Health Promotion Project COPD

Health Promotion Tittle

Management of the COPD in the patients aged 40 or above living in Sydney by lifestyle modification along with the pharmacological treatment.

Introduction

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the obstructive lung disease that causes obstruction in airflow and is characterized by long-term breathing problems (Adeloye et al., 2015). COPD is not reversible even with the pharmacological treatment, however, the management of COPD to relieve symptoms can be possible by the use of pharmacological interventions and modification in lifestyle (Adeloye et al., 2015). This essay aims to create a public health promotion project for the management of the recently diagnosed patients and people with a high risk of COPD development aged 40 or above and living in Sydney. This essay will outline the aim of the health promotion project and will discuss the levels of prevention in health promotion. Stakeholders and community consultations related to this project will be identified and a health message will be outlined for the targeted audience of this health promotion project. Details of activities for this project will be described and a proposal for the evaluation of the health promotion project will be described. In the end, the conclusion will be made.

Health Promotion and Target Group Outline

COPD is one of the major causes of death in Australia. In 2015 COPD was the third major cause of the death burden in Australia (AIHW, 2019). COPD costs approximately 976.9 million dollars to the Australian health system which is 0.8% of the total disease spending and 24% of the total spending on respiratory-related diseases (AIHW, 2019). According to self-reported survey data about 1 in 20 Australians aged 45 or above reported COPD in the year 2017-18. 7,518 deaths were reported due to COPD in 2017 which makes COPD the fifth major cause of death in Australia (AIHW, 2019). The incidence of COPD development is high in individuals aged 40 or above. The mortality rate related to COPD is higher in people living in remote areas or lower socio-economical areas in Australia (Holland et al., 2017). The incidence of mortalities related to COPD is higher in indigenous Australians as compared to non-indigenous Australians. During 2013-2017, the mortality rate of Indigenous Australian aged 45 or above was 198 per 100,000 people whereas the mortality rate among non-indigenous Australian was 66 per 100,000 people (AIHW, 2019). 

The target group for this public health promotion is the patients of COPD aged 40 or above recently diagnosed with COPD or at risk of COPD development in Sydney. 

Health Promotion Aim

COPD is a chronic respiratory disease that is associated with different causes and risk factors. The major risk factor or cause of COPD is smoking tobacco (Petersen et al., 2014). Other causes of COPD include smoke from fuels either from plant or animal origin, outdoor or indoor air pollution, work-related pollution like dust or fumes (Kraïm-Leleu et al., 2016), sedentary lifestyle, respiratory infection and asthma (Hagstad et al., 2015). COPD is mostly managed with pharmacological interventions, however, change in the lifestyle along with the pharmacological treatment is effective in the management of COPD (Ambrosino & Bertella, 2018). Lifestyle modification not only manages the COPD but also helps in preventing the exacerbation of COPD and easiness in performing daily life activities (Casey et al., 2017). This public health promotion project aims to manage COPD in patients aged 40 above in Sydney with lifestyle interventions along with the pharmacological intervention.