A 3000 Word Essay Identifying Two Public Health Issues...

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†¦show more content†¦The geographical area which is being studied is an inner city area in the south west of England. I have studied in detail the community profile for this geographical area and this highlights several areas of concern. I have chosen these specific areas as they are the ones linked closely to midwifery and the promotion of health within the midwives role. According the Department of Health’s (DoH) community profile the health of people in this community is generally worse than the England average. Deprivation rates and teenage pregnancy rates are significantly higher than the England average. Also the percentage of mothers initiating breastfeeding is worse than the England average. The local NHS trust reports that this community is improving year on year and there are local policies in place to address the determinants of poor health in certain demographic areas of the community. (Association of Public Health Observatories, 2010) Teenage pregnancy is a grave social dilemma. The provisional data for 2008 shows the teenage pregnancy rate for England is 40.5 per 1000 girls aged 15-17 (National Statistics, 2010). Figures for England show there were 38,750 conceptions among under-18s in 2008. This is a fall of 13% nationally – but it is reported that this is stillway short of the 50% promised from the 1998 baseline. Although Teenage pregnancy rates have reduced in recent years the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG) has