SHGM45 Summative Assignment Part 1

 

Aim of the letter

For you to demonstrate understanding of the overarching principles and intended goals of health promotion.

The scenario

You are a student at Swansea University who has been asked to construct and deliver a small-scale health promotion intervention in a population of your choice. The population could be children in a school, workers in a factory, patients in a hospital, residents in a village, prisoners in a gaol, etcetera. The population can be found anywhere in the world but I suggest that, if you are a visitor to Wales, you chose a population based in your own country.

You must write a 300 word letter to someone with recognised expertise in health promotion, asking for evidence-based advice and guidance. While doing so, you are required to briefly explain your intended project, justifying its need. You are also required to demonstrate understanding of the main cornerstones of health promotion and how you hope your small intervention will meet the principles and goals of health promotion. Basically, you show that you know what health promotion is, but you are looking for advice regarding how to construct and deliver a health promotion initiative in practice.

Template of a letter you use for this assignment

Dear 

I am a student at Swansea University and I have been asked, for my studies, to construct a small, short (less than four months) health promotion intervention. I have decided that my intervention will be… (this is where you explain your chosen population, their location and explain/justify the need for your health promotion intervention).

I believe I have a good understanding of the definition and principles of health promotion. I know health promotion is… (this is where you briefly demonstrate your understanding of health promotion, including supportive references to reputable published literature).

Although I know what is meant by ‘health promotion’, I do not know how to apply it in practice. Please can you reply with some advice and suggestions as to what I should do to ensure my small intervention is meaningful and meets the main aims of any health promotion programme.

Yours sincerely

Your second assignment for this module is a 1,500 word response to the 300 word letter you wrote. The response is written by you, in the first person, in the guise of someone with expertise in health promotion. The response should demonstrate that you can offer comprehensive and good quality advice based upon health promotion and change management theory while promoting the values and principles of health promotion. Your advice must address the needs stated in the 300 word letter. All advice must be supported by critical evaluation and critical discussion of existing research literature.   

The following can be used as a guide to the structure and presentation of your summative assignment. I recommend the use of sub-headings within your main text so to highlight the structure you have applied to your work.

Title page

All assignments should have a title page which includes the following information:

• Module Title
• Module code
• Your Student Number
• Assignment Title
• Exact Word Count
• Submission date

Please DO NOT put your name on the cover page.

 Please ensure that page numbers are included and that, if possible, your introduction is on page one.

Introduction

As you are replying to a letter with a letter, your introduction will start with brief and pleasant formalities (e.g. dear Sir/Madam, thank you for your letter in which you asked for my advice regarding…..). Most importantly, your introduction should tell the reader how the content of your reply will address the stated needs found in the Part 1 assignment.

 Main text

In this section you should provide the following:

• A very brief (no more than 200 words) appraisal of recent research literature and audit data relevant to the health promotion need identified in Part 1. This is so you can demonstrate that you are knowledgeable of this specific issue and of any associated complexities or controversies.
• Advice and recommendations to ensure that any intervention:
  • Is based upon a recognised health promotion framework (such as that by Ewles and Simnett)
  • Applies change management theory if the health promotion initiative requires any change in the behaviour of individuals or communities
  • Is fully planned in advance and the plans are constructed so to meet aims and objectives identified during needs assessment research
  • Is faithful to the fundamental principles of health promotion (i.e., empowerment, autonomy, holistic well-being and the promotion of quality of life)
  • Will be effectively and fully evaluated according to the principles and goals of health promotion 

Justification, based upon relevant literature, MUST be provided for everything you recommend. Unsupported statements earn you no marks at Masters level. Remember, you are writing to convince the marker that your advice is informed, evidence-based, rational and of high quality. Remember that all you are doing is offering advice and suggestions. Do not tell the writer of Part 1 what they must do as this goes against the principles of health promotion. Use language and an approach that promotes autonomy and empowerment. Remember that ‘health’ is not the goal of health promotion. Health is a resource that is required to enable people to improve their wellbeing and quality of life.

Conclusion

This is where you pleasantly end your letter by briefly reminding the manager of the importance of planning, delivering and evaluating health promotion interventions properly. Don’t forget to end with “Yours sincerely” but don’t then proceed to write your name. Remember, this assignment is marked anonymously.

Reference list

A reference list would not normally be included in a letter however it is important to include one here so the recipient can see the sources of literature that you have used throughout your letter to support and justify your recommendations. The recipient may also want to access and read some of this literature you have mentioned so please ensure that all references are correct and are presented using the Swansea University recommended version of the APA referencing system (7th edition). You are NOT required to present a bibliography for this assignment.