Some health educators have observed that, for adults, the workplace provides a setting very similar to school for children: a place in which individuals spend a major part of their days and where they are often receptive to information. Unlike health care and community settings, school and workplace settings are generally based on specific grade levels, such as kindergarteners, or populations sharing a common purpose, such as factory workers. However, you can be creative and find applications for almost any program in almost any setting. For example, a program about safety seats for infants could be taken to employee groups to target working adults who may be new parents. An adult fitness program could be provided in an elementary school for the faculty, who may in turn model fitness principles for their students.
As you explore the possible outcomes in the two settings, it will become more obvious which of the settings will provide better results. Continuing with the same project you discussed in Week 7, you will explore what aspects would be appropriate in a school setting and in a workplace setting.
For this week’s Discussion, review the media from Week 7 titled Healthcare in Rural Communities. Consider how programs such as the sexually transmitted disease program described by Fanny Martinez might be different if implemented in a school or workplace setting. Then, using the same scenario you selected in Week 7 (repeated below), consider the intended outcomes for a school and workplace setting and how each setting would affect program implementation to ensure intended outcomes.
Scenario 1:
In Namibia, a country in South Africa, health care is provided through the government, mission facilities, and private agencies. The country is sparsely populated, and many people in rural communities have no transportation; as such, they walk to health care facilities. Imagine that you are a health educator who has been asked to address the high incidence children contracting malaria and other illnesses. You want to educate parents about what symptoms necessitate bringing a child in for care, and what to do in case they cannot bring the child in due to transportation or other issues.
Scenario 2:
Imagine that you are a family health advocate who wants to create a smoking prevention program to decrease the number of smokers in a community. You are asked to target your program primarily to teenagers in order to prevent young people from starting down the path to becoming smokers. Many individuals in the community are employed in tobacco farming and production. The economic reliance on tobacco has made many individuals in the community resistant to messages of abstinence from smoking, although a new study has shown an alarming increase in cancer rates of all types in the county.
Post the number of the scenario you chose. Use the scenario you used last week, and make sure to include the number of your chosen scenario in the subject line. Explain how you might implement the public health program in the scenario in a school setting. Then, explain how you might implement the same program in a workplace setting. Include in your post how the implementation would differ based on each setting. Explain one potential strategy you would use in a school setting and one potential strategy you would use in a workplace setting to ensure that the public health program achieves the intended outcomes.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction: The scenario discussed in the content is related to implementing a public health program in different settings. The focus is on exploring the differences between implementing a program in a school setting and a workplace setting.
Answer:
Scenario 1: In Namibia, a country in South Africa, health care is provided through the government, mission facilities, and private agencies. The country is sparsely populated, and many people in rural communities have no transportation; as such, they walk to health care facilities. Imagine that you are a health educator who has been asked to address the high incidence children contracting malaria and other illnesses. You want to educate parents about what symptoms necessitate bringing a child in for care, and what to do in case they cannot bring the child in due to transportation or other issues.
To implement this public health program in a school setting, the first step would involve communicating with school authorities to identify the most appropriate channels for information dissemination. A potential strategy would be to organize interactive sessions with parents, teachers, and students to raise awareness about the program’s objectives. These sessions could also include distribution of informative brochures, posters, and handouts, which parents can take home. For children, educational sessions on hygiene and sanitation practices could be organized, encouraging them to adopt healthy habits, such as washing hands regularly, to prevent the spread of diseases.
In a workplace setting, however, the implementation strategy would be different. Firstly, it is essential to identify workplaces with a high concentration of parents who could benefit from the program. A potential strategy could involve engaging organizational leadership and HR management to brief employees in group settings, preferably during work hours, about the program. Distribution of flyers and information packets, coupled with access to optional virtual seminars and workshops, could be other tactics to implementing the program.
The critical difference in the implementation of the program between the school setting and workplace setting is the target audience of the program. The school setting’s audience would largely comprise of parents and children, while the workplace setting would involve employees. Furthermore, the mode of dissemination of the program, the time allocated for the program, and the program’s structure would differ based on the setting’s nature. The key to ensuring the outcomes of the program are achieved is engagement and buy-in from the audience. Therefore, a potential strategy in a school setting could involve collaborating with local community leaders and figures to promote the program. In a workplace setting, a potential strategy could involve incentivizing participation or integrating the program within existing wellness programs.
