essay on health prefect

How to Write Manifesto For Health Prefect + Free Sample

Table of Contents

How to write a perfect Manifesto For Health Prefect 

Introduction 

A manifesto is a key instrument to the winning game of an election. Every candidate of an electoral position who doesn’t read out a manifesto is surely going to fail.

Manifestos tend to speak the mind of the electoral aspirants to the electorates and convince them as to why he is the best for that position. Wherever there is a position to be assumed without an appointment, there is an election. And wherever there is an election, there is a manifesto.

In this article, we are going to guide you and also provide you with a free sample of a manifesto for a health prefect.

Let’s first take a look at the Characteristics of a good manifesto 

Characteristics of a good manifesto

⦁ It must be understood by the people ⦁ It must be specific ⦁ It must present something real ⦁ Its policies must be achievable ⦁ It’s policies must be measurable

Manifesto For Health Prefect 

The Headmaster, Assistant Headmasters, Teaching staff, Prefects Outgoing, Colleague Students, I consider myself very graced to be present before you all today reading out my manifesto. Health is wealth and therefore issues relating to health must be dealt with serious attention.

But you can’t have more attention to something if the ones in charge are not that serious enough. This is the reason why I deem myself worthy for this position. I tell you, I am more serious than you think in terms of matters relating to health. I have been practicing pharmaceutical medicine at home and so matters relating to health is no new thing to me. When I am voted in, here are some of the things I will do to uplift the health sector of this noble institution.

1. Re-furnishing of the sickbay:  Infirmaries in general at schools are not furnished enough to provide quality health care to students who are sick. I promise you that, this noble school of ours will be the first to advance itself from that state of inferiority. I shall make sure the sick bay is stocked with key modern equipment to enhance health care delivery. We shall be the first school to have the capacity to provide complete quality health assistant to students who are sick.

2. Press the administration to employ qualified health care professionals: Hardly will you see a medical physician at the sickbay of a school. I will ensure that such misfortune will no more prevail in this school. I shall involve various stakeholders in bringing such a vision into reality. Don’t worry, I have already got them involved behind closed doors.

3. Organize weekly cleanups in collaboration with the compound overseer: I, together with the compound overseer will see to it that clean-up exercises are organized every Friday. Even the Bible says cleanliness is next to Godliness so we keep our surroundings clean from filth, diseases like cholera, and the likes will be far from us.

The Headmaster, Assistant Headmasters, Teaching staff, Prefects Outgoing, Colleague Students, I have a lot in the pack yet to be unveiled. All I am asking for is to vote for me and see the best of health in this school. Thank you.

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4 thoughts on “How to Write Manifesto For Health Prefect + Free Sample”

This is a very simple and a perfect one

Very very nice menifesto

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How to Be a Good Prefect

Last Updated: March 12, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Alicia Oglesby and by wikiHow staff writer, Kyle Hall . Alicia Oglesby is a Professional School Counselor and the Director of School and College Counseling at Bishop McNamara High School outside of Washington DC. With over ten years of experience in counseling, Alicia specializes in academic advising, social-emotional skills, and career counseling. Alicia holds a BS in Psychology from Howard University and a Master’s in Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology from Chestnut Hill College. She also studied Race and Mental Health at Virginia Tech. Alicia holds Professional School Counseling Certifications in both Washington DC and Pennsylvania. She has created a college counseling program in its entirety and developed five programs focused on application workshops, parent information workshops, essay writing collaborative, peer-reviewed application activities, and financial aid literacy events. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 769,399 times.

If you've applied to be a prefect at your school, or you're already serving as one, you might be wondering how to be the best prefect. To be a good prefect, it's important to remember that your role is to help both the faculty and the students at your school. By setting a good example for students, following your school's rules, and being there when people need you, you can ensure that you're successfully fulfilling all your duties as a prefect.

Setting a Good Example

• For example, if your fellow students are complaining because the upcoming dance got cancelled, instead of complaining with them, you could say something positive like, "I know it's upsetting that the dance is cancelled, but we should all get together and think of something else we could do for fun that night."

Following the Rules

Being There for Students

Alicia Oglesby

Compassion is a sign of a thoughtful role model. Show you can be a thoughtful role model for others by demonstrating compassion, curiosity about the world, awareness of different viewpoints, and responsibility in following through on duties. Be solution-oriented and lead by mature example.

Expert Q&A

Tips from our Readers

• Should problems arise requiring administrative attention, advocate for the student perspective to faculty respectfully but steadfastly. As liaison between the two groups, tactfully serve as that crucial bridge for understanding.
• Near the end of your tenure, privately encourage impressive leadership qualities you’ve observed in potential prefect candidates that could continue traditions of excellence after your term concludes. Help guide the future.
• If younger students approach asking for guidance, offer a listening ear and thoughtful bits of wisdom, not just recitations of school policy. Mentor gently when sought out, rather than preaching rules harshly unprompted.
• Keep a subtle eye on fellow prefects too, as your duty requires holding one another equally accountable. Politely but firmly remind any you witness violating codes of conduct, even minor slip-ups. Integrity matters.
• Make an effort to remain visible and unambiguously available for student questions or issues during free periods by wandering halls greeting peers. Your consistent presence cultivates approachability.
• Consider organizing occasional casual social events like movie nights or game tournaments to nurture bonding opportunities for students outside rigid classroom walls. Such activities build community.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Alicia Oglesby. Professional School Counselor. Expert Interview. 13 April 2021.
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
• ↑ https://clt.byuh.edu/clt/honest-teacher
• ↑ https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/importance-of-school-attendance
• ↑ https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/communication/resource/how-to-be-an-effective-communicator-in-7-easy-steps
• ↑ https://newtoncollege.es/en/prefect-student-election/

About This Article

To be a good prefect, try to set a good example for other students by having a positive attitude and being respectful. Also, do your best in school since other students will notice how much effort you put in. You should also make sure you follow all of your school's rules, like abiding by the dress code, having a good attendance record, and going to class on time. In addition to setting a good example, try to be there for your fellow students by talking to them about their concerns and supporting students who are having a hard time. To learn how to be fair as a prefect, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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• Open access
• Published: 12 December 2023

Examining the role of community resilience and social capital on mental health in public health emergency and disaster response: a scoping review

• C. E. Hall 1 , 2 ,
• H. Wehling 1 ,
• J. Stansfield 3 ,
• J. South 3 ,
• S. K. Brooks 2 ,
• N. Greenberg 2 , 4 ,
• R. Amlôt 1 &
• D. Weston 1  

BMC Public Health volume  23 , Article number:  2482 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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The ability of the public to remain psychologically resilient in the face of public health emergencies and disasters (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) is a key factor in the effectiveness of a national response to such events. Community resilience and social capital are often perceived as beneficial and ensuring that a community is socially and psychologically resilient may aid emergency response and recovery. This review presents a synthesis of literature which answers the following research questions: How are community resilience and social capital quantified in research?; What is the impact of community resilience on mental wellbeing?; What is the impact of infectious disease outbreaks, disasters and emergencies on community resilience and social capital?; and, What types of interventions enhance community resilience and social capital?

A scoping review procedure was followed. Searches were run across Medline, PsycInfo, and EMBASE, with search terms covering both community resilience and social capital, public health emergencies, and mental health. 26 papers met the inclusion criteria.

The majority of retained papers originated in the USA, used a survey methodology to collect data, and involved a natural disaster. There was no common method for measuring community resilience or social capital. The association between community resilience and social capital with mental health was regarded as positive in most cases. However, we found that community resilience, and social capital, were initially negatively impacted by public health emergencies and enhanced by social group activities.

Several key recommendations are proposed based on the outcomes from the review, which include: the need for a standardised and validated approach to measuring both community resilience and social capital; that there should be enhanced effort to improve preparedness to public health emergencies in communities by gauging current levels of community resilience and social capital; that community resilience and social capital should be bolstered if areas are at risk of disasters or public health emergencies; the need to ensure that suitable short-term support is provided to communities with high resilience in the immediate aftermath of a public health emergency or disaster; the importance of conducting robust evaluation of community resilience initiatives deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peer Review reports

For the general population, public health emergencies and disasters (e.g., natural disasters; infectious disease outbreaks; Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear incidents) can give rise to a plethora of negative outcomes relating to both health (e.g. increased mental health problems [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]) and the economy (e.g., increased unemployment and decreased levels of tourism [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]). COVID-19 is a current, and ongoing, example of a public health emergency which has affected over 421 million individuals worldwide [ 7 ]. The long term implications of COVID-19 are not yet known, but there are likely to be repercussions for physical health, mental health, and other non-health related outcomes for a substantial time to come [ 8 , 9 ]. As a result, it is critical to establish methods which may inform approaches to alleviate the longer-term negative consequences that are likely to emerge in the aftermath of both COVID-19 and any future public health emergency.

The definition of resilience often differs within the literature, but ultimately resilience is considered a dynamic process of adaptation. It is related to processes and capabilities at the individual, community and system level that result in good health and social outcomes, in spite of negative events, serious threats and hazards [ 10 ]. Furthermore, Ziglio [ 10 ] refers to four key types of resilience capacity: adaptive, the ability to withstand and adjust to unfavourable conditions and shocks; absorptive, the ability to withstand but also to recover and manage using available assets and skills; anticipatory, the ability to predict and minimize vulnerability; and transformative, transformative change so that systems better cope with new conditions.

There is no one settled definition of community resilience (CR). However, it generally relates to the ability of a community to withstand, adapt and permit growth in adverse circumstances due to social structures, networks and interdependencies within the community [ 11 ]. Social capital (SC) is considered a major determinant of CR [ 12 , 13 ], and reflects strength of a social network, community reciprocity, and trust in people and institutions [ 14 ]. These aspects of community are usually conceptualised primarily as protective factors that enable communities to cope and adapt collectively to threats. SC is often broken down into further categories [ 15 ], for example: cognitive SC (i.e. perceptions of community relations, such as trust, mutual help and attachment) and structural SC (i.e. what actually happens within the community, such as participation, socialising) [ 16 ]; or, bonding SC (i.e. connections among individuals who are emotionally close, and result in bonds to a particular group [ 17 ]) and bridging SC (i.e. acquaintances or individuals loosely connected that span different social groups [ 18 ]). Generally, CR is perceived to be primarily beneficial for multiple reasons (e.g. increased social support [ 18 , 19 ], protection of mental health [ 20 , 21 ]), and strengthening community resilience is a stated health goal of the World Health Organisation [ 22 ] when aiming to alleviate health inequalities and protect wellbeing. This is also reflected by organisations such as Public Health England (now split into the UK Health Security Agency and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities) [ 23 ] and more recently, CR has been targeted through the endorsement of Community Champions (who are volunteers trained to support and to help improve health and wellbeing. Community Champions also reflect their local communities in terms of population demographics for example age, ethnicity and gender) as part of the COVID-19 response in the UK (e.g. [ 24 , 25 ]).

Despite the vested interest in bolstering communities, the research base establishing: how to understand and measure CR and SC; the effect of CR and SC, both during and following a public health emergency (such as the COVID-19 pandemic); and which types of CR or SC are the most effective to engage, is relatively small. Given the importance of ensuring resilience against, and swift recovery from, public health emergencies, it is critically important to establish and understand the evidence base for these approaches. As a result, the current review sought to answer the following research questions: (1) How are CR and SC quantified in research?; (2) What is the impact of community resilience on mental wellbeing?; (3) What is the impact of infectious disease outbreaks, disasters and emergencies on community resilience and social capital?; and, (4) What types of interventions enhance community resilience and social capital?

By collating research in order to answer these research questions, the authors have been able to propose several key recommendations that could be used to both enhance and evaluate CR and SC effectively to facilitate the long-term recovery from COVID-19, and also to inform the use of CR and SC in any future public health disasters and emergencies.

A scoping review methodology was followed due to the ease of summarising literature on a given topic for policy makers and practitioners [ 26 ], and is detailed in the following sections.

Identification of relevant studies

An initial search strategy was developed by authors CH and DW and included terms which related to: CR and SC, given the absence of a consistent definition of CR, and the link between CR and SC, the review focuses on both CR and SC to identify as much relevant literature as possible (adapted for purpose from Annex 1: [ 27 ], as well as through consultation with review commissioners); public health emergencies and disasters [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ], and psychological wellbeing and recovery (derived a priori from literature). To ensure a focus on both public health and psychological research, the final search was carried across Medline, PsycInfo, and EMBASE using OVID. The final search took place on the 18th of May 2020, the search strategy used for all three databases can be found in Supplementary file 1 .

Selection criteria

The inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed alongside the search strategy. Initially the criteria were relatively inclusive and were subject to iterative development to reflect the authors’ familiarisation with the literature. For example, the decision was taken to exclude research which focused exclusively on social support and did not mention communities as an initial title/abstract search suggested that the majority of this literature did not meet the requirements of our research question.

The full and final inclusion and exclusion criteria used can be found in Supplementary file 2 . In summary, authors decided to focus on the general population (i.e., non-specialist, e.g. non-healthcare worker or government official) to allow the review to remain community focused. The research must also have assessed the impact of CR and/or SC on mental health and wellbeing, resilience, and recovery during and following public health emergencies and infectious disease outbreaks which affect communities (to ensure the research is relevant to the review aims), have conducted primary research, and have a full text available or provided by the first author when contacted.

Charting the data

All papers were first title and abstract screened by CH or DW. Papers then were full text reviewed by CH to ensure each paper met the required eligibility criteria, if unsure about a paper it was also full text reviewed by DW. All papers that were retained post full-text review were subjected to a standardised data extraction procedure. A table was made for the purpose of extracting the following data: title, authors, origin, year of publication, study design, aim, disaster type, sample size and characteristics, variables examined, results, restrictions/limitations, and recommendations. Supplementary file 3 details the charting the data process.

Analytical method

Data was synthesised using a Framework approach [ 32 ], a common method for analysing qualitative research. This method was chosen as it was originally used for large-scale social policy research [ 33 ] as it seeks to identify: what works, for whom, in what conditions, and why [ 34 ]. This approach is also useful for identifying commonalities and differences in qualitative data and potential relationships between different parts of the data [ 33 ]. An a priori framework was established by CH and DW. Extracted data was synthesised in relation to each research question, and the process was iterative to ensure maximum saturation using the available data.

Study selection

The final search strategy yielded 3584 records. Following the removal of duplicates, 2191 records remained and were included in title and abstract screening. A PRISMA flow diagram is presented in Fig.  1 .

PRISMA flow diagram

At the title and abstract screening stage, the process became more iterative as the inclusion criteria were developed and refined. For the first iteration of screening, CH or DW sorted all records into ‘include,’ ‘exclude,’ and ‘unsure’. All ‘unsure’ papers were re-assessed by CH, and a random selection of ~ 20% of these were also assessed by DW. Where there was disagreement between authors the records were retained, and full text screened. The remaining papers were reviewed by CH, and all records were categorised into ‘include’ and ‘exclude’. Following full-text screening, 26 papers were retained for use in the review.

Study characteristics

This section of the review addresses study characteristics of those which met the inclusion criteria, which comprises: date of publication, country of origin, study design, study location, disaster, and variables examined.

Date of publication

Publication dates across the 26 papers spanned from 2008 to 2020 (see Fig.  2 ). The number of papers published was relatively low and consistent across this timescale (i.e. 1–2 per year, except 2010 and 2013 when none were published) up until 2017 where the number of papers peaked at 5. From 2017 to 2020 there were 15 papers published in total. The amount of papers published in recent years suggests a shift in research and interest towards CR and SC in a disaster/ public health emergency context.

Graph to show retained papers date of publication

Country of origin

The locations of the first authors’ institutes at the time of publication were extracted to provide a geographical spread of the retained papers. The majority originated from the USA [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ], followed by China [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ], Japan [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ], Australia [ 51 , 52 , 53 ], The Netherlands [ 54 , 55 ], New Zealand [ 56 ], Peru [ 57 ], Iran [ 58 ], Austria [ 59 ], and Croatia [ 60 ].

There were multiple methodological approaches carried out across retained papers. The most common formats included surveys or questionnaires [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 42 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 57 , 59 ], followed by interviews [ 39 , 40 , 43 , 51 , 52 , 60 ]. Four papers used both surveys and interviews [ 35 , 41 , 45 , 58 ], and two papers conducted data analysis (one using open access data from a Social Survey [ 44 ] and one using a Primary Health Organisations Register [ 56 ]).

Study location

The majority of the studies were carried out in Japan [ 36 , 42 , 44 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ], followed by the USA [ 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ], China [ 43 , 45 , 46 , 53 ], Australia [ 51 , 52 ], and the UK [ 54 , 55 ]. The remaining studies were carried out in Croatia [ 60 ], Peru [ 57 ], Austria [ 59 ], New Zealand [ 56 ] and Iran [ 58 ].

Multiple different types of disaster were researched across the retained papers. Earthquakes were the most common type of disaster examined [ 45 , 47 , 49 , 50 , 53 , 56 , 57 , 58 ], followed by research which assessed the impact of two disastrous events which had happened in the same area (e.g. Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Mississippi, and the Great East Japan earthquake and Tsunami; [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 42 , 44 , 48 ]). Other disaster types included: flooding [ 51 , 54 , 55 , 59 , 60 ], hurricanes [ 35 , 39 , 41 ], infectious disease outbreaks [ 43 , 46 ], oil spillage [ 40 ], and drought [ 52 ].

Variables of interest examined

Across the 26 retained papers: eight referred to examining the impact of SC [ 35 , 37 , 39 , 41 , 46 , 49 , 55 , 60 ]; eight examined the impact of cognitive and structural SC as separate entities [ 40 , 42 , 45 , 48 , 50 , 54 , 57 , 59 ]; one examined bridging and bonding SC as separate entities [ 58 ]; two examined the impact of CR [ 38 , 56 ]; and two employed a qualitative methodology but drew findings in relation to bonding and bridging SC, and SC generally [ 51 , 52 ]. Additionally, five papers examined the impact of the following variables: ‘community social cohesion’ [ 36 ], ‘neighbourhood connectedness’ [ 44 ], ‘social support at the community level’ [ 47 ], ‘community connectedness’ [ 43 ] and ‘sense of community’ [ 53 ]. Table  1 provides additional details on this.

How is CR and SC measured or quantified in research?

The measures used to examine CR and SC are presented Table  1 . It is apparent that there is no uniformity in how SC or CR is measured across the research. Multiple measures are used throughout the retained studies, and nearly all are unique. Additionally, SC was examined at multiple different levels (e.g. cognitive and structural, bonding and bridging), and in multiple different forms (e.g. community connectedness, community cohesion).

What is the association between CR and SC on mental wellbeing?

To best compare research, the following section reports on CR, and facets of SC separately. Please see Supplementary file 4  for additional information on retained papers methods of measuring mental wellbeing.

• Community resilience

CR relates to the ability of a community to withstand, adapt and permit growth in adverse circumstances due to social structures, networks and interdependencies within the community [ 11 ].

The impact of CR on mental wellbeing was consistently positive. For example, research indicated that there was a positive association between CR and number of common mental health (i.e. anxiety and mood) treatments post-disaster [ 56 ]. Similarly, other research suggests that CR is positively related to psychological resilience, which is inversely related to depressive symptoms) [ 37 ]. The same research also concluded that CR is protective of psychological resilience and is therefore protective of depressive symptoms [ 37 ].

• Social capital

SC reflects the strength of a social network, community reciprocity, and trust in people and institutions [ 14 ]. These aspects of community are usually conceptualised primarily as protective factors that enable communities to cope and adapt collectively to threats.

There were inconsistencies across research which examined the impact of abstract SC (i.e. not refined into bonding/bridging or structural/cognitive) on mental wellbeing. However, for the majority of cases, research deems SC to be beneficial. For example, research has concluded that, SC is protective against post-traumatic stress disorder [ 55 ], anxiety [ 46 ], psychological distress [ 50 ], and stress [ 46 ]. Additionally, SC has been found to facilitate post-traumatic growth [ 38 ], and also to be useful to be drawn upon in times of stress [ 52 ], both of which could be protective of mental health. Similarly, research has also found that emotional recovery following a disaster is more difficult for those who report to have low levels of SC [ 51 ].

Conversely, however, research has also concluded that when other situational factors (e.g. personal resources) were controlled for, a positive relationship between community resources and life satisfaction was no longer significant [ 60 ]. Furthermore, some research has concluded that a high level of SC can result in a community facing greater stress immediately post disaster. Indeed, one retained paper found that high levels of SC correlate with higher levels of post-traumatic stress immediately following a disaster [ 39 ]. However, in the later stages following a disaster, this relationship can reverse, with SC subsequently providing an aid to recovery [ 41 ]. By way of explanation, some researchers have suggested that communities with stronger SC carry the greatest load in terms of helping others (i.e. family, friends and neighbours) as well as themselves immediately following the disaster, but then as time passes the communities recover at a faster rate as they are able to rely on their social networks for support [ 41 ].

Cognitive and structural social capital

Cognitive SC refers to perceptions of community relations, such as trust, mutual help and attachment, and structural SC refers to what actually happens within the community, such as participation, socialising [ 16 ].

Cognitive SC has been found to be protective [ 49 ] against PTSD [ 54 , 57 ], depression [ 40 , 54 ]) mild mood disorder; [ 48 ]), anxiety [ 48 , 54 ] and increase self-efficacy [ 59 ].

For structural SC, research is again inconsistent. On the one hand, structural SC has been found to: increase perceived self-efficacy, be protective of depression [ 40 ], buffer the impact of housing damage on cognitive decline [ 42 ] and provide support during disasters and over the recovery period [ 59 ]. However, on the other hand, it has been found to have no association with PTSD [ 54 , 57 ] or depression, and is also associated with a higher prevalence of anxiety [ 54 ]. Similarly, it is also suggested by additional research that structural SC can harm women’s mental health, either due to the pressure of expectations to help and support others or feelings of isolation [ 49 ].

Bonding and bridging social capital

Bonding SC refers to connections among individuals who are emotionally close, and result in bonds to a particular group [ 17 ], and bridging SC refers to acquaintances or individuals loosely connected that span different social groups [ 18 ].

One research study concluded that both bonding and bridging SC were protective against post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms [ 58 ]. Bridging capital was deemed to be around twice as effective in buffering against post-traumatic stress disorder than bonding SC [ 58 ].

Other community variables

Community social cohesion was significantly associated with a lower risk of post-traumatic stress disorder symptom development [ 35 ], and this was apparent even whilst controlling for depressive symptoms at baseline and disaster impact variables (e.g. loss of family member or housing damage) [ 36 ]. Similarly, sense of community, community connectedness, social support at the community level and neighbourhood connectedness all provided protective benefits for a range of mental health, wellbeing and recovery variables, including: depression [ 53 ], subjective wellbeing (in older adults only) [ 43 ], psychological distress [ 47 ], happiness [ 44 ] and life satisfaction [ 53 ].

Research has also concluded that community level social support is protective against mild mood and anxiety disorder, but only for individuals who have had no previous disaster experience [ 48 ]. Additionally, a study which separated SC into social cohesion and social participation concluded that at a community level, social cohesion is protective against depression [ 49 ] whereas social participation at community level is associated with an increased risk of depression amongst women [ 49 ].

What is the impact of Infectious disease outbreaks / disasters and emergencies on community resilience?

From a cross-sectional perspective, research has indicated that disasters and emergencies can have a negative effect on certain types of SC. Specifically, cognitive SC has been found to be impacted by disaster impact, whereas structural SC has gone unaffected [ 45 ]. Disaster impact has also been shown to have a negative effect on community relationships more generally [ 52 ].

Additionally, of the eight studies which collected data at multiple time points [ 35 , 36 , 41 , 42 , 47 , 49 , 56 , 60 ], three reported the effect of a disaster on the level of SC within a community [ 40 , 42 , 49 ]. All three of these studies concluded that disasters may have a negative impact on the levels of SC within a community. The first study found that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill had a negative effect on SC and social support, and this in turn explained an overall increase in the levels of depression within the community [ 40 ]. A possible explanation for the negative effect lays in ‘corrosive communities’, known for increased social conflict and reduced social support, that are sometimes created following oil spills [ 40 ]. It is proposed that corrosive communities often emerge due to a loss of natural resources that bring social groups together (e.g., for recreational activities), as well as social disparity (e.g., due to unequal distribution of economic impact) becoming apparent in the community following disaster [ 40 ]. The second study found that SC (in the form of social cohesion, informal socialising and social participation) decreased after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan; it was suggested that this change correlated with incidence of cognitive decline [ 42 ]. However, the third study reported more mixed effects based on physical circumstances of the communities’ natural environment: Following an earthquake, those who lived in mountainous areas with an initial high level of pre-community SC saw a decrease in SC post disaster [ 49 ]. However, communities in flat areas (which were home to younger residents and had a higher population density) saw an increase in SC [ 49 ]. It was proposed that this difference could be due to the need for those who lived in mountainous areas to seek prolonged refuge due to subsequent landslides [ 49 ].

What types of intervention enhance CR and SC and protect survivors?

There were mixed effects across the 26 retained papers when examining the effect of CR and SC on mental wellbeing. However, there is evidence that an increase in SC [ 56 , 57 ], with a focus on cognitive SC [ 57 ], namely by: building social networks [ 45 , 51 , 53 ], enhancing feelings of social cohesion [ 35 , 36 ] and promoting a sense of community [ 53 ], can result in an increase in CR and potentially protect survivors’ wellbeing and mental health following a disaster. An increase in SC may also aid in decreasing the need for individual psychological interventions in the aftermath of a disaster [ 55 ]. As a result, recommendations and suggested methods to bolster CR and SC from the retained papers have been extracted and separated into general methods, preparedness and policy level implementation.

General methods

Suggested methods to build SC included organising recreational activity-based groups [ 44 ] to broaden [ 51 , 53 ] and preserve current social networks [ 42 ], introducing initiatives to increase social cohesion and trust [ 51 ], and volunteering to increase the number of social ties between residents [ 59 ]. Research also notes that it is important to take a ‘no one left behind approach’ when organising recreational and social community events, as failure to do so could induce feelings of isolation for some members of the community [ 49 ]. Furthermore, gender differences should also be considered as research indicates that males and females may react differently to community level SC (as evidence suggests males are instead more impacted by individual level SC; in comparison to women who have larger and more diverse social networks [ 49 ]). Therefore, interventions which aim to raise community level social participation, with the aim of expanding social connections and gaining support, may be beneficial [ 42 , 47 ].

Preparedness

In order to prepare for disasters, it may be beneficial to introduce community-targeted methods or interventions to increase levels of SC and CR as these may aid in ameliorating the consequences of a public health emergency or disaster [ 57 ]. To indicate which communities have low levels of SC, one study suggests implementing a 3-item scale of social cohesion to map areas and target interventions [ 42 ].

It is important to consider that communities with a high level of SC may have a lower level of risk perception, due to the established connections and supportive network they have with those around them [ 61 ]. However, for the purpose of preparedness, this is not ideal as perception of risk is a key factor when seeking to encourage behavioural adherence. This could be overcome by introducing communication strategies which emphasise the necessity of social support, but also highlights the need for additional measures to reduce residual risk [ 59 ]. Furthermore, support in the form of financial assistance to foster current community initiatives may prove beneficial to rural areas, for example through the use of an asset-based community development framework [ 52 ].

Policy level

At a policy level, the included papers suggest a range of ways that CR and SC could be bolstered and used. These include: providing financial support for community initiatives and collective coping strategies, (e.g. using asset-based community development [ 52 ]); ensuring policies for long-term recovery focus on community sustainable development (e.g. community festival and community centre activities) [ 44 ]; and development of a network amongst cooperative corporations formed for reconstruction and to organise self-help recovery sessions among residents of adjacent areas [ 58 ].

This scoping review sought to synthesise literature concerning the role of SC and CR during public health emergencies and disasters. Specifically, in this review we have examined: the methods used to measure CR and SC; the impact of CR and SC on mental wellbeing during disasters and emergencies; the impact of disasters and emergencies on CR and SC; and the types of interventions which can be used to enhance CR. To do this, data was extracted from 26 peer-reviewed journal articles. From this synthesis, several key themes have been identified, which can be used to develop guidelines and recommendations for deploying CR and SC in a public health emergency or disaster context. These key themes and resulting recommendations are summarised below.

Firstly, this review established that there is no consistent or standardised approach to measuring CR or SC within the general population. This finding is consistent with a review conducted by the World Health Organization which concludes that despite there being a number of frameworks that contain indicators across different determinants of health, there is a lack of consensus on priority areas for measurement and no widely accepted indicator [ 27 ]. As a result, there are many measures of CR and SC apparent within the literature (e.g., [ 62 , 63 ]), an example of a developed and validated measure is provided by Sherrieb, Norris and Galea [ 64 ]. Similarly, the definitions of CR and SC differ widely between researchers, which created a barrier to comparing and summarising information. Therefore, future research could seek to compare various interpretations of CR and to identify any overlapping concepts. However, a previous systemic review conducted by Patel et al. (2017) concludes that there are nine core elements of CR (local knowledge, community networks and relationships, communication, health, governance and leadership, resources, economic investment, preparedness, and mental outlook), with 19 further sub-elements therein [ 30 ]. Therefore, as CR is a multi-dimensional construct, the implications from the findings are that multiple aspects of social infrastructure may need to be considered.

Secondly, our synthesis of research concerning the role of CR and SC for ensuring mental health and wellbeing during, or following, a public health emergency or disaster revealed mixed effects. Much of the research indicates either a generally protective effect on mental health and wellbeing, or no effect; however, the literature demonstrates some potential for a high level of CR/SC to backfire and result in a negative effect for populations during, or following, a public health emergency or disaster. Considered together, our synthesis indicates that cognitive SC is the only facet of SC which was perceived as universally protective across all retained papers. This is consistent with a systematic review which also concludes that: (a) community level cognitive SC is associated with a lower risk of common mental disorders, while; (b) community level structural SC had inconsistent effects [ 65 ].

Further examination of additional data extracted from studies which found that CR/SC had a negative effect on mental health and wellbeing revealed no commonalities that might explain these effects (Please see Supplementary file 5 for additional information)

One potential explanation may come from a retained paper which found that high levels of SC result in an increase in stress level immediately post disaster [ 41 ]. This was suggested to be due to individuals having greater burdens due to wishing to help and support their wide networks as well as themselves. However, as time passes the levels of SC allow the community to come together and recover at a faster rate [ 41 ]. As this was the only retained paper which produced this finding, it would be beneficial for future research to examine boundary conditions for the positive effects of CR/SC; that is, to explore circumstances under which CR/SC may be more likely to put communities at greater risk. This further research should also include additional longitudinal research to validate the conclusions drawn by [ 41 ] as resilience is a dynamic process of adaption.

Thirdly, disasters and emergencies were generally found to have a negative effect on levels of SC. One retained paper found a mixed effect of SC in relation to an earthquake, however this paper separated participants by area in which they lived (i.e., mountainous vs. flat), which explains this inconsistent effect [ 49 ]. Dangerous areas (i.e. mountainous) saw a decrease in community SC in comparison to safer areas following the earthquake (an effect the authors attributed to the need to seek prolonged refuge), whereas participants from the safer areas (which are home to younger residents with a higher population density) saw an increase in SC [ 49 ]. This is consistent with the idea that being able to participate socially is a key element of SC [ 12 ]. Overall, however, this was the only retained paper which produced a variable finding in relation to the effect of disaster on levels of CR/SC.

Finally, research identified through our synthesis promotes the idea of bolstering SC (particularly cognitive SC) and cohesion in communities likely to be affected by disaster to improve levels of CR. This finding provides further understanding of the relationship between CR and SC; an association that has been reported in various articles seeking to provide conceptual frameworks (e.g., [ 66 , 67 ]) as well as indicator/measurement frameworks [ 27 ]. Therefore, this could be done by creating and promoting initiatives which foster SC and create bonds within the community. Papers included in the current review suggest that recreational-based activity groups and volunteering are potential methods for fostering SC and creating community bonds [ 44 , 51 , 59 ]. Similarly, further research demonstrates that feelings of social cohesion are enhanced by general social activities (e.g. fairs and parades [ 18 ]). Also, actively encouraging activities, programs and interventions which enhance connectedness and SC have been reported to be desirable to increase CR [ 68 ]. This suggestion is supported by a recent scoping review of literature [ 67 ] examined community champion approaches for the COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery and established that creating and promoting SC focused initiatives within the community during pandemic response is highly beneficial [ 67 ]. In terms of preparedness, research states that it may be beneficial for levels of SC and CR in communities at risk to be assessed, to allow targeted interventions where the population may be at most risk following an incident [ 42 , 44 ]. Additionally, from a more critical perspective, we acknowledge that ‘resilience’ can often be perceived as a focus on individual capacity to adapt to adversity rather than changing or mitigating the causes of adverse conditions [ 69 , 70 ]. Therefore, CR requires an integrated system approach across individual, community and structural levels [ 17 ]. Also, it is important that community members are engaged in defining and agreeing how community resilience is measured [ 27 ] rather than it being imposed by system leads or decision-makers.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, is it expected that there will be long-term repercussions both from an economic [ 8 ] and a mental health perspective [ 71 ]. Furthermore, the findings from this review suggest that although those in areas with high levels of SC may be negatively affected in the acute stage, as time passes, they have potential to rebound at a faster rate than those with lower levels of SC. Ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of current initiatives as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses into a recovery phase will be invaluable for supplementing the evidence base identified through this review.

• Recommendations

As a result of this review, a number of recommendations are suggested for policy and practice during public health emergencies and recovery.

Future research should seek to establish a standardised and validated approach to measuring and defining CR and SC within communities. There are ongoing efforts in this area, for example [ 72 ]. Additionally, community members should be involved in the process of defining how CR is measured.

There should be an enhanced effort to improve preparedness for public health emergencies and disasters in local communities by gauging current levels of SC and CR within communities using a standardised measure. This approach could support specific targeting of populations with low levels of CR/SC in case of a disaster or public health emergency, whilst also allowing for consideration of support for those with high levels of CR (as these populations can be heavily impacted initially following a disaster). By distinguishing levels of SC and CR, tailored community-centred approaches could be implemented, such as those listed in a guide released by PHE in 2015 [ 73 ].

CR and SC (specifically cognitive SC) should be bolstered if communities are at risk of experiencing a disaster or public health emergency. This can be achieved by using interventions which aim to increase a sense of community and create new social ties (e.g., recreational group activities, volunteering). Additionally, when aiming to achieve this, it is important to be mindful of the risk of increased levels of CR/SC to backfire, as well as seeking to advocate an integrated system approach across individual, community and structural levels.

It is necessary to be aware that although communities with high existing levels of resilience / SC may experience short-term negative consequences following a disaster, over time these communities might be able to recover at a faster rate. It is therefore important to ensure that suitable short-term support is provided to these communities in the immediate aftermath of a public health emergency or disaster.

Robust evaluation of the community resilience initiatives deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic response is essential to inform the evidence base concerning the effectiveness of CR/ SC. These evaluations should continue through the response phase and into the recovery phase to help develop our understanding of the long-term consequences of such interventions.

Limitations

Despite this review being the first in this specific topic area, there are limitations that must be considered. Firstly, it is necessary to note that communities are generally highly diverse and the term ‘community’ in academic literature is a subject of much debate (see: [ 74 ]), therefore this must be considered when comparing and collating research involving communities. Additionally, the measures of CR and SC differ substantially across research, including across the 26 retained papers used in the current review. This makes the act of comparing and collating research findings very difficult. This issue is highlighted as a key outcome from this review, and suggestions for how to overcome this in future research are provided. Additionally, we acknowledge that there will be a relationship between CR & SC even where studies measure only at individual or community level. A review [ 75 ] on articulating a hypothesis of the link to health inequalities suggests that wider structural determinants of health need to be accounted for. Secondly, despite the final search strategy encompassing terms for both CR and SC, only one retained paper directly measured CR; thus, making the research findings more relevant to SC. Future research could seek to focus on CR to allow for a comparison of findings. Thirdly, the review was conducted early in the COVID-19 pandemic and so does not include more recent publications focusing on resilience specifically in the context of COVID-19. Regardless of this fact, the synthesis of, and recommendations drawn from, the reviewed studies are agnostic to time and specific incident and contain critical elements necessary to address as the pandemic moves from response to recovery. Further research should review the effectiveness of specific interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic for collation in a subsequent update to this current paper. Fourthly, the current review synthesises findings from countries with individualistic and collectivistic cultures, which may account for some variation in the findings. Lastly, despite choosing a scoping review method for ease of synthesising a wide literature base for use by public health emergency researchers in a relatively tight timeframe, there are disadvantages of a scoping review approach to consider: (1) quality appraisal of retained studies was not carried out; (2) due to the broad nature of a scoping review, more refined and targeted reviews of literature (e.g., systematic reviews) may be able to provide more detailed research outcomes. Therefore, future research should seek to use alternative methods (e.g., empirical research, systematic reviews of literature) to add to the evidence base on CR and SC impact and use in public health practice.

This review sought to establish: (1) How CR and SC are quantified in research?; (2) The impact of community resilience on mental wellbeing?; (3) The impact of infectious disease outbreaks, disasters and emergencies on community resilience and social capital?; and, (4) What types of interventions enhance community resilience and social capital?. The chosen search strategy yielded 26 relevant papers from which we were able extract information relating to the aims of this review.

Results from the review revealed that CR and SC are not measured consistently across research. The impact of CR / SC on mental health and wellbeing during emergencies and disasters is mixed (with some potential for backlash), however the literature does identify cognitive SC as particularly protective. Although only a small number of papers compared CR or SC before and after a disaster, the findings were relatively consistent: SC or CR is negatively impacted by a disaster. Methods suggested to bolster SC in communities were centred around social activities, such as recreational group activities and volunteering. Recommendations for both research and practice (with a particular focus on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic) are also presented.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

Social Capital

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This study was supported by the National Institute for Health Research Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Emergency Preparedness and Response, a partnership between Public Health England, King’s College London and the University of East Anglia. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR, Public Health England, the UK Health Security Agency or the Department of Health and Social Care [Grant number: NIHR20008900]. Part of this work has been funded by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Department of Health and Social Care, as part of a Collaborative Agreement with Leeds Beckett University.

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Hall, C.E., Wehling, H., Stansfield, J. et al. Examining the role of community resilience and social capital on mental health in public health emergency and disaster response: a scoping review. BMC Public Health 23 , 2482 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17242-x

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The purpose of an election manifesto is to convey your intentions, views and beliefs, and motivation behind the specific position you are vying for. To successfully do this, you should ensure that the actual content of your manifesto is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound (SMART). Here is everything you need to know about writing a junior school prefect manifesto.

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The manner in which you write your manifesto determines whether or not fellow students will vote for you as a leader. Therefore, you must organize your ideas, beliefs, and plans in a comprehensive way that distinguishes you from other election candidates.

By reading your manifesto, let the students and the whole school fraternity understand the strategies that you will use to cause positive transformations in the institution. There are several areas in a learning institution that require overseeing by leaders. There is the compound, entertainment , health and sanitation.

There must also be a senior prefect who oversees the work of the other prefects. Therefore, when writing your manifesto, consider the position you want and its requirement. For instance, if you want to become a chaplain prefect, your manifesto cannot be similar to that of a compound leader.

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Guidelines on how you write a manifesto for being a school prefect

The first step towards creating an excellent manifesto is to prepare the ideas that you want the public to see. You must know the area that you are interested in. If you are vying for a compound perfect position, you have an interest in that area.

Do some research about the position you want. You do not want to appear clueless about the issues that need to be addressed in that area. Outline all the aspects concerning that position and determine what you will do to make it better. Then proceed to write the manifesto.

How do you introduce yourself in a manifesto? Begin by informing people about your identity i.e. your name and your class. This should be followed by the objectives that you have as a leader. These goals should appear in a bulleted format and a brief explanation for each of them.

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Your objectives should be feasible. Do not go making promises that can never be accomplished. For instance, if you are a health prefect, you cannot say that you will build a hospital. This is impossible and can make your manifesto less influential.

Let people know about the experiences you have had either at home, school, internship or life in general that make you suitable for that position. If you want the compound prefect position, talk about planting trees in the past or doing a cleanup.

This information should be complemented by a list of skills that you gain. They could be problem-solving, critical thinking, commitment, and decision-making capabilities among others.

Let other students know that you are familiar with the issues facing your area of interest. Then talk about the measures you plan to take to rectify the situation or make it better.

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For instance, if you want the sports prefect seat, you can talk about the number of balls for playing football. Students want to know if you have their best interests at heart and that you can represent them adequately to the administration.

Nobody wants to read long manifestos. After all, there are many people vying, and each has a manifesto that must be read. Be precise, organize your work using bullets and be straight to the point.

Avoid misspelling words, using words wrongly or using incorrect punctuation. Also, ensure to write comprehensive sentence structures. Remember, you want to be a leader. Grammatical errors can reduce the relevance of your manifesto.

How do you make a manifesto?

Now that you have discovered the general guidelines for writing the manifesto, here is an outline of additional requirements for specific positions.

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To be a senior prefect, you must show how knowledgeable you are about all areas of the school. Talk about the leadership skills that will enable you to ensure that all the other prefects work as a team. Also, let the students you how you plan to represent their concerns to the administration.

Are you conversant with the health services provided in the school? Are students attended to on time? What complaints about your school healthcare facility have you heard repeatedly?

What do you think should be done to address healthcare concerns in the school? Outline your goals as a student health representative. Tell them the steps you will take to ensure that their needs are met satisfactorily.

If you need to know how to write a manifesto for compound prefect in your school, you need to be aware of things like garbage disposal in your school, when and how is the compound cleaned and what are your standards for a clean compound. Outline such aspects and how you plan to make the environment cleaner.

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Also, be wise enough to talk about environmental sustainability now that it is a global issue. You can also talk about making proposals to the administration to allow tree-planting activities in or outside the school.

Here express your interest and knowledge on the importance of nurturing talents. Talk about how talents such as singing, poetry, sports and acting among others are helping people to earn income.

How do you plan to make the entertainment in the school livelier? You can talk about enforcing singing or drama competitions between groups occasionally during school terms.

Your interest here is to ensure that students live in hygienic conditions. Explain your goal of ensuring that they access clean water and clean ablution rooms. What is your action plan? You can make proposals about having hygiene talks with the students.

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To be fit for this position, you ought to know how to meet the spiritual and emotional requirements of other people. Students are likely to face stress due to poor performance, strict rules or familial issues.

What will you do to encourage them and give them hope? Will you facilitate individual or group counselling sessions? Do you know school-related issues that cause students emotional torture? All these issues must be addressed in the manifesto.

Generally, prefects are expected to establish and maintain the highest standards of behaviour, attitude and appearance at all times. In addition, they are expected to be positive role models for the other students.

With that in mind, anyone vying for the girl prefect position must be in a position to win both the teacher's and the student's hearts with their manifesto. So what should I write in my prefect application? Here is a sample manifesto for school prefect JHS.

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The headmasters, assistant headmaster, teaching staff, outgoing prefects and colleague students, I see it a great honour to stand here today to make known my plans when I am voted in power. Things are easily said but not easily done, so lend me your ears as I recount the attributes that back up my claim.

Becoming the girl's prefect at this institute is no joke, and I am more than ready to take up the task and deliver my possible best and to the satisfaction of all. After keenly observing the last two sets of remarkable and hard-working prefects perform their duties, I recognized and learnt that a good prefect should have the following:

• P-Persevering
• R-Responsible
• E-Excellent
• E-Encouraging

When I assume office, here are some things that I will do.

• Ensure that the discipline in the school is raised to the maximum level.
• Improve sports and entertainment activities in the school.
• Ensure that a balanced diet is served at the dining hall.

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Apart from all the things mentioned above, it will be my duty to promptly ensure that all complaints are attended to. This will come in handy in ensuring that all our students continue believing in our school and love it.

Before I leave, I would like you all to remember that a vote for me will surely end well.

Thank you .

The three major qualities a prefect should have to include:

• Leadership skills: Be able to take charge of situations when necessary.
• Responsibility: Should be responsible and reliable, always following through with other students' commitments.
• Communication: Should be able to listen to the concerns and ideas of their fellow students and communicate effectively with teachers and other staff members.

Learning how to write a manifesto for a school prefect is now made easier. Your manifesto speaks volumes about you. Make it brief, organized and straight to the point. Most importantly, be realistic with your plan.

How to write about myself?

Yen.com.gh shared an article on how to write an application letter for employment in Ghana. Writing this letter can seem like a challenging task.

However, if you take it one step at a time, you'll soon be an expert at writing application letters to send with your resume.

Source: YEN.com.gh

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Essay on Health: Long and Short Essay Samples

• Updated on  
• Jan 3, 2024

Essay on Health:

Earlier, health was said to be the ability of the body to function well. However, as the time evolved, the definition of health also evolved. Health now, is the primary thing after which everything else follows. When you maintain good health, everything else falls into place.

In an era where our lives are increasingly busy and filled with demands, our health often takes a backseat. Yet, it’s a priceless asset that influences every facet of our existence. In this blog, we explore the multifaceted realm of health through both long and short essay samples. From the significance of well-being to practical tips for maintaining it, our collection delves into the critical role health plays in our lives. Join us in this journey to uncover the secrets of a healthier, happier life.

This Blog Includes:

How to maintain health, importance of health, sample essay on health in 150 words, sample essay on health in 300 words.

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Good health is above wealth. Listed foundational practices below promote overall health and well-being: 

• Balanced Diet: Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Do not miss out on the essential nutrients; take each of them in appropriate quantities.
• Regular Exercise: Exercise daily, it can be for a duration of 15-30 minutes. Include strength training exercises to build muscle and bone strength.
• Adequate Sleep: Prioritize 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to support physical and mental well-being. Instead of using your phone, go to sleep at a reasonable hour.
• Stress Management: Practice stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, or mindfulness.
• Regular Check-ups: Schedule routine health check-ups and screenings to detect and address health issues early.
• Avoid Bad Habits: Do not smoke or drink as it has serious harmful consequences.

Good health is vital for a fulfilling life. It empowers us to thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally, enhancing overall well-being. It is of paramount importance for various reasons:

• Quality of Life: It directly affects our daily lives, enabling us to enjoy activities, work, and relationships to the fullest.
• Productivity: Good health enhances productivity, allowing us to perform better in our personal and professional endeavours.
• Longevity: It contributes to a longer life, giving us more time to pursue our goals and spend time with loved ones.
• Financial Well-being: Staying healthy reduces medical expenses and the economic burden of illness.
• Emotional Well-being: Physical health is closely linked to mental well-being, impacting our mood, stress levels, and overall happiness.
• Preventive Care: Maintaining health through regular check-ups can detect and address potential issues before they become severe.
• Community and Societal Impact: Healthy individuals contribute to stronger communities and societies, reducing the strain on healthcare systems and promoting collective well-being.

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Maintaining good health is dependent on a lot of factors. Those factors range from the air you breathe to the type of people you choose to spend your time with. Health has a lot of components which carry equal importance. If even one of them is missing, a person cannot be completely healthy.Health is our most valuable asset. It encompasses physical, mental, and emotional well-being, shaping our lives profoundly. A healthy lifestyle, characterized by a balanced diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep, is essential. It not only prevents diseases but also boosts energy and productivity.

Mental health is equally vital, requiring stress management and emotional support. Regular check-ups aid in early disease detection, increasing the chances of successful treatment. Good health influences longevity and quality of life, allowing us to pursue dreams and cherish moments with loved ones. It also eases the financial burden associated with illness. Ultimately, health is the foundation of a joyful, fulfilling existence, and its importance cannot be overstated.

Health is undeniably one of the most precious aspects of life. It encompasses not only the absence of diseases but also the presence of physical, mental, and emotional well-being. In this essay, we will explore the multifaceted importance of health in our lives.

Firstly, physical health is the cornerstone of our existence. It allows us to carry out daily activities, pursue our passions, and engage with the world. Maintaining good physical health involves a balanced diet that provides essential nutrients, regular exercise to keep our bodies fit, and sufficient rest to recuperate. A healthy lifestyle not only prevents various ailments but also increases our vitality and longevity.

There is this stigma that surrounds mental health. People should take mental illnesses seriously. In order to be completely fit, one must also be mentally fit. When people completely discredit mental illnesses, it makes a negative impact. Hence, we should treat mental health the same as physical health.

Mental health is equally crucial. It involves managing stress, maintaining emotional stability, and seeking support when needed. Neglecting mental health can lead to conditions like anxiety and depression, which can have a profound impact on the quality of life.

Moreover, health plays a pivotal role in determining our overall happiness and well-being. When we are in good health, we have the energy and enthusiasm to enjoy life to the fullest. It enhances our productivity at work or in our daily chores, leading to a sense of accomplishment.

Furthermore, health is closely linked to financial stability. Medical expenses associated with illness can be overwhelming. Maintaining good health through preventive measures and regular check-ups can save us from substantial healthcare costs.

In conclusion, health is not merely the absence of illness; it is the presence of physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 

Related Reads:

Good health enables a fulfilling life, impacting longevity, happiness, and productivity.

Health encompasses physical, mental, and emotional well-being, signifying a state of overall vitality.

Health is evident in energy levels, a balanced mind, regular check-ups, and the ability to engage in daily activities with ease.

This brings us to the end of our blog on Essay on Health. Hope you find this information useful. For more information on such informative topics for your school, visit our essay writing and follow Leverage Edu.

Amisha Khushara

With a heart full of passion for writing, I pour my emotions into every piece I create. I strive to connect with readers on a personal level, infusing my work with authenticity and relatability. Writing isn't just a skill; it's my heartfelt expression to touch hearts and minds.

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• Your Health
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• Health Inc.
• Public Health

Mental health care is hard to find, especially for people with Medicare or Medicaid

Rhitu Chatterjee

With rates of suicide and opioid deaths rising in the past decade and children's mental health declared a national emergency , the United States faces an unprecedented mental health crisis. But access to mental health care for a significant portion of Americans — including some of the most vulnerable populations — is extremely limited, according to a new government report released Wednesday.

The report, from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General, finds that Medicare and Medicaid have a dire shortage of mental health care providers.

The report looked at 20 counties with people on Medicaid, traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which together serve more than 130 million enrollees — more than 40% of the U.S. population, says Meridith Seife , the deputy regional inspector general and the lead author of the report.

Medicaid serves people on low incomes, and Medicare is mainly for people 65 years or older and those who are younger with chronic disabilities.

The report found fewer than five active mental health care providers for every 1,000 enrollees. On average, Medicare Advantage has 4.7 providers per 1,000 enrollees, whereas traditional Medicare has 2.9 providers and Medicaid has 3.1 providers for the same number of enrollees. Some counties fare even worse, with not even a single provider for every 1,000 enrollees.

"When you have so few providers available to see this many enrollees, patients start running into significant problems finding care," says Seife.

The findings are especially troubling given the level of need for mental health care in this population, she says.

"On Medicare, you have 1 in 4 Medicare enrollees who are living with a mental illness," she says. "Yet less than half of those people are receiving treatment."

Among people on Medicaid, 1 in 3 have a mental illness, and 1 in 5 have a substance use disorder. "So the need is tremendous."

The results are "scary" but "not very surprising," says Deborah Steinberg , senior health policy attorney at the nonprofit Legal Action Center. "We know that people in Medicare and Medicaid are often underserved populations, and this is especially true for mental health and substance use disorder care."

Among those individuals able to find and connect with a provider, many see their provider several times a year, according to the report. And many have to drive a long way for their appointments.

"We have roughly 1 in 4 patients that had to travel more than an hour to their appointments, and 1 in 10 had to travel more than an hour and a half each way," notes Seife. Some patients traveled two hours each way for mental health care, she says.

Mental illnesses and substance use disorders are chronic conditions that people need ongoing care for, says Steinberg. "And when they have to travel an hour, more than an hour, for an appointment throughout the year, that becomes unreasonable. It becomes untenable."

"We know that behavioral health workforce shortages are widespread," says Heather Saunders , a senior research manager on the Medicaid team at KFF, the health policy research organization. "This is across all payers, all populations, with about half of the U.S. population living in a workforce shortage."

But as the report found, that's not the whole story for Medicare and Medicaid. Only about a third of mental health care providers in the counties studied see Medicare and Medicaid patients. That means a majority of the workforce doesn't participate in these programs.

This has been well documented in Medicaid, notes Saunders. "Only a fraction" of providers in provider directories see Medicaid patients, she says. "And when they do see Medicaid patients, they often only see a few."

Lower reimbursement rates and a high administrative burden prevent more providers from participating in Medicaid and Medicare, the report notes.

"In the Medicare program, they set a physician fee rate," explains Steinberg. "Then for certain providers, which includes clinical social workers, mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists, they get reimbursed at 75% of that rate."

Medicaid reimbursements for psychiatric services are even lower when compared with Medicare , says Ellen Weber , senior vice president for health initiatives at the Legal Action Center.

"They're baking in those discriminatory standards when they are setting those rates," says Steinberg.

The new report recommends that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) take steps to increase payments to providers and lower administrative requirements. In a statement, CMS said it has responded to those recommendations within the report.

According to research by Saunders and her colleagues at KFF, many states have already started to take action on these fronts to improve participation in Medicaid.

Several have upped their payments to mental health providers. "But the scale of those increases ranged widely across states," says Saunders, "with some states limiting the increase to one provider type or one type of service, but other states having rate increases that were more across the board."

Some states have also tried to simplify and streamline paperwork, she adds. "Making it less complex, making it easier to understand," says Saunders.

But it's too soon to know whether those efforts have made a significant impact on improving access to providers.

CMS has also taken steps to address provider shortages, says Steinberg.

"CMS has tried to increase some of the reimbursement rates without actually fixing that structural problem," says Steinberg. "Trying to add a little bit here and there, but it's not enough, especially when they're only adding a percent to the total rate. It's a really small increase."

The agency has also started covering treatments and providers it didn't use to cover before.

"In 2020, Medicare started covering opioid treatment programs, which is where a lot of folks can go to get medications for their substance use disorder," says Steinberg.

And starting this year, Medicare also covers "mental health counselors, which includes addiction counselors, as well as marriage and family therapists," she adds.

While noteworthy and important, a lot more needs to be done, says Steinberg. "For example, in the substance use disorder space, a lot of addiction counselors do not have a master's degree. And that's one of their requirements to be a counselor in the Medicare program right now."

Removing those stringent requirements and adding other kinds of providers, like peer support specialists, is key to improving access. And the cost of not accessing care is high, she adds.

"Over the past two decades, [in] the older adult population, the number of overdose deaths has increased fourfold — quadrupled," says Steinberg. "So this is affecting people. It is causing deaths. It is causing people to go to the hospital. It increases [health care] costs."

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• mental health

Home / Essay Samples / Health

Health Essay Examples

Health is among the central things humans around the world pray for their entire lives – the human organism is incredibly complex and many organs and systems within it can start malfunctioning. Among the topics that could be explored as part of a health essay are the following:

– the definition of a healthy lifestyle including a healthy diet, exercise routine, other important practices (such as meditation, stress management techniques);

– risk factors for various common diseases and how to avoid them; debunking various health myths (like those about super-foods or diets with unconfirmed benefits);

– recognizing emergency conditions and providing necessary assistance.

When writing an essay on health, pay attention to structure, language, writing style – the samples below should serve as useful examples.

Understanding Why Drugs Are Bad

Drug abuse is a pervasive issue that affects individuals, families, and communities worldwide. While some drugs serve essential medical purposes, their misuse and abuse can have devastating consequences. This essay explores the multifaceted reasons why drugs are considered bad for individuals and society, addressing the...

Analysis of Ethical Issues in Healthcare

Healthcare is a fundamental human need, and the ethical considerations surrounding it are of paramount importance. Ethical issues in healthcare encompass a wide range of dilemmas and challenges that healthcare professionals, patients, and policymakers must grapple with daily. This essay explores some of the most...

The Benefits of Exercise for Mental and Physical Health

When it comes to leading a healthy and fulfilling life, there is one undeniable truth - regular exercise is a cornerstone. This essay explores the myriad benefits of exercise for health. In an era where sedentary lifestyles and desk-bound jobs are increasingly prevalent, understanding and...

Universal Healthcare: Examinin the Complexities

Universal healthcare is a topic of significant debate and discussion in countries around the world. It represents a system where every citizen has access to essential medical services regardless of their financial situation. The concept of universal healthcare has both fervent supporters and vehement critics....

Teen Pregnancy as a Public Health Issue

Teen pregnancy is a complex and multifaceted public health issue that has significant social, economic, and health implications. In this essay, we will explore the causes and consequences of teen pregnancy, the challenges it poses, and the strategies and interventions aimed at addressing this pressing...

Should Weed Be Legalized: Risks and Benefits

The debate over the legalization of cannabis, often referred to as "weed," has raged on for decades. This essay delves into the contentious issue of whether weed should be legalized, examining arguments from both sides and offering a balanced perspective on the potential benefits and...

Mental Health Vs. Physical Health

The debate over whether mental health or physical health is more important has long been a topic of discussion in the fields of medicine, psychology, and public health. This essay will explore the complexities of this issue, considering various perspectives, and ultimately argue that both...

Arguments for Euthanasia: a Comprehensive Examination

Euthanasia, the act of intentionally ending a person's life to relieve suffering, is a deeply divisive and ethically complex issue. Proponents argue that euthanasia is a compassionate and dignified option for individuals facing unbearable pain and terminal illnesses. In this essay, we will explore the...

Why Euthanasia Should not Be Legal: a Critical Examination

Euthanasia, often described as "mercy killing" or "assisted suicide," is a highly controversial and morally complex issue. It involves the deliberate ending of a person's life, usually in cases of terminal illness or unbearable suffering, with the assistance of a physician or another individual. While...

Roe V. Wade: the Landmark Case on Abortion Rights

Roe v. Wade is a pivotal landmark case in the history of the United States, addressing the highly contentious issue of abortion. This historic Supreme Court decision, handed down in 1973, not only legalized abortion but also established a woman's right to choose to terminate...

Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?

Don’t waste your time and get a professional writer to help!

• Health Care
• Mental Health
• Reproductive Health
• Drunk Driving
• Gambling Addiction
• Alcohol Abuse
• Underage Drinking
• Assisted Suicide
• Physical Exercise
• Universal Health Care
• Nervous System
• Neuroplasticity
• Childhood Obesity
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Hypertension
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Child Obesity
• Medical Marijuana
• Organ Donation
• Vaccination
• Plastic Surgery
• Antibiotics
• Eating Disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Mental Illness
• Pro Life (Abortion)
• Pro Choice (Abortion)

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