Critically analyze how the health promotion initiative reflects the recommendations of the Ottawa Charter.

The first international conference on health promotion was held in Ottawa, Canada in 1986. It was a response to the growing expectations for a new public health approach to health promotion. The aim of the conference was to continue to identify action areas to achieve the objectives of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health for All by the Year 2000 initiative .

Developing personal skills action area focuses on health promotion that supports the personal and social development of an individual by providing information on health to enhance skills such as decision making and communication. It enables people to be empowered and to learn life skills so that, they can take control of their health.

The National Tobacco Campaign addresses this action area primarily through its media campaigns which is distributed through the mediums of television, radio, magazines, posters in doctor’s room, newspapers and billboards. It displays insight and educates individuals about the health consequences of smoking in situations e.g.’

English: Smoking any tobacco product, %, Females

English: Smoking any tobacco product, %, Males

English: Tobacco smokers

Don’t Let Children Breathe Your Smoke’. This allows for smokers to consider who they are impacting besides themselves, and to make a choice to quit so that other lives are not affected. It allows them to make a choice to quit or call the Quitline as every commercial and cigarette packaging reminds them that quitting smoking is a choice they can make anytime. The frequency of the National Tobacco Campaign in newspapers, television and radio increases during the December – January period as this is the ‘new year period’. It reminds and encourages smokers that, quitting can be taken into consideration into their new year’s resolutions by increasing knowledge about the quitting process and reinforcing it through repeating commercials.

The Quitline website, which is a valuable resource to smokers and quitters, provides information on quitting, ‘quit booklet’ access and fact...