Health Promotion: Looking Upstream to Build Healthier Communities
When we think about health, we often think about hospitals, clinics, and treating illness. These services are very important and essential, but health begins long before someone needs medical care. Health promotion is about creating the conditions that help people stay healthy, prevent illness, and thrive in the communities where they live.
A simple way to understand health promotion is through the upstream approach. Imagine a river where people are falling in and need rescuing. Downstream care responds to immediate needs ( the impact of not being able to swim/drowning) , but health promotion asks what is happening upstream— “Why are people falling into the river in the first place?” Is it an unsafe environment, lack of support and supervision, or are there other barriers to healthier choices, that are putting people at risk of falling into the river in the first place? By exploring and addressing these root causes, the work of health promotion can prevent harm before it starts, improve health outcomes, and create stronger, healthier communities.
Health Promotion work often happens behind the scenes, by bringing partners together to help create positive change. For example, Prairie Mountain Health’s Project RESET Committee recognized there was a growing concern from schools and families about children’s screen use. Rather than simply encouraging families to “use less screen time,” Health Promotion Coordinators worked with educators and community partners to understand local needs and developed a way to share evidence-informed resources to help bring greater awareness to the important connection screen time use has on wellbeing. Project Reset is just one example of the work of the PMH Health Promotion team. The team works in many different upstream ways by strengthening the factors that can help keep people healthy, including building supportive relationships, access to healthy food, promoting physical activity, education, safe communities, and building opportunities for social connection. Research shows that by investing in these protective factors, health outcomes can be improved, reducing the burden of chronic disease, and contribute to a healthier community. These upstream approaches are an essential part of all healthcare systems, it complements the care and treatment that health care providers offer when medical needs arise by helping prevent illness/ injury before it even begins. While the aim of health promotion work focusses on addressing the many factors that can positively influence health, the health promotion team in Prairie Mountain Health also supports programs and services that can help manage health risks by working further downstream as well.
At Prairie Mountain Health, the Health Promotion Team is proud to work alongside communities to help build environments where healthy choices are accessible, informed, and sustainable. Together, we are helping support healthier people, healthier communities, and a healthier future. To learn more about the role of Health Promotion be sure to check out the video Going Upstream : A Narrative About Health Promotion Work, link: https://vimeo.com/1106106188
As well, each month the Health Promotion Team will feature a Health Promotion in Action story , happening right here in Prairie Mountain Health. Stay tuned!
Written by:
Sherrill-Lee Hyra, B.H.Ecol.
Health Promotion Coordinator