The primary focus in healthcare is the prevention and management of health conditions, which make health promotion an essential factor. The high costs and numerous complications associated with most health conditions increase the need to address any underlying risk factor by using evidence-based interventions to reduce the prevalence of diseases. Schizophrenia is one of the severe mental illness that affects how people feel, think, and behave while making them lose touch with reality. This paper describes the implications of a health promotion model and its application to the prevention of Schizophrenia. It recommends a lifestyle modification that is a critical preventive measure of schizophrenia based on the idea of using health promotion to prevent mental health illness.
A Specific Health Disparity in the Area of Practice
The health condition selected for this health promotion process is schizophrenia that has is a severe mental health condition. This is a condition defined as losing touch of reality and affecting how a person thinks and behaves, Schizophrenia is a health disparity and behavioral risk factor in the community, and one of the common conditions among older people. People with this condition are more likely to have a lower quality of life than any other population.
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Contrary to what people perceive, Schizophrenia is not about split or multiple personalities, nor about poor parenting or trauma. At the same time, the symptoms of this condition are not identical in each patient. The problem of schizophrenia in the country is a growing health problem with several comorbidities, such as cardiovascular diseases and hypertension ( Shih-Pi et al., 2018) . The question of schizophrenia is considered an epidemic in the United States shaped by many factors such as social, economic, and cultural influences.
Determinants of Health
Health determinants are factors that contribute to health conditions. The nine determinants of health according to the World Health Organization include the following: Income and social status; employment and working conditions; education and literacy; physical environment; and social support networks ( Compton & Shim, 2015) . Other factors include genetics; age and gender; access to health services; and childhood experiences. These determinants can be categorized into environmental, socioeconomic, and individual factors. They apply to the condition of schizophrenia as it occurs as a result of environmental, personal, and psychiatric factors.
The determinants to health apply to this health condition with reports showing that factors such as poor diet and lack of physical activity contribute to schizophrenia. The physical environment, income and social status, literacy, and access to health services have a critical effect on mental illness. This increases the need to address these factors as the first step in improving nutrition and activity levels through health promotion. These determinants of health apply to patients with schizophrenia with reports showing that some causes of schizophrenia are lifestyle and human behavior ( Compton & Shim, 2015) . Treatment of this condition can produce a better outcome through health promotion activities.
Epidemiology Associated With the Problem
Schizophrenia is a severe mental condition affecting adolescents and older adults. Individuals can experience first symptoms at the age of 16, including delusions, irrational beliefs, and confusion. Schizophrenia develops overtime before it manifests full symptoms such as psychotic break and hallucinations, affecting educational and occupation performance ( Janoutová et al., 2016) .
The condition affects more than 23 million people around the world, though it is not more common compared to other mental conditions. The incidence rate of schizophrenia has shown that its onset is relatively rare since health professionals use the first point of contact with mental health workers as the onset. There are no differences across countries in the annual rate of schizophrenia, which means the economic development of a country does little in influencing its growth ( Janoutová et al., 2016) .
Furthermore, there is no difference between and women when talking about the lifetime risk for schizophrenia. However, gender differences come in play when discussing the onset of this condition, as men can develop schizophrenia at an early age compared to women ( Janoutová et al., 2016) . However, the core features of the illness are similar in both genders. Adolescents and older adults are at high risk of developing schizophrenia.
A family history of illness is the most significant risk factor of schizophrenia since individuals have a high risk of developing the condition if it has run in the family. Environmental factors have also been examined to lead to schizophrenia development, such as perinatal brain damage and various early infections. Studies have also associated the condition with obstetrical complications as well as viruses on the central nervous system ( Janoutová et al., 2016) . Other risk factors of the mental state include imperfect premorbid adjustments, few friends, isolative behavior, and lack of significant relationships.
Cultural Considerations for the Identified Problem
Culture has a more considerable influence on treating mental health conditions due to issues such as stigma that can be harmful to patients. The stigma towards mental health conditions such as schizophrenia is a significant issue in cultural aspects that affects appropriate health promotion ( Angermeyer et al., 2016) . Cultural factors may affect how a person utilizes mental health services despite experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia. The culture shapes the expression and recognition of this mental condition as well as the attitude towards mental illness.
Mental illness is perceived in spiritual and religious contexts in some cultures, which affects the patient from seeking proper medical services. Individuals from such communities may dismiss, deny, or neglect any symptom of schizophrenia, instead advising to seek spiritual intervention. For example, Asian cultures are known to dismiss any cases of mental illness, which makes any person with schizophrenia shameful to find for the medication ( Angermeyer et al., 2016) . They link mental conditions to supernatural causes such as punishment from God that can only be solved through prayers.
Families may forbid an individual from the public and force an individual to seek therapy in secret, affecting health promotional methods such as physical activity. Families described as nuclear households are characterized by family members taking precedence in every event happening in a person. This is a challenge to health promotion if family members refuse to comply with the idea of mental therapy. Other cultures fail to recognize the existence of mental illness, and therefore do not understand any treatment options; which means patients may be less likely to seek psychological help for their condition ( Angermeyer et al., 2016) .
In essence, culture permeates every aspect of a person's life, including an influence on the eating and activity habits of a person. It dictates how much exercise a person does and how they view their bodies. In treating the condition, there is a need to consider the cultural norms surrounding mental health. This is because of issues of lack of culturally sensitive strategies, such as using a language that is deemed inappropriate in a particular culture ( Angermeyer et al., 2016) . A culturally insensitive attitude can affect health promotion in society, especially among populations that prefer culturally appropriate programs.
Health Care Literacy Challenges With the Population
Health literacy is a determinant of schizophrenia among the population. It entails the capacity to communicate and enact decisions about one's health and achieve wellness. Health literacy is an essential part of health promotion as a means of reducing health disparities and increase people’s control over their health. There is a link between health literacy and mental health intervention among patients with schizophrenia, which makes education an essential part of health promotion ( Noroozi et al., 2018) . Improving health literacy may increase health promotion behaviors and can help increase the health behaviors of populations affected by this condition. The high prevalence of limited health literacy is a concerning issue due to the negative correlation with poor health status and mental illness.
Limited health literacy makes it challenging to design treatments and interventions for schizophrenia. It is associated with misconceptions about mental illness, physical activity as well as failure to understand the importance of having friends. In this regard, a person with limited health literacy will not recognize the need to seek medication or change their lifestyles ( Noroozi et al., 2018) . Therefore, improving the health literacy of patients with schizophrenia may have a positive impact on their health and lead to favorable health outcomes. It is one of the health promotional strategies that can be used to reduce the prevalence of mental illness among the population. The illiteracy makes it difficult for patients to access mental health services, including having problems to balance treatment methods and social life.
Health Promotion Theory to Developing a Treatment Plan for the Condition
Pender’s Health Promotion Model applies to develop a plan for schizophrenia. This is a middle-range predictive theory of health promotion that proposes the use of preventive measures to deal with health conditions. This approach helps patients with schizophrenia to achieve holistic well-being using their choices and behaviors with help from health professionals ( Heydari & Khorashadizadeh, 2014) . Under this model, individuals are required to actively regulate their behavior and interact with the environment to be transformed. Health professionals also have a role in influencing the patient into a better quality of life. Pender believed individuals could achieve the quality of life through the prevention of the problem before it worsens through health promotion ( Heydari & Khorashadizadeh, 2014) .
Pender’s health promotion model focuses on helping patients to understand the factors that determine health behavior and promote healthy lifestyles. According to this model, the background information and environmental forces can influence the action of a person ( Heydari & Khorashadizadeh, 2014) . It also promotes self-care that can help to ensure better overall health. The management of schizophrenia should begin with individualized intervention such as lifestyle modifications and early diagnosis of the condition.
This model sees a human being as holistic who can achieve a state of self-actualization. This model can be utilized for patients with schizophrenia to promote healthy behaviors since the condition can be caused by an inadequate health lifestyle ( Heydari & Khorashadizadeh, 2014) . As such, the condition can be intervened when individuals focus on the risk factors and changing their lifestyles. The Pender’s Health Promotion Model can be applied in this case study to improve the condition of patients with schizophrenia. Studies have shown that integrating health promotion activities targeting healthy eating and physical activities can help an individual with mental disorders ( Heydari & Khorashadizadeh, 2014) . This model can be applied at an individual level or in a broad sense while accounting for unique sociocultural experiences.
Conclusion
This paper has explored a health promotion program for dealing with the problem of schizophrenia in the community. The campaign is focused on minimizing the prevalence of this health disparity among the population at risk. The paper discussed the determinants of health among people with schizophrenia, the epistemology of the condition as well as the cultural consideration for the condition. It also touched on health care literacy challenges for the population with obesity. The health promotion program can benefit all people with the condition by creating an environment that minimizes factors leading to the condition. In essence, schizophrenia can be managed successfully through health promotion strategies.
References
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Compton, M. T., & Shim, R. S. (2015). The social determinants of mental health. Focus , 13 (4), 419-425.
Heydari, A., & Khorashadizadeh, F. (2014). Pender’s health promotion model in medical research. Studies , 41 , 59.
Janoutová, J., Janáčková, P., Šerý, O., Zeman, T., Ambroz, P., Kovalová, M., ... & Janout, V. (2016). Epidemiology and risk factors of schizophrenia. Neuroendocrinology Letters , 37 (1), 1-8.
Noroozi, A., Khademolhosseini, F., Lari, H., & Tahmasebi, R. (2018). The mediator role of mental health literacy in the relationship between demographic variables and health-promoting behaviors. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , 12 (2).
Shih-Pi, L. I. N., Chieh-Yu, L. I. U., & Chiu-Yueh, Y. A. N. G. (2018). Relationship between lifestyles that promote health and quality of life in patients with chronic schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Nursing Research , 26 (3), 207-215.
