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Health Assessment

Health assessment is a general topic related to many other health issues and practices. Health professionals in different fields use differing methods of assessment and must contend with a variety of issues specific to health assessment in their chosen field, but there are also certain general propositions to guide them in the assessment process. Holistic health assessment has been viewed with skepticism by some, to a degree justified by problems of definition, psychometric accuracy, and legitimate application (Dana and Hoffmann, 1987: p. 539). The application of holistic health assessment in schools, colleges, and community-based programs is promoted as sound public health policy. Dever (1991) states: "It is impossible to develop responsible and realistic objectives without analyzing the community's population groups and the health services presently available to them" (p. 195). Health status assessment can be addressed on a community-wide basis or geared to a specific population within the community, such as young people, the elderly, or people at risk for specific health problems. Karoly (1988) offers a good definition of "assessment," differentiating it from "diagnosis": ". . . in systems terms, it implies diverse levels of evaluation capable of indexing not only problem precipitants, but also personal, social, and familial competencies. Further, it demands that skills and/or deficiencies be evaluated together, in transaction, connected to each other through the goals, values, and regularities contained within the social units, psychological constructions, and the nervous system of the child and adolescent" (p. 6).

Health assessment on a large scale has posed a particular problem for health psychologists, who initially failed to see the development of this problem. National health assessment indicated certain risk factors involving lifestyle behaviors or personality variables, and these seemed to be obvious targets f...

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Health Assessment. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 11:52, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1692230.html