Health Promotion Grant Application: Healthy-Heart Australian Child project (HHACP)
Health Issue
The main issue addressed in this paper is the rapidly growing and rampant congenital heart disease problems (CHD) amongst children in Australia. Hom et al (2016) posit that even though there exists a myriad of diseases affecting Australian children between the ages of (0-4), (5-11) and (12-18), the diseases of the heart tend to result to the highest number of infant mortalities in Australia. In addition, congenital heart diseases also tend to account for the increased hospitalization of children below five years, at an approximated 0.17% of the total deaths recorded in Australia (Hom et al. 2016). Notably, statistics gathered from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) posit that CHDs takes responsibility for an estimated 20% of all perinatal deaths of infants out of the approximately eight children born with heart defects per day (Kenner & Lott, 2013). Kenner and Lott (2013) postulate that the said perinatal deaths incorporate the birth of already dead children, also known as still births or embryo deaths, as well as the demise of children within or less than a month after birth, commonly termed as neonatal deaths. Furthermore, going by the speculated four child deaths weekly in Australia out of congenital heart diseases, this translates to about 3000 to 5000 loss of precious lives annually (Kenner & Lott, 2013).
However, the AIHW also stipulates that more than 2500 other children end up being left to battle the CHDs even in throughout their entire childhood as well as adult lives. Among others, some of the examples of congenital heart diseases affecting the children in Australia include the atrial septal abnormality, defects in the ventricular septs, switching of the two main arteries of the heart and constrictions of the aorta thereby hindering blood flow (Nichols, 2006). Nevertheless, other children in Australia suffer from obtained or acquired heart defects during their childhood. The two main types of the said diseases include the Kawasaki and rheumatic heart defects with the latter primarily resulting from the widespread rheumatic fever in most parts of Australia. As such, it is extremely to deduce that this is an area of great concern (Wylie & Holt, 2010). Even though many contemporary medical practices tend to be based on technology that in turn aids in saving children with heart defects, there is still an immense need to ameliorate the numbers of lives saved (Fuster & Institute of medicine, 2010). For instance, following the study carried out in Australia over a twelve- year time frame, (1991-2002) , it evidenced precipitous reduction of death rates with about 50.1% and 40.4% for boys and girls below the age of five, respectively (Fuster & Institute of medicine, 2010).
Although, the figures were quite remarkable, there is still need to improve the given statistics in order to allow most if not all of the children diagnosed with CHDs to also have a fair share of the time of their lives. Furthermore, Fuster and Institute of medicine (2010) also posit that many children born with abnormalities of the heart in the interior parts of Australia also go unnoticed and uncared for due to the low levels of technology in the said areas. Hence, this Healthy-Heart Child Australian Project seeks to address heart defects and make all forms of medication equally accessible to all people in the Australian society as per the priorities of primary health care.
Project Description
Ideally, the Healthy- Heart Australian Child Project (HHACP) is an initiative to generate and raise awareness on the need for all expectant and new mothers to undergo constant pre-natal and post-natal checkups, respectively. This is because both the embryonic and early childhood phases tend to be extremely trivial or crucial in the inception of diseases related to the heart during pregnancy as well as later in the course of life (Molinari et al., 2006). Therefore, the HHACP is immensely paramount due to the levels of ignorance exhibited by most people in issues related to maternal factors such as the consumption of alcohol, smoking, malnutrition and excessive weight gain among others. Additionally, other substantially equally important factors after delivery and during the early years of infancy mainly include monitoring of children’s weights, breastfeeding infants, children born while under weight and under nutrition in early childhood development among others (Molinari et al., 2006). Furthermore, the said program also intends to offer various techniques for ensuring and enhancing issues associated with cardiovascular health, which could be easily encompassed into the extensive medical specialty care usually administered to children.
Instead of secluding and labeling children suffering from congenital heart diseases within the society as being either, special or abnormal, it would also be essential to promote good health conditions of the heart to other children. This is because, through logic, it is conspicuously practical and realistic to introduce children to health ways of life from their tender ages in order to stimulate and oversee ameliorated conditions of the heart throughout adulthood (Céspedes et al., 2013). Therefore, the said program critically reviews several areas such as physical recreations, high blood pressure and cholesterol, excessive weight, abuse of tobacco and effects of diabetes, through a congenital health scheme. In turn, the said scheme relays all the necessary information on the setting, strategies of assessment as well as the mediums or ways of interference for each of the stated areas.
Nevertheless, there exists an array of prevailing programs and initiatives set up with the same aim of fighting cardiac diseases in Australia as well as other parts of the world (Carrin, 2009). The said programs tend to incorporate health issues related to an overall and non-specified population of the society. Among others, some of the said programs include the Kentucky home place, Franklin Cardiovascular Health Program, Heart Beat connections, Healthy People: Healthy Communities, Heartland Ok Program and other cardiac rehabilitation programs (Carrin, 2009). At this point, the stated programs and initiatives tend to have a number of strengths and weaknesses that in turn determine their effectiveness and efficiency to the target population. Here, the most prominent strength is that all the initiatives fully address the factors around congenital heart diseases with the provision of insights on how to manage and control the said ailments. However, most of the programs only focus on the rural areas and adult population diagnosed and suffering from the different types of heart diseases (Freeman et al., 2016). Therefore, the Healthy-Heart Child Australian Project seeks to fill in the gaps generated by the weaknesses of the prevalent initiatives. This would be possible and achievable by creating awareness to the entire Australian society with a main focus on the children.
Objectives
The main objectives for the Healthy-Heart Australian Child project is to generate a revolutionary change in the management of congenital heart diseases affecting children and even adults, not only in Australia but also in the entire globe. Therefore, among others, the said project aims at the provision of major preventive measures and services to cardiovascular diseases to the whole Australian population. This is in a bid to curb the health risk factors associated with congenital defects of the heart mostly in infants as well as sudden attacks of the heart for older people (Leon, 1997). In turn, the fulfillment of the said objective would not only advocate for positive changes in peoples ways of life including expectant mothers but also boost the overall health standards of the entire population from children to the aged.
Besides, another key aim of the HHACP is to enlighten people about the acquired heart diseases, which could occur due to aversive environmental living conditions. As a result, this objective would in turn help individuals to know the relevant measures to apply in order to prevent themselves as well as their children from contracting the obtained heart defects right from childhood all through to adulthood.
Strategies
To achieve the said objectives it would be reasonable to inculcate viable master plans in the execution of the program. Such strategies would include holding educative seminars and conferences and conducting charity walks to raise funds for people with CHDs (Zühlk et al., 2015). Additionally, they would also entail organizing talks in schools and other relevant institutions, funding community health teams taking care of CHD patients, joining forces with other bodies such as churches in a bid to spread awareness on healthy lifestyles and generating the accessibility of proper heart health care even in remote regions of the country.
Budget Estimate
Table 1: Budget Estimate
| Activity | Budget Estimate ($) |
| Educative Conference Meetings and Rallies | 15,000 $ |
| Charity Walks | 20,000 $ |
| Funding Community Teams (CTs) | 25,000 $ |
| Financing Members and Petty Cash | 10,000 $ |
| Organizing retreats and Rehabilitation | 15,000 $ |
| Total | 85,000 $ |
The budget estimate approximates to about eighty five thousand US dollars, a manageable amount in order to oversee the methodical and skillful administration and execution of the Healthy- Heart Child Australian Project by covering expansive areas within the country. Besides, the requested resources would in the long run be well accounted for given the intensity of the objectives if completely achieved. In addition, the previously listed strategies are relatively reasonable and worth to invest all the available resources as well as a substantial time frame in order to help in fighting the rapidly growing congenital diseases of the heart and save innocent lives in the process.
Timeline Estimate
Table 2: Timeline Estimate
| Activity | Month (s) |
| Creating general awareness by holding talks in schools and other organizations and joining forces with churches etc. | 1-4 |
| Conducting charity Walks and other fund raising programs to support heart patients as well as financing Community Teams. | 5-8 |
| Organizing retreats and rehabilitations for recuperating heart patients | 9- 12 |
| Total | 1 year |
At this point, the time estimate is about one year whereby the Healthy-Heart Child Australian Program would have achieved and executed all the aspired objectives and planned approaches, respectively. In other words, within one year the said program will have overseen the amelioration of awareness, health services, medical availability and the dissemination of important information regarding heart conditions across the nation. Moreover, all heart patients both children and adults in rural and urban areas would also feel wanted and acknowledged within the society thereby improving their psychological and physical health (Schwindt, 2015). This is possible since tracking or monitoring the health of congenital heart patients can be done within the duration of one year.
Evaluation
In case the Healthy-Heart Australian Child Program succeeds, then the mortality of infants resulting from the wide assortment of heart defects would be almost if not entirely curbed. Here, it would make it easier for wannabe parents even in remote regions to know the heart conditions of their children beforehand (Schwindt, 2015). This would be achieved through the program’s objective of advancing technology even in inner parts of Australia and even other parts of the world. Hence, with every strategy in place and observed to the latter, then the HHCAP would undoubtedly be a success.
Working in Partnership with Others
During the course of developing the Heart-Healthy Australian Child Project, it would be inevitable to come into contact with several key groups. Some of the said groups include non- governmental establishments such as the World Health Organization (WHO), National Health Foundation of Australia and Australia’s National Non-profit Heart Patient Support Organization (Nguyen et al., 2014). In turn, these groups would not only aid in acquiring statistics of CHD patients but also help in funding the program as well as the provision of constant on going advice on important issues pertaining heart patients. Additionally, the said project (HHCA) would also come into contact with medical multi- disciplinary such as community teams taking care of heart patients within the comfort of their homes (Bainbridge, 2012).
Furthermore, other governmental organizations such as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) among others would also be important. This would be in order to get the actual facts and figures relating to all those patients suffering from cardiovascular heart diseases even in the most interior parts of Australia. Similarly, the community would also be involved in the planning and execution of the said program in various activities such as participating in fund raising walks to support people suffering from heart defects. Ultimately, dissemination of information back to the community, advisors, funders and other supporters would be implemented through broadcasting of the said data via the modern means of communication such as television and radio sets, websites, social media and holding one on one talks with people from remote region (Bainbridge, 2012).
Sustainability
The essence of the grant would be to act as a stepping stone for the Healthy-Heart Child Australian Project. As such, upon its termination, the project will be bound to have found its footing in order to continue with the role of fighting and seeking to curb heart defects mostly in infants or children. However, the facilitators of the program will be required to locate a consistent funder through creating good social ties with both governmental and non- governmental foundations (Duppen et al., 2013). In turn, this would ensure complete sustainability and continuity of the program even in the following or future years. Likewise, other channels of securing the program’s sustenance would be through maintaining good relations with the community in order for them to be ready to participate largely in activities seeking to raise funds for the program. On the other hand, all resources acquired during the one year time frame would be disposed of in accordance to the requirements and special needs of most heart patients with a main focus on the children. For instance, all medical equipment purchased to address the needs of people in remote areas would be left in the region’s medical institutions or distributed to other patients in need, across the country (Zuhlke et al. 2015).
References
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Zühlke, L., Engel, M. E., Karthikeyan, G., Rangarajan, S., Mackie, P., Cupido, B., … Francis, V. (2015). Characteristics, complications, and gaps in evidence-based interventions in rheumatic heart disease: the Global Rheumatic Heart Disease Registry (the REMEDY study). European heart journal, 36(18), 1115-1122.
