Health promotion is an important aspect of primary health care as it focuses not on individual health but on the social and structural determinants of health that can be used to facilitate health, allowing individuals to take control of their personal health (World Health Organization [WHO], 2016a; McMurray & Clendon, 2015). The Ottawa Charter of Health (OCH) is compiled of five strategies: building healthy public policies, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and reorientating health services, and is an important part of community and global health promotion (McMurray & Clendon, 2015; WHO, 1986). The role of a nurse is to use the strategies of the OCH as an action plan to …show more content…
This is important as it is hard for children to make lifestyle changes if they do not feel supported. Therefore, the creation of supportive and non-judgemental environments are essential to the well-being of children while they are in the process of changing habits (McMurray and Clendon, 2015). Another role of nurses in the creation of these supportive environments is the ability to support parents and children, which can be done through providing access to culturally socially responsible, and family orientated health education resources. Support for both the child and their family can help to create health literacy in both the parent and the child (McMurray & Clendon, …show more content…
By collaborating with schools, teachers and nurses can work together to incorporate evidence based health education into school curriculums. This collaboration is instrumental in aiding children to increase their health literacy, enabling them to and make healthier lifestyle choices (Tucker & Lannington-Foster, 2015; McMurray & Clendon, 2015). As an example, teacher, nurse, and dietician could run a cooking class to educate children on nutritious foods. This class could consist of tasting new foods, and cooking nutritious meals in order to promote healthy foods. This reorientation of health services means that children can have the best possible chance of leading healthy lifestyles and enjoying nutritious food. A similar program ‘Cooking with Kids’ run in New Mexico, found that the positive experience of programs such as this encouraged both children and families to lead healthier lifestyles (Walters & Stacey,