The article 'Ethical issues in public health promotion' by Gardner, an MSc Medicine (Bioethics and Health Law) assesses health promotion as an essential element in practicing public health.it provides an analysis on the various concerns in the distribution and achievement of better health in communities. The article views health promotions as the measures employed to alter people lifestyles by enabling health choices and discouraging unhealthy choices through direct influence. However, the report outlines various ethical issues emerging from health promotion exercises that aim to change health-related behaviors and lifestyles.
In the process of influencing people to adopt healthy behavior by quitting smoking, engaging in exercises regularly, healthy eating and physical health such as wearing helmets and safety belts or engaging in safe sex, health promoters often fail to use cost-effective methods, and the practice often interferes with free choice (Gardner, 2014). The article focus on the various approaches to health promotion such as persuasion, manipulation and deception or coercion which interferes with values, beliefs and practices (Holland, 2015). By evaluating the costs in health promotion and the effectiveness in strategies employed, the article assesses failure of health promotion to respects the rights of individuals to autonomy. The findings propose justified approaches without violations of morals and values and enhancing effectiveness in the procedures.
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Health care professionals are involved in moral issues which violate and infringes the right of individuals. The use of health promotion strategies which are persuasive, manipulative, coercive t influence and change individual’s lifestyles continues to infringe on people’s rights and autonomy (Gardner, 2014). However, health promotion resulting in better health can be practiced by health professionals to enhance effectiveness and the cost on values, beliefs, and moral values. Studies have shown that some health intervention availed through communication can cause unintended adverse effects psychologically to groups and individuals. Health professionals should, therefore, avoid communication tactics which result in the ineffectiveness of the health promotion practices by being insensitive to the values and needs of people and cause them to respond negatively to interventions (Holland, 2015). Health promotions should be based on fundamental principles and assessment and informed by medical and bioethics. Health professional should ensure that the interventions have an actual impact in promotion the population’s health before implementation and also an evaluation of the beneficiaries. Health promotions in health care call for clear and effective responsibilities of health care professionals as they are called to ensure that the interventions brings no harm to individuals and promotes social justice and equity and are also useful.
The implementation of health promotion in communities incorporates the use of ethical frameworks from different approaches. Ethical arguments in health promotion services in the identification and justification of morals and norms which should act as a guide in conducting and evaluating various policies (Gardner, 2014). Approaches to ethical dilemmas in health promotion include the communitarian approach and the narrative ethics approach which promote connectedness and care. Ethical issues in health promotion such as those that seek to reduce harm but result in labelling, shaming and stigmatization in communities can be effected through understanding the community to avoid infringements of rights and promote their rights to freedom of choice and autonomy.
Health promotions and ethical issues of coercion manipulation and deceptions affect medical bioethics such as the need to respect people privacy and bring contradiction on ethical codes which seeks to protect people from harm. Therefore medical ethics governing health-related issues requires critical and reflective views and activities that accommodate ethical codes and set medical precepts to help in understanding ethical issues and outlining specific policy implication to the communities.
References
Gardner, J. (2014). Ethical issues in public health promotion . South African Journal of Bioethics and Law, 7(1), 30-33.
Holland, S. (2015). Public health ethics . Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
