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  • Title: Promoting health and preventing disease: an international perspective on youth health promotion.
    Author: Nutbeam D.
    Journal: J Adolesc Health; 1997 May; 20(5):396-402. PubMed ID: 9168387.
    Abstract:
    PURPOSE: To advocate strategies to promote the health of young people that include action to create supportive social and economic conditions, alongside more traditional actions to strengthen individual capacity to protect health. METHODS: Analysis of different strategies for youth health promotion from different countries, including education, public policies, laws, and regulations that protect young people from exploitation and physical harm, and enhance their capacity to make healthy lifestyle choices. RESULTS: Access to education and the promotion of basic literacy are, in their own right, important public health goals. Beyond this, efforts to promote health through schools should focus on the creation of an integrated and mutually reinforcing set of experiences for young people, including classroom health education, the creation of a safe and healthy physical environment, and provision of appropriate school health services. The creation of supportive social and economic conditions are also essential, and require political action through the development of public policy. Such policies include restricting access to tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs, improving access to essential health services; and regulation of economic exploitation of young people. CONCLUSIONS: Health promotion is inherently political. Health professionals have to find ways to become more effective political advocates for young people. This should be reflected in the education of health professionals and educators, and in the work of agencies and professional associations. Strategies from different countries for youth health promotion were analyzed. These strategies include measures in education, public policies, laws, and regulations which protect young people from exploitation and physical harm, and enhance their capacity to make healthy lifestyle choices. While access to education and the promotion of basic literacy are important public health goals, efforts to promote health through schools should focus upon the creation of an integrated and mutually reinforcing set of experiences for young people, including classroom health education, the creation of a safe and healthy physical environment, and provision of appropriate school health services. The creation of supportive social and economic conditions is also essential and requires political action through the development of public policy. Such policies include restricting access to tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs; improving access to essential health services; and legislating against the economic exploitation of youth. Health professionals must find ways to become more effective political advocates for young people.
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