In a Continuating Pandemic
The World Health Organization reports that around 18 million Covid-19-related cases were reported by August 2022. This includes 696,156 deaths in the world. These cases and deaths almost doubled in 2022. In an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19, governments around the world have taken more serious public intervention.
They have imposed lockdowns and restricted general movement, requiring everyone to stay at home. They have increased their testing capabilities in order to develop vaccines for this deadly virus.
Health promotion plays a greater role during such difficult times than ever before. People will have more control over their health and well-being if they can access the right information about the virus and improve their access to them.
If we take the big picture, it is clear that the public health field and professional healthcare can be used to help people regain control of their lives while helping to stop the spread of the virus. Let’s now look at the various ways public health promotion can combat the Coronavirus threat at different levels.
To increase the prevention behavior of the population
It is very dangerous and must be contained. It takes time to change the perceptions and behaviors of the population. To spread awareness, governments and health authorities issued warnings and recommendations via social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook after COVID-19 was identified. Many didn’t listen to the warnings and recommendations made by authorities, as the severity of the problem was not known.
It is important to be educated about the negative effects COVID-19 has on your health. To help accelerate vaccination drives, most health professionals have registered online for a masters degree in public health.
However, there are issues and consequences to preventive measures. Social distancing, for example, can lead to loneliness and depression. Education plays an important role in all of this.
To empower the community
It is crucial to empower the community during an earthquake, flood or pandemic in order to manage their impact on the community. Active risk communication is one way to do this. The WHO can be contacted by the government and the public health authorities to help educate the population via television, radio and billboards, as well as guiding them in risk prevention and symptom awareness at a local level.
Empowering communities is about encouraging and educating people to take preventative measures for their own health.
How to deal with misinformation
False information is becoming more prevalent as COVID-19 spreads at an alarming pace. The WHO calls this the infodemic. It is difficult to understand the COVID-19 information given to you if there are so many inaccurate facts about it, its effects and origins.
It is important to safeguard the public from misleading information about COVID-19, regardless of whether it is political or financial.
Scientists must play a part in this. Scientists must expose false stories and interact with the public to counter misinformation from policymakers and increase understanding of the pandemic.
Social media platforms are the main source of misinformation. They can use the same approach to correct information. They can also share links to credible sources via social media, such as WHO and the United States DC.
This will save many lives.
To improve health literacy
Many international organizations have stressed the importance of sharing health information and education about COVID-19 in a variety of ways. The World Health Organization was one of the key players in the COVID-19 epidemic. It is continually providing information to the general population, governments and the health sector about control and prevention.
Health Education England and US CDC also distribute educational material via their portals and websites, including webinars and e-learning resources.
Studies have shown that increasing health literacy can lead to significant lifestyle changes and a decrease in the chance of COVID-19. Vide-based education material, on the other hand, has enabled children to keep up-to date with the most recent preventative measures like washing hands, using sanitizer and wearing masks.
These public health promotion efforts were crucial in preventing the COVID-19 epidemic. It continues to make a significant impact to this day.
Conclusion
Public health promotion, while governments and public health agencies around the world struggle to use different strategies from increasing vaccine testing to imposing lockdowns to improve the overall health and well-being of the population, is one approach that can be used to improve the health and well-being of the public.
Public health promotion can be used to communicate the risks and educate the community at all levels about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The main goal is to promote and encourage behavioral changes in the general population, so that they adopt behaviors that will allow them to defeat COVID-19.
