Health promotion practice

Abstract

The practice of health promotion is about much more than simply advising or persuading individuals to make lifestyle changes. Interventions can take place at different levels, including face-to-face contact with individuals, working with groups and communities, and strategic level work including policy development. Health promotion practice includes advocacy, community mobilization, policy development, advice, therapeutic support, and media information campaigns. This means that health promoters need a range of skills in, for example, needs assessment, partnership working, project management and evaluation, as well as a solid understanding of different methods used in health promotion interventions. This second edition of Health Promotion Practice describes these skills and methods and provides practical tools to help health promotion practitioners apply them. The content builds on Health Promotion Theory, another book in the Understanding Public Health series, which describes and explores the key principles and theory behind health promotion and its practice