A 3000 Word Essay Identifying Two Public Health Issues Pertinent to Clinical Placement Area; Analyse These with Reference to Appropriate Literature and Research and Discuss the Public Health Role of the Midwife.

Module Code – MID 314

Assignment - A 3000 word essay identifying two public health issues pertinent to clinical placement area; analyse these with reference to appropriate literature and research and discuss the public health role of the midwife.

Word Count = 3210
Health is a broad concept, which can embody a huge range of meanings, from the narrowly technical to the all-embracing moral or philosophical. A definition of health is a state of well-being, interpreted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in it’s constitution as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ (WHO, 1946). This definition was established at the International Health Conference, New York, 1946; and entered into force on 7 April 1948. This definition has not truly been modified since 1948. Only a handful of publications have focused specifically on the definition of health and its evolution in the first 6 decades. According to WHO, the main determinants of health include the social and economic environment, the physical environment and the person's individual characteristics and behaviours. The way in which an individual lives plays an important role on his / her life quality and health status. The social and economic environment is a key factor in determining the health status of individuals (WHO, 2010).

The role of the midwife according to O’Luanaigh et al (2005) in promoting better public health is an integral part of the midwives’ work. Midwives serve all communities and visit and deal with women from a variety of social backgrounds including those at the sharp end of social inequalities, thus increasing the already justified concerns about the ever increasing inequalities in health and the impact it has on communities and individuals. There is, however, considerable scope for developing the midwifery contribution to public health. This could be achieved by enhancing the extent of midwives’ involvement in

References: Andrews, G. (2005) Women’s Sexual Health 3rd Edition. Elsevier Ltd: London Allen, E Bailey, J,. Clark, M,. Shepherd, R. (2008). ‘Duration of Breastfeeding in young women: psychological influences’. British Journal of Midwifery 16 (3) pp 172–178. Bandura, A., (1997) Self-efficacy: The Exercise of Control. Freeman & co. New York Department for Education and Skills (2004) Every Child Matters: Change for Children Department for Education and Skills (2009) Every Child Matter/; Change for Children. The Stationary Office: London Dennis, C., Faux, S Earle, S., Church, S. (2004) Sociological perspectives: Reproduction and social class. Practising Midwife 7 (2) pp. 24–6 Frith, L Fortenberry, Jr J. L. (2009) Health Care marketing: Tools and Techniques. 3rd edn. Jones and Bartlett: Sudbury Foster, I., Lasser, J Jones, S. (2000) Ethics in Midwifery. Harcourt Publishers Ltd: London Health Education Authority (1998) Hollings, V., Jackson, C., McCann, C., (2007) ‘Teenage Pregnancy: Everyone’s Business’, in Edwards, G. & Byrom, S. (ed) Essential midwifery practice: public health. Blackwell Publishing: Oxford HMSO (1998) The Human Rights Act Jobanputre, J., Clack, A., Cheeseman, G., Glasier, A., Riley, S. (1999) ‘A feasibility study of adolescent sex education: medical students as peer educators in Edinburgh schools’. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 106 pp 887-891 Kennedy, M, IJCE 15 (2) pp 20–2 Kirby, D., (1995) ‘Sex and HIV education in schools’ Leishman, J. L. (2007) ‘Early age sexual activity and pregnancy’, in Leishman, J.L. & Moir, J. (ed) Pre-teen and Teenage Pregnancy: A twenty-first century reality. M&K Publishing: Merseyside Muller, M, O 'Luanaigh, P (2005) Midwifery and Public Health: Future Directions and New Opportunities, Churchill Livingstone: London Richardson, V, Sweet, B. (ed) (1999) Mayes’ Midwifery, 12th Edition. Bailliere TIndall: London The Stationary Office (2000) Sexual Offences Amendment Act University of York (1997) ‘Preventing and reducing adverse effects of unintended teenage pregnancy’. Effect Health Care Bull 3 pp 1–12 Wambach, K World Health Organisation (WHO) (1946). International Health Conference of 1946, World Health Organization: Geneva World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010) Websites Association of Public Health Observatories (2010) [online] Available at: http://www.apho.org.uk/default.aspx?QN=HP_METADATA&AreaID=50358 (Accessed 15 December 2010) BBC News (2008) World Economic Forum 2008 [online] Available at: http://bbc.co.uk (Accessed: 25 January 2011) Department of Health (DoH) (2000) Teenage Pregnancy Uni (Accessed: 25 January 2011) Determinants of health [online] Available at: http://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/ (Accessed 15 December 2010) Parliament 2010 [online] Available at: http://www.parliament.co.uk (Accessed 15 December 2010) PDF joint strategic needs assessment [online] Available at: http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/jsna_2009_report.pdf (Accessed 15 December 2010) Royal Institute of Public Health (2007) [online] Available at: http://www.rsph.org.uk (Accessed: 15 December 2010). Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG) [online] Available at: http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/DCSF-00323-2010 (Accessed: 20 January 2011)