Health Promotion

STROKE

Kumar_Rahul_S270515_NUR329_Assessment2: Essay

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Benefits of Stroke Related Health Promotion............................................................................2
Aims of Health Promotion.........................................................................................................3
Included People in Health Promotion........................................................................................4
Undertaken Activities.................................................................................................................4
Evaluation of Promotion............................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

Kumar_Rahul_S270515_NUR329_Assessment2: Essay

Because Your Life Matters

Introduction
In Australia, multiculturism holds a special status. Australia has demonstrated
engagement and tolerance with the occasional display of conflict (Hodge and O Carroll,
2006). The different migrant communities of Australia have brought along with them their
distinct lifestyle, food, cultural practices and beliefs that have been absorbed within the
mainstream culture of Australia.
Stroke is a serious medical condition that is life threatening that occurs in situations
when the supply of blood to a section of the brain is inadequate. The sooner treatment is
administered to a person for stroke, the less chance of damage is there (Barrett and Meschia,
2013). When a person is having a stroke, his face may drop to a side, lift his arms, have
slurred speech and should immediately get medical assistance. Similar to the other organs, the
brain requires nutrients and oxygen. With restriction in the blood supply, the brain cells die
that lead to disability, brain injury and possible death (Edlow, 2008). The symptoms of stroke
include numbness of face, loss of vision, unsteady walk, weakness on a body side, tingling
and numbness and severe unusual headache.
In Australia, stroke is among the big killers with 1 among 6 people having a stroke.
The undertaken health promotion targets the multicultural community based in Australia for
promoting stroke related health awareness.

Benefits of Stroke Related Health Promotion

People who suffer from a stroke and their next in kin and acquaintances require
accurate, appropriate and timely information that help in comprehending the illness, reduce
the level of anxiety and ensure satisfaction pertaining to the care provided (Caplan, 2006). A
person who is well informed will co operate while treatment is being given which enhances
recovery time, reduces complications and provides the opportunity of participating in well
informed health choices (Tang, 2002).
Patients and their families consider inadequate communication to be the primary
reason for dissatisfaction during hospital care. A number of initiatives have addressed the
issue, highlighting the fact that information is crucial for the well being of a stroke patient

Kumar_Rahul_S270515_NUR329_Assessment2: Essay

(Flagler and Weizhen Dong, 2010). It is the duty of the medical bodies and services for stroke
care to make sure that people who either themselves have suffered a stroke or somebody in
their family has endured a similar situation is well informed with the maintenance of accurate
documents with details of the occurrences (Johnson and Becker, 2011).

Aims of Health Promotion

Stroke occurs when there arises a problem with the supply of blood to the brain of an
individual (Gillard, 2013). The supply is either blocked or there is a blood vessel rupture
within the brain which results in the death of the brain tissue. Stroke is a medical emergency
that requires immediate treatment at the earliest. Stroke can be ischemic, hemorrhagic or
transient ischemic type attacks.
There are few risk factors that elevate the chance of suffering a stroke. If the risk
factors have been identified on the personal front, it is required to work with the provider of
healthcare for the reduction of personal risk (Fisher, 2009). Stroke can be prevented from
occurring by means of identification of the risk factors, their reduction, recognition of the
symptoms and signs and responding to the initial indications of stroke in order to save a life.
Regardless of the family history or age, there is no reason for a stroke being
inevitable. A person can protect himself by controlling the level of blood pressure,
maintaining it at 120/ 80 which is ideal. Weight loss is effective in controlling the possibility
of a stroke and it is essential to maintain the BMI at 25 or at a lower rate (Jackson, 2011).
Sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy and regular work outs contribute towards curbing high blood
pressure and helps in losing weight. Consumption of alcohol should be in moderation. Atrial
fibrillation should be immediately given due medical attention. It causes irregularities in the
heartbeat and forms clots in the heart that can travel to the brain and induce a stroke (Lindley,
2008). If a person is diabetic, the blood vessels get damaged and enhance the chance of clot
formation. Hence it is significant to control the level of blood sugar. Smoking accelerates the
formation of clots, it thickens the blood and increases plaque build up in the arteries, hence it
is necessary to quit smoking.
The aim of such health promotion is to make people aware of what a stroke is, how it can
occur and what are the means of controlling the possibility of suffering a stroke. Most people
are not aware that anybody is susceptible to a health issue, irrespective of his age and medical

Kumar_Rahul_S270515_NUR329_Assessment2: Essay

history. Getting regular health checkups is a way of ascertaining if anything is wrong with a
person internally, who otherwise looks and feels fit.

Included People in Health Promotion

Cultural diversity in Australia is a result of immigration. Since 1945, there have been
about 5 million permanent immigrations into Australia. Among the present population, one
fourth were born overseas.
Anybody can suffer from a stroke. There are, however, certain factors that make one
person at a higher risk as compared to the others. It is a myth that a stroke can only happen to
an elderly person. Though mostly people who suffer a stroke are older, it can happen to
younger people and children too. Strokes mostly occur when the flow of blood is blocked by
blood clots to the brain. As a person gets older, the arteries become narrower and harder. This
enhances the risk of the arteries getting blocked and resulting in a stroke. Risk factors include
the age of a person, his family history, his genetic conditions among others (Davies and
Macdowall, 2006). A person whose ethnicity is black African, south Asian or is black
Caribbean has a higher risk probably as they have a higher chance of procuring diabetes or
high level of blood pressure.
The medical conditions that lead to a stroke and can be controlled include atrial
fibrillation, high level of cholesterol, diabetes and high level of blood pressure. Lifestyle
factors such as smoking and drinking habits, overweight, unhealthy eating habits result in
damaged blood vessels, increased pressure of blood and a higher chance of blood clotting.
Women have increased risk of stroke with high level of hormone oestrogen which
occurs during pregnancy, consumption of contraceptive pills or a therapy for hormone
replacement (Watson and Platt, 2000). Certain type of migraine in women demonstrates
higher risk of stroke.
Hence, the health promotion would include all people, across ethnicity, education
level, age, gender and so on who can suffer a stroke.

Undertaken Activities
Because your life matter! This promotion catch line would attract more people
intriguing their curiosity. The promotion would be made available on social media, which has
4

Kumar_Rahul_S270515_NUR329_Assessment2: Essay

the highest reach in the whole world. Also insets in print, billboards, air time on radio,
conferences in the community centres and flyers at the supermarkets would make the
promotion effective. In the digital world, online has notable impact. Hence sms, emails, pop
ups on medical sites would also be effectively put to use.

Evaluation of Promotion
Community interventions operate on the sub group in a specific setting. Evaluation of
the promotion would be accurate by evaluating the effectiveness, efficacy, efficiency,
evaluable factor and evidence of the promotion. Effectiveness pertains to its intended effect
in the real world under conditions that are normal, efficacy relates to the achievement of the
intended effects in optimal conditions (Boubertakh, 2015). Efficiency relates to the
effectiveness in terms of the related costs. Evaluable would comprise of goals, objectives and
activities that are articulated in a measurable and meaningful way providing all required
information.
Conscientious application of the best evidence that is current in decision making of
care for individual patients or the health service delivery related to evidence in healthcare.
Information that is updated and relevant, validity of research pertaining to the different
healthcare forms, potential of harm from exposure to any agent, diagnostic test accuracy and
the prognostic factor predictive power provides evidence of effectiveness of the promotion
undertaken (Jonsson et al., 2014).

Conclusion
Stroke can be restricted by adherence to certain basic rules in ones life. Living a
healthy and active life, moderation of alcohol consumption, regular work out and checkups
can minimise the possibility of suffering a stroke. As Australia has a multicultural
community, community wide promotional activities help in having maximum reach to more
number of people. The promotional activities make people aware of the right way of leading
their life. This keeps them healthy and the scope of suffering a stroke at bay. Promotional
activities help in educating people, it is up to the individuals to follow the path shown in
order to lead a healthy life. Clotting of blood and rupturing of blood vessel is not age specific,
though they are more common among older people. Hence it is essential that the correct
lifestyle is led from young age to lead a healthy life because your life matters

Kumar_Rahul_S270515_NUR329_Assessment2: Essay

References
Barrett, K. and Meschia, J. (2013). Stroke. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell.
Boubertakh, B. (2015). Patient Patients and Searching Researchers: Exchange of Knowledge
and Experience for Health Promotion. JNSK, 3(1).
Caplan, L. (2006). Stroke. New York: Damos.
Davies, M. and Macdowall, W. (2006). Health promotion theory. Maidenhead: open
University Press.
Edlow, J. (2008). Stroke. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.
Fisher, M. (2009). Stroke. Edinburgh: Elsevier.
Flagler, J. and Weizhen Dong, (2010). The uncompassionate elements of the Compassionate
Care Benefits Program: a critical analysis. Global Health Promotion, 17(1), pp. 50-59.
Gillard, A. (2013). Stroke. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.
Hodge, B. and OCarroll, J. (2006). Borderwork in multicultural Australia. Crows Nest,
N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin.
Jackson, S. (2011). Mainstreaming health promotion. Global Health Promotion, 18(2), pp.
03-4
Johnson, h. and Becker, C. (2011). Health Related Services Provided by Public Heakth
Educators. Health Promotion Practice, 12(5), pp. 723-733.
Jonsson, A., Hoglund, P., Brizzi, M. and Pessah Rasmussen, H. (2014). Secondary
Prevention and Health Promotion after Stroke: Can It Be Enahnced?. Journal of Stroke and
Cerebrovascular Diseases, 23(9), pp. 2287-2295.
Lindley, R. (2008). Stroke. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Tang, Y. (2002). Health promotion behaviours in Chinese family caregivers of patients with
stroke. Health Promotion International, 17(4), pp. 329-339.
Watson, j. and Platt, S. (2000). Researching health promotion. London: Routledge.