Introduction
The development and successful communication of health policies throughout the country is a complex initiative accompanied by significant risks for different population groups. This challenge is related to either excessive generalizations or, on the contrary, the promotion of negative stereotypes among the affected persons (El Hazzouri & Hamilton, 2019). From this point of view, addressing the gap in well-being of various categories of citizens is possible only if the mentioned obstacles are eliminated by the authorities designing these projects. In other words, the effectiveness of policies as a communicative instrument for further improvements in particular areas can be established if they are adequate from the perspective of all individuals.
Policy as a Communicative Instrument
The importance of suggesting long-term plans for improving the health status of the population is linked to the power of the presented message within the introduced strategy. It is usually included in policy briefs that seem controversial due to the fact that they inform and persuade people to reflect on the challenges in a particular manner (“Lecture notes – week 6 pt. 2,” n.d.). Thus, advertisements featuring the representatives of different groups or experiments involving solely specific people, such as indigenous children, distort the original intentions of their creators (El Hazzouri & Hamilton, 2019; Tennant, 2021). In this way, the communicative capability of a policy is limited to researchers’ bias, and this practice prevents the involved organizations from spreading of credible data. It means that finding a balance between the needs of citizens of varying backgrounds and generalized approaches is the key to the successful interpretation of these initiatives.
Specific Example of a Health Policy
One of the examples of a health policy implemented across the nation is the provision of healthy meals for school children, and the mentioned controversy can be examined by its detailed consideration. Similar programs seem beneficial for targeting the selected population group and ensuring their well-being in the long run; however, they are also complemented by challenges not addressed within the projects. These complications include the neglect of other foods and drinks from stores located in the facilities, which are less favorable for the people, and they disrupt the idea of self-help (Rimke, 2000). As follows from this concept, “individual autonomy” does not provide for the selection of appropriate options (Rimke, 2000, p. 61). Therefore, the message laid in the basis of this policy remains dubious.
The Message and Its Effectiveness
The described initiative communicates the notion of promoting health through instilling proper eating habits. This task is performed by increasing the awareness of parents and children regarding this need and emphasizing the importance of their decisions when preferring different snacks alongside the meals provided by schools. Meanwhile, it cannot be viewed as entirely effective for fulfilling the specified purpose because the target population is generalized. In this situation, other factors, such as the families’ income or students’ nutrition at home, are neglected. Hence, the message of policymakers in this situation is weak, as they do not address the essential aspects of the matter.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the communicative role of nation-wide programs for maintaining the population health is connected to their orientation on particular groups or minorities, and this fact limits their efficiency. In contrast, excessive generalizations lead to more significant problems as they do not contribute to any improvements. In the examined example of school-based policies for providing healthy meals, the complications are the sole focus on this area while ignoring individual and environmental factors preventing improvements in this regard. Thus, the introduction of similar measures does not seem effective, and their message is insufficient for making a global change.
References
El Hazzouri, M., & Hamilton, L. (2019). Public health authorities need to reassess how they market to racialized groups. The Conversation. Web.
Lecture notes – week 6 pt 2. (n.d.) [Word Document].
Rimke, H. M. (2000). Governing citizens through self-help literature. Cultural Studies, 14(1), 61-78. Web.
Tennant, Z. (2021). The dark history of Canada’s Food Guide: How experiments on Indigenous children shaped nutrition policy. CBC. Web.