Who delivers health promotion, and in what settings does it work best?
Agencies and settings for health promotion: the roles of government, statutory, voluntary and other agencies, the settings in which health promotion takes place, and the role of national campaigns and legislation.
A CCEA A2 4 answer on the agencies and settings for health promotion: the roles of government, statutory, voluntary and other agencies, the settings in which health promotion takes place (schools, workplaces, the community and health settings), and the role of national campaigns and legislation.
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What this dot point is asking
CCEA wants you to explain who delivers health promotion and where: the roles of government, statutory, voluntary and other agencies, the settings in which health promotion takes place, and the role of national campaigns and legislation.
The agencies involved
Government and the Department of Health set health policy, fund services, and pass legislation that protects and promotes health. Statutory health agencies (in Northern Ireland, the Public Health Agency) plan and deliver health protection and improvement programmes, run surveillance, and coordinate immunisation and screening. Local statutory services (HSC trusts, GPs, schools) deliver health promotion directly to communities and individuals. Voluntary organisations and charities run awareness campaigns, provide information and support, and reach specific groups (for example a cancer or heart charity). This mirrors the sectors of provision studied in A2 3.
Settings for health promotion
Choosing the right setting improves reach and relevance: a campaign about teenage diet belongs in schools; one about back pain might belong in workplaces; one about cancer screening might use GP surgeries. This is why setting is a key part of planning a campaign, as seen in the previous dot point.
National campaigns and legislation
CCEA expects you to recognise the power of national campaigns and legislation. National campaigns (on smoking, alcohol, diet, screening or mental health) raise awareness at scale and can shift social norms. Legislation changes the environment for everyone at once and does not rely on individuals choosing to engage: examples include smoke-free laws, seat-belt laws, minimum alcohol pricing and food-labelling rules. By making the healthy choice the easy or default choice, legislation protects even those who would not respond to education or persuasion, which is why the social change approach (using law and policy) is so effective for population health.
Try this
Q1. Name the statutory agency responsible for public health in Northern Ireland. [1 mark]
- Cue. The Public Health Agency.
Q2. Name two settings in which health promotion commonly takes place. [2 marks]
- Cue. Schools, workplaces, the community, and health settings such as GP surgeries (any two).
Q3. Explain why legislation is an effective tool for health promotion. [2 marks]
- Cue. It changes the environment for everyone at once and does not rely on individuals choosing to engage, making the healthy choice the default.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA A2 4 20186 marksDescribe the roles of different agencies involved in promoting public health.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark answer needs several agencies, each with its role.
Government and the Department of Health: sets health policy, funds services, and passes legislation that protects and promotes health (for example smoke-free and food-labelling laws).
Statutory health agencies (such as the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland): plan and deliver health protection and health improvement programmes, run surveillance, and coordinate immunisation and screening.
Local statutory services (HSC trusts, GPs, schools): deliver health promotion directly to communities and individuals, for example health checks, school health education and community programmes.
Voluntary organisations and charities: run awareness campaigns, provide information and support, and reach specific groups (for example a cancer or heart charity).
Markers reward several agencies correctly identified with a clear role for each.
CCEA A2 4 20218 marksExplain why the setting and the use of legislation matter for the success of health promotion.Show worked answer →
An 8-mark answer needs the role of settings and the role of legislation.
Settings: health promotion works best where it reaches the target group in their daily life. Schools reach children and embed lifelong habits; workplaces reach adults and can change the working environment; community settings reach local people including harder-to-reach groups; and health settings (GP surgeries, hospitals) reach people at moments when they are receptive. Choosing the right setting improves reach and relevance.
Legislation: laws change the environment for everyone at once and do not rely on individuals choosing to engage, for example smoke-free laws, seat-belt laws, minimum alcohol pricing and food-labelling rules. This makes the healthy choice the easy or default choice and protects even those who would not respond to education or persuasion.
Markers reward the explanation that the right setting improves reach and relevance, and that legislation changes the environment and reaches everyone, with examples of each.
Related dot points
- Public health and health inequalities: the definition and key functions of public health, health surveillance and the measurement of population health, the patterns of health and the social determinants that produce health inequalities.
A CCEA A2 4 answer on public health and health inequalities: the definition and key functions of public health, health surveillance and how population health is measured, and the patterns and social determinants that produce inequalities in health between groups.
- Approaches to health promotion: the medical or preventative, behaviour change, educational, empowerment and social change approaches, what each aims to do and its strengths and limitations.
A CCEA A2 4 answer on the approaches to health promotion: the medical or preventative, behaviour change, educational, empowerment and social change approaches, what each aims to achieve, examples of each, and their strengths and limitations.
- Planning and evaluating health promotion: the models of health promotion (Tannahill and Ewles and Simnett), how a health promotion campaign is planned and delivered, and how its effectiveness is evaluated.
A CCEA A2 4 answer on planning and evaluating health promotion: the Tannahill and Ewles and Simnett models, how a health promotion campaign is planned (aims, target group, methods, resources) and delivered, and how its effectiveness is evaluated against its aims.
- The structure and provision of health and social care services: the statutory, voluntary, private and informal sectors, the types of service they provide, and how services are organised and funded in Northern Ireland.
A CCEA A2 3 answer on the structure and provision of health and social care services: the statutory, voluntary, private and informal sectors, the services each provides, and how care is organised and funded, with reference to the integrated health and social care system in Northern Ireland.
- Promoting and supporting health improvement: the components of a healthy lifestyle, how individuals can be supported to improve and maintain wellbeing, the formal and informal support available, and the barriers that make change difficult.
A CCEA AS 3 answer on promoting and supporting health improvement: the components of a healthy lifestyle, how people are supported to change behaviour and maintain wellbeing, the formal and informal sources of support, and the barriers (financial, practical, emotional and social) that make change difficult.
Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCE Health and Social Care specification — CCEA (2016)