Public health Promotion – Alcohol misuse
The essay focuses on public health promotion resource used in making people aware of the alcohol misuse issues. The article will also debate on the design and the impact of the resource from the public health perspective. Furthermore, the essay will discuss the link between alcohol misuse and depression from the practice’s perspective. Role of a nurse will also be appraised in the aspect of public awareness in helping to intervene in the alcohol misuse. Additionally, the essay will provide a rationale behind the targeted population and assess the effectiveness of the resource on the targeted population.
The rationale of the chosen resource
The chosen resource focuses on the alcohol misuse awareness, as alcohol is linked to a variety of diseases and accidentsCITATION Off17 l 2057 (ONS, 2017). According to The Faculty Public Health (2017), alcohol misuse is directly related to a range of health issues such as high blood pressure, mental ill-health, accidental injury, violence, liver disease and sexually transmitted infection. Furthermore, Faculty Public Health (2017) States that misuse of alcohol has become a serious and worsening public health problem in the UK. Also echoed by Govier and Rees (2013) who suggested that the adverse effects of alcohol consumption are increasingly being recognised in the United Kingdom. According to the ONS (2017), the alcohol misuse has been increasing year after year, therefore adding massive burden on the public health system, as it is witnessed in the alcohol-related admissions for the year 2015/16. ONS (2017) reported “339 thousand estimated admissions related to alcohol consumption in 2015/16. A 3 percent higher than 2014/15 and 22 percent higher than 2005/06, while 18% were for mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol.
Furthermore, alcohol consumption was the third largest lifestyle risk factor for disease and death following smoking and obesity (HM Government 2012). The resource is an online early initiative awareness charity website that puts its endeavours on educating and helping people to be aware of these harmful effects of alcohol misuse. The resource is called drinkware. Drinkaware.co.uk is an independent charity working to reduce alcohol misuse and harm in the UK. They help people to make better choices about their drinking habits, behaviours and consequences CITATION Dri16 l 2057 (Drinkaware, 2016). Drinkaware addresses the issue of alocohol misuse in a broarder aspect that covers a wide range of issues related to alcohol misuse. The effects of alcohol on the people’s bodies and alcohol-related diseases are some the issues addressed by the drinkaware resource. However, the essay focusses on the resource’s alcohol misuse awareness on people with depression as 18% of 2015/16 adimmissions were for mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol.
Alcohol and depression
Alcohol misuse is associated with a number of acute and chronic diseases, Henceforth, depression is among the diseases that are alcohol induced or vice versa depression leading to alcohol misuse. That’s The Faculty Public Health (2017) stating that alcohol misuse can be a significant contributing factor to obesity, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, pancreatitis, and mental health problems such as depression and alcohol dependency. In addition, Drinkaware (2016) also links alcohol misuse to a range of issues from depression and memory loss to suicide. Also the Royal College of Psychiatrsts (2006) does state depression can be a resultant of regular alcohol drinking.
It has been noted from the placement of practice, that some people who are admitted to acute wards have had or have some alcohol related history. Some of patients have experienced some relapse of depression due to going back to alcohol drinking after their initial treatment. While on the placement of practice, I have come across patients who have been on the mental health services for several years because they have failed to stay away from alcohol while taking medication and eventually relapsing.
Role of a nurse
Nursing has always looked or treated people on individualistic illness. Kemppainen, Tossavainen and Turunen (2013) state that the conventionally focus of health promotion by nurses has always been on illness prevention and the behavioural changes for individuals with respect to their health. Nurses concentrated on activities such as helping individuals or families to make health decisions or supporting people in their engagement with health promotion activities. However, nurses’ health promotion activities are now guided by individual perspective of nurses’ exhibiting comprehensive approach in their health promotion practice. However, Kemppainen, Tossavainen and Turunen (2013) Define nurses’ new role as promoters of health in a more complex environment, hence, they have multi-disciplinary knowledge and experience of health promotion in their nursing practice. Therefore, nurses do have an essential role to play in the implementation of public health awareness programs. Casey, (2007) also states that giving information to patients and providing health education is among the strategies for health promotion.
Given that harmful alcohol consumption is associated with significant health burden, and
social and financial implications, nurses have
a responsibility to support individuals to make
informed choices about their health. Because of
the inaccuracies associated with self-reporting
and self-calculation of alcohol consumption, the
use of online tools, such as the Drinkaware Unit
Calculator, guided by a nurse may be helpful.
It is essential that nurses support patients to
make positive and successful lifestyle changes by
providing encouragement and appropriate advice
in a non-judgemental manner NS
Department of Health (2012) Change 4 Life. Don’t Let Drink Sneak Up on You: How to Catch it Out and Cut Back. The Stationery Office, London.
