More About Health Promotion
What is Health Promotion?
Studying Health Promotion
Working in Health Promotion
Useful Links
What is Health Promotion?
One of the most widely accepted
definitions of Health Promotion is given in the Ottawa
Charter for Health. The Charter was presented at the first
International Conference on Health Promotion held in Ottawa
in November 1986 and it states:
"Health promotion is the process
of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their
health."
Health, as defined by the World
Health Organization in 1948, is "a
state of complete physical, mental and social well-being
and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
As stated in the Ottawa Charter, a health promotion approach views health
as a resource for everyday life, with fundamental requirements. These
requirements include peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable
eco-system, sustainable resources, social justice and equity.
There are five key strategies in the promotion of optimal health, as
laid out in the Ottawa Charter for Health. These are building healthy
public policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community
action, developing personal skills and reorienting health services.
Health promotion initiatives focus on assisting communities
or populations to gain greater control over their environment
and the conditions that affect their lives, and are designed
to include these groups in the strategies for change.
The goal of health promotion is to empower individuals
and communities to achieve the highest possible levels
of well-being available to them.
Back to Top Studying Health Promotion
Most entry level Health Promotion positions require an undergraduate
or graduate degree in health promotion, health
sciences or social sciences from a recognized university.
Below is a list of post-secondary institutions offering
programs in the area of health promotion.
Undergraduate Programs
Brock University
BA in Community
Health
Dalhousie University
BSc
in Health Promotion, School of Health and Human Performance
First Nations Technical Institute
Indigenous
Community Health Approaches Program Enionkwatakariteke
Laurentian University
BPHE
in Health Promotion
University of Waterloo
Bachelor
of Health Science Degree offers a specialization in Health
Promotion
University of Western Ontario
BHSc
with a Specialization in Health Promotion, Faculty of Health
Sciences
Graduate Programs
Athabasca University (distance education)
Masters of Health Studies,
Centre for Nursing and Health Studies
Centennial College
Workplace
Wellness and Health Promotion (32 week post-graduate
program)
Dalhousie University
MSc in Community
Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine
MA
in Health Promotion
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Graduate
Diploma in Community Health, Faculty of Medicine
MSc in Community Health, Faculty of Medicine
Queen's University
MA in Community
Health and Epidemiology, School of Medicine
University of Alberta
MSc and Diploma in Health
Promotion, Centre for Health Promotion Studies
Universite Laval
MSc and PhD in Epidemiology,
Faculty of Medicine
MSc and PhD in Community Health,
Faculty of Medicine
University of Manitoba
MSc and
PhD in Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
University of Northern British
Columbia
MSc in Community
Health Sciences, School of Graduate Studies
University of Saskatchewan
MSc in Community Health
and Epidemiology, College of Graduate Studies and Research
University of Toronto
MHSc in Health Promotion, Department
of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
PhD
in Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
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Working in Health Promotion
Health promotion
practitioners work in a variety of settings which include
public health offices, community health centres, provincial
resource centres, and hospitals. Positions are
also available within the private sector in promoting
health in the workplace.
Additionally, health promotion professionals work in
project planning, workshop facilitation, community development,
and policy development.
The following are links to sites that have information on career
opportunities in health promotion, or related fields, within
Canada.
Charity Village advertises positions available within the not-for-profit
sector, including positions in the area of health care
and health promotion. New jobs are posted every business day. Community Health Promotion Network
Atlantic has an employment
section online for Health Promotion jobs available in the
Atlantic region.
Health in Action (Alberta
Clearinghouse) provides a list of positions available in
Alberta in the area of health promotion.
Ontario Health Promotion E-Bulletin (OHPE)
is an excellent resource for positions in health promotion.
The OHPE produced by the Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse and The Health
Communication
Unit at the Centre for Health Promotion.
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Useful Links
Canadian Consortium on Health Promotion Research
Canadian Health Network Canadian Institute for Child Health
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Canadian Public Health Association
Canadian Society for International Health Health Canada
International Union for Health Promotion and Education
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long
Term Care
Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse
Ontario Public Health Association
Ontario's Health Promotion Resource
System
Ottawa
Charter for Health Promotion Pan-American Health Organization
World Health Organization
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Last Updated:
26-Oct-2007
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