Health Promotion Campaign for Mental Health in Children and Young People

After completing the module you should be able to:

1. Identify and explain the origins of health promotion.

2. Appraise the key theories and concepts that inform health promotion and relate these to specific health promotion approaches and methods.

3. Plan and evaluate health promotion programmes in light of specific examples showing an evidence-based approach, creativity and innovation.

4. Identify a variety of communication strategies to disseminate health promotion messages.

This assignment is worth 100% of the marks for the module.

The UK Mental health statistics for children and young people have shown that:

• 20% of adolescents may experience a mental health problem in any given year.
• 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24.
• 10% of children and young people (aged 5-16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem, yet 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age (Mental Health Foundation, 2018).

As a fresh graduate recently employed in the public health department of your borough, you were asked to design and execute a Health Promotion campaign aimed at raising awareness of Mental Health in children and young people under 24 years of age.

Critically appraise the key/relevant theories and concepts that will inform your health promotion approaches aimed at raising awareness of Mental Health among children and young people under 24 years of age.

a) Clarify their local borough of choice and make use of relevant statistics and information on Mental Health among children and young people from your chosen borough.
b) Identify and critically evaluate at least two relevant health promotion theories you are familiar with.
c) Plan and discuss the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Strategies you will employ to help create the most impact in helping to reduce Mental Health among children and young people.
d) Identify and apply at least two communication strategies you will use in engaging relevant stakeholders and in disseminating the message to them.

Using examples from a specific country, discuss how the ‘The Lalonde report’ may influence the way health promotion campaigns are designed and communicated. 

Due to the rise in DALY(Disability-Adjusted-Life-Years) figures on ‘Mental Health in children and young people under 24 years of age’, your local council have asked you to plan, implement and evaluate detailed health promotion programmes on the theme: ‘Mental Health among children and young people’ in schools in the borough. Use the given case study, your chosen borough and any relevant health promotion campaign to answer this question.

Further guidance:

a. References to be made to the borough of choice from question 1.

b. Through the six steps (stages) for planning a health promotion programme (initiative), discuss your approach to the campaign.

c. Discuss the resources required and the various stakeholders you will be working with.

d. Using two types of evaluation designs and frameworks, evaluate the (possible) impact your health promotion programme will have on addressing the issue.

e. Compare the (possible) impact with that of a similar health promotion campaign carried out either in the UK or abroad.

f. Use evidence-based information to support discussion of the initiative.