveness of Pharmacist-Led Campaign in Reducing Obesity in Socioeconomically Deprived Areas ). The multi-factorial nature of obesity suggests that management of this condition should also take a holistic approach and should not only be limited to health promotion models designed to promote individual health. Hence, identifying different models appropriate for communities would also be necessary to address obesity amongst socio-economically deprived families. One of models that also address factors present in the community or environment of the individual is the ecological approaches model (Goodson, 2009). Family, workplace, community, economics, beliefs and traditions and the social and physical environments all influence the health of an individual (Naidoo and Wills, 2009). The levels of influence in the ecological approaches model are described as intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community and public policy. Addressing obesity amongst socio-economically deprived individuals through the ecological approaches model will ensure that each level of influence is recogn ised and addressed. Pharmacist-led Campaigns in Reducing Obesity The health belief, stages of change and the ecological approaches models can all be used to underpin pharmacist-led campaigns in reducing obesity for communities that are socio-economically deprived. Blenkinsopp et al. (2003) state that community pharmacists have a pivotal role in articulating the needs of individuals with specific health conditions in their communities. Pharmacists can lobby at local and national levels and act as supporters of local groups who work for health improvement. However, the work of the pharmacists can also be influenced by their own beliefs, perceptions and practices. Blenkinsopp et al. (2003) emphasise that when working in communities with deprived individuals, the pharmacists should also consider how their own socioeconomic status influence the type of care they provide to the service users. They should also consider whether differences in socio-economic status have an impact on the care received the patients. There should also be a consideration if th ere are differences in the culture, educational level and vocabulary of service users and pharmacists. Differences might influence the quality of care received by the patients; for instance, differences in culture could easily lead to miscommunication and poor quality of care (Taylor et al., 2004). Bond (2000) expresses the need for pharmacists to examine the needs of each service user and how they can empower individuals to seek for healthcare services and meet their own needs. In community settings, it is essential to increase the self-efficacy of service users. Self-efficacy is described as the belief of an individual that they are capable of attaining specific goals through modifying their behaviour and adopting specific behaviours (Lubkin and Larsen, 2011). In relation to addressing obesity amongst socio-economically deprived individuals, pharmacists can use the different models to help individuals identify their needs and allow them to gain self-efficacy. For example, pharmacists can use the health belief model to educate individuals on the consequences of obesity. On the other hand, the stages of change model can be utilised to help individuals changed their eating behaviour and improve their physical activities. Uptake of behaviours such as healthy eating and increasing physical activities are not always optimal despite concerted efforts of communities and policymakers (Reilly et al., 2006). It is suggested that changing one’s behaviour require holistic and multifaceted interventions aimed at increasing self-efficacy of families and allowing them to take positive actions (Naidoo and Wills, 2009). There is evidence (Tucker et al., 2006; Barkin et al., 2012; Davison et al., 2013; Zhou et al., 2014) that multifaceted community-based interventions aimed at families are more likely to improve behaviour and reduce incidence of obesity than single interventions. Community-based interventions can be supported with the ecological approaches model. This model recognises that one’s family, community, the environment, policies and other environment-related factors influence the health of the individuals. To date, the Department of Health (2010) through its Healthy Lives, Healthy People pol icy reiterates the importance of maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle to prevent obesity. This policy allows local communities to take responsibility and be accountable for the health of its community members. Pharmacists are not only limited to dispensing advice on medications for obesity but to also facilitate a healthier lifestyle. This could be done through collaboration with other healthcare professionals in the community (Goodson, 2009). A multidisciplinary approach to health has been suggested to be effective in promoting positive health outcomes of service users (Zhou et al., 2014). As discussed in this essay, pharmacists can facilitate the access of service users to activities and programmes designed to prevent obesity amongst members in the community. Finally, pharmacists have integral roles in health promotion and are not limited to dispensing medications or provide counselling on pharmacologic therapies. Their roles have expanded to include providing patients with holistic interventions and facilitating uptake of health and social care services designed to manage and prevent obesity in socio-economically deprived individuals. Conclusion In conclusion, pharmacists can use the different health promotion models to address obesity amongst individuals with lower socioeconomic status. The use of these models will help pharmacists provide holistic interventions to this group and address their individual needs. The different health promotion models discussed in this essay shows that it is crucial to allow service users gain self-efficacy. This will empower them to take positive actions regarding their health. Finally, it is suggested that a multi-faceted, community based intervention will likely lead to a successful campaign against obesity. References Adams, J., Tyrrell, R., Adamson, A. White, M. (2012). Socio-economic differences in exposure to television food advertisements in the UK: a cross-sectional study of advertisements broadcast in one television region. Public Health Nutrition, 15(3), 487-494. Barkin, S., Gesell, S., Poe, E., Escarfuller, J. Tempesti, T. (2012). Culturally tailored, family-centred, behavioural obesity intervention for Latino-American Preschool-aged children. Pediatrics, 130(3), 445-456. Blenkisopp, A., Panton, R. Anderson, C. (2000). Health Promotion for Pharmacists, 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Blenkisopp, A., Andersen, C. Panton, R. (2003). Promoting Health.   In: K. Taylor G. Harding (Eds.), Pharmacy Practice (pp. 135-147). London: CRC Press. Bond, C. (2000). An introduction to pharmacy practice. In: C. Bond (ed.), Evidence-based pharmacy (pp. 1-21). London: Pharmaceutical Press. Davison, K., Jurkowski, J., Li, K., Kranz, S. Lawson, H. ((2013). A childhood obesity intervention developed by families for families: results from a pilot study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 10(3). Retrieved November 21, 2014 from ijbnpa.org/content/10/1/ De Silva-Sanigorski, A. (2011). Obesity prevention in the family day care setting: impact of the Romp Chomp intervention on opportunities for children’s physical activity and healthy eating. Child Care, Health and Development, 37(3), 385-393. Department of Health (2009). Change4Life. London: Department of Health. Department of Health (2010). Healthy Lives, Healthy People. London: Department of Health. Department of Health (2011). The Eatwell Plate. London: Department of Health. Goodson, P. (2009). Theory in health promotion research and practice: Thinking outside the box. London: Jones Bartlett Learning. Jones, S., Mannino, N. Green, J. (2010). Like me, want me, buy me, eat me’: relationship-building marketing communications in children’s magazines. Public Health and Nutrition, 13(12), 2111-2118. Lubkin, I. Larsen, P. (2011). Chronic illness: impact and intervention. London: Jones Bartlett Publishers. Levin, B., Hurd, P. Hanson, A. (2008). Introduction to public health in pharmacy. London: Jones Bartlett Publishers. Naidoo, J. Wills, J. (2009) Foundations for health promotion. London: Elsevier Health Sciences. Public Health England (2014). Trends in Obesity Prevalence. Retrieved November 21, 2014 from noo.org.uk/NOO_about_obesity/trends Reilly, J., Montgomery, C., Williamson, A., Fisher, A., McColl, J., Lo Conte, R., Pathon, J. Grant, S. (2006). Physical activity to prevent obesity in young children: cluster randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, doi: 10.1136/bmj.38979.623773.55 Retrieved November 21, 2014 from bmj.com/content/333/7577/1041.full.pdf+html Taylor, K., Nettleton, S. Harding, G. (2004). Sociology for pharmacists: An introduction. London: CRC Press. Tucker, P., Irwin, J., Sangster Bouck, L., He, M. Pollett, G. (2006). Preventing paediatric obesity; recommendations from a community-based qualitative investigation. Obesity Review, 7(3), 251-260. Zhou, Z., Ren, H., Yin, Z., Wang, L. Wang, K. (2014). A policy-driven multifaceted approach for the early childhood physical fitness promotion: impacts on body composition and physical fitness in young Chinese children. BMC Pediatrics, 14: 118 Retrieved November 21, 2014 from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24886119

150 Million Years of Marsupial Evolution

150 Million Years of Marsupial Evolution You wouldnt know it from their relatively paltry numbers today, but marsupials (the kangaroos, koalas, wombats, etc. of Australia, as well as the opossums of the western hemisphere) have a rich evolutionary history. As far as paleontologists can tell, the distant ancestors of modern opossums diverged from the distant ancestors of modern placental mammals about 160 million years ago, during the late Jurassic period (when pretty much all mammals were the size of mice), and the first true marsupial appeared during the early Cretaceous, about 35 million years later. (See a gallery of prehistoric marsupial pictures and profiles and a list of recently extinct marsupials.) Before we go any further, its worthwhile to review what sets marsupials apart from the mainstream of mammalian evolution. The vast majority of mammals on earth today are placental: fetuses are nurtured in their mothers wombs, by means of a placenta, and theyre born in a relatively advanced state of development. Marsupials, by contrast, give birth to undeveloped, fetus-like young, which then must spend helpless months suckling milk in their mothers pouches. (Theres also a third, much smaller group of mammals, the egg-laying monotremes, typified by platypuses and echidnas.) The First Marsupials Because the mammals of the Mesozoic Era were so smalland because soft tissues dont preserve well in the fossil recordscientists cant directly examine the reproductive systems of animals from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. What they can do, though, is examine and compare these mammals teeth, and by that criterion, the earliest identified marsupial was Sinodelphys, from early Cretaceous Asia. The giveaway is that prehistoric marsupials possessed four pairs of molars in each of their upper and lower jaws, while placental mammals had no more than three. For tens of millions of years after Sinodelphys, the marsupial fossil record is frustratingly scattered and incomplete. We do know that early marsupials (or metatherians, as theyre sometimes called by paleontologists) spread from Asia to North and South America, and then from South America to Australia, by way of Antarctica (which was much more temperate at the end of the Mesozoic Era). By the time the evolutionary dust had cleared, by the end of the Eocene epoch, marsupials had disappeared from North America and Eurasia  but prospered in South America and Australia. The Marsupials of South America For most of the Cenozoic Era, South America was a gigantic island continent, completely separated from North America until the emergence of the Central American isthmus about three million years ago. During these eons, South Americas marsupialstechnically known as sparassodonts, and technically classified as a sister group to the true marsupialsevolved to fill every available mammalian ecological niche, in ways that uncannily mimicked the lifestyles of their placental cousins elsewhere in the world. Examples? Consider Borhyaena, a slouching, 200-pound predatory marsupial that looked and acted like an African hyena; Cladosictis, a small, sleek metatherian that resembled a slippery otter; Necrolestes, the grave robber, which behaved a bit like an anteater; and, last but not least, Thylacosmilus, the marsupial equivalent of the Saber-Tooth Tiger (and equipped with even bigger canines). Unfortunately, the opening of the Central American isthmus during the Pliocene epoch spelled the doom of these marsupials, as they were completely displaced by better-adapted placental mammals from up north. The Giant Marsupials of Australia In one respect, the marsupials of South America have long since disappearedbut in another, they continue to live on in Australia. Its likely that all of the kangaroos, wombats, and wallabies Down Under are descendants of a single marsupial species that inadvertently rafted over from Antarctica about 55 million years ago, during the early Eocene epoch. (One candidate is a distant ancestor of the Monito del Monte, or little bush monkey, a tiny, nocturnal, tree-dwelling marsupial that today lives in the bamboo forests of the southern Andes mountains.) From such unprepossessing origins, a mighty race grew. A few million years ago, Australia was home to such monstrous marsupials as Diprotodon, aka the Giant Wombat, which weighed upwards of two tons; Procoptodon, the Giant Short-Faced Kangaroo, which stood 10 feet tall and weighed twice as much as an NFL linebacker; Thylacoleo, the 200-pound marsupial lion; and the Tasmanian Tiger (genus Thylacinus), a fierce, wolf-like predator that only went extinct in the 20th century. Sadly, like most megafauna mammals worldwide, the giant marsupials of Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand went extinct after the last Ice Age, survived by their much more petite descendants.

Individual report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Individual report - Assignment Example However in 1923 his son invented a new product called ‘Mars Milky Way’ bar, which was very well received. Between 1911 and 1932 the company was relocated a number of times until Forrest Mars established Mars Limited in the United Kingdom. Over time the company has expanded into different avenues and it operates in six different business segments; food, chocolate, pet care, drinks, confections and symbioscience1. The marketing strategy of Mars incorporated is one that is geared towards the success of an industry built on the ambitions of a man who ran the company with a fanatic dedication. The following description by Joel Glenn Brenner (the only reporter ever to interview him) of Mr. Mars in New York Times (1999) explains to some extent the reservoirs of commitment and dedication with which the company has been run. He stated that there was an extremist who got down to his knees, in a praying manner, and he prayed for all the candy brands like Milky Way, Snickers, and so on. By doing so, he aspired respect of his employees and their loyalties for attaining quality, showing his will to pay salaries thrice better than the competition offerings. A noticeable point is that the pay-checks at Mars, are linked to the output and performance of the business. Higher market penetration- Initially when the company was still starting out and had few competitors, expanding market base was also accompanied by an increase in the overall market growth which meant that the Mars market share also increased rapidly. Over the last couple of decades however, competitors such as Kraft and Hershey’s have acquired a dominant presence in the candy market. Mars and Hershey’s due to their dualistic domination of the confection industry have become known as the ‘Candy Kings’ of the chocolate world (New York Times, 1999). Having a lot in common, the two companies in the initial decades