When I reflect on health promotion I think back to my first graduate job over 25 years ago, when I worked as a sexual health outreach officer for ethno-cultural communities in the UK who were disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections, STI’s, HIV and AIDS. Check out my gallery for information about my former role.

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It was shortly after the United Kingdom’s government launched the controversial ‘don’t die of ignorance’ campaign to warn the public about the dangers of HIV (Burgess, 2017). I vividly remember the tombstone tv advertisements and billboards that instilled fear and stigma instead of education and compassion. I am excited to learn about modern health promotion in this area.

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It is disappointing that many of the health disparities that we were trying to fix back then are still prevalent today not only within sexual health but across the entire healthcare system. For example, Black people in the UK , the USA and Canada experienced higher COVID 19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality rates when compared to their Asian, White and Latino counterparts (Canada Public Health Agency, 2024).

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I am interested to learn about modern health promotion, and I am excited to explore ways to dismantle the social inequality that continues to exist within our health care system. I am also looking forward to some ongoing self reflection.

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References

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Burgess, A. (2017). The development of risk politics in the UK: Thatcher’s ‘Remarkable’ but forgotten ‘Don’t Die of Ignorance’ AIDS campaign. Health, Risk & Society, 19(5–6), 227–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2017.1380173

 

https://placingthepublic.lshtm.ac.uk/2018/05/20/remembering-the-dont-die-of-ignorance-campaign/

 

Canada, Public Health Agency of. COVID-19 among Black People in Canada: A Scoping Review, HPCDP: Vol 44(3), March 2024. 13 Mar. 2024, https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-44-no-3-2024/covid-19-black-people-canada-scoping-review.html.

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