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Questions: 1.Why is a policy cycle an appropriate tool for developing a new policy? 2.How is a health policy differenttoa government policy document? 3. How does the new public health differ from the old public health approach? 4. What arekeysociological issues and how do they determine a persons state of health? 5. What policy considerations should be included in a national obesity health campaign? Answers: Why is a policy cycle an appropriate tool for developing a new policy? Policy cycle in terms of Political theory refers to a tool for evaluating the effectiveness or the development of a policy or a particular item in it. It is a tool used by political scientists for analysis of policies. Initially developed from the theories in Harold Lasswells work it has various interpretations all of which seek to describe the different stages in the formulation of a policy (Lasswell Kaplan, 2013). This is why it is often referred to as the stages approach. A typical example of this is James E. Andersons 5 step interpretation of the stages approach. This theory lays down a 5 step process of how policy formulation happens, these stages are- identification of the problem (Agenda), formulation of policy, definitive decision making, implementation of the policy and evaluation of its effectiveness (Anderson, 2014). There are longer and more comprehensive interpretations of policy cycles for example the Althaus, Bridgman Davis model. Policy cycles however have been crit icized by various political scientists as unrealistic. However implementation of a political policy requires a good deal of predictive prowess as the effects of an implemented policy cannot be foreseen accurately in practicality. A policy cycle seeks to predict the implications of implementing such a policy and thus is a necessary tool for policy making and development (Baker, Bloom Davis, 2016). This predictive analysis that is undertaken during policy making often identifies major issues that could arise in the later stages of policy implementation and hence ensures that these are avoided. Policy cycles prime advantage is in its ability to segregate the various stages. These allow policy formulators to evaluate the implications of implementation of each of these stages and they could be revisited in case there is a need for amendment to ensure more effective results. How is a health policy different to a government policy document? A government policy statement denotes a governments future plan of action. It includes the suggested policies, changes in existing policies and recommendations regarding formulation of new strategies which that government proposes to implement (Budge Laver, 2016). This maybe a government that is already in power or a political party competing to come into power. This includes a partys manifesto. A health policy maybe defined as regulations and guidelines relating to public health that are suggested or implemented by a government in a national context. In Australia examples of these are the NSW Aboriginal Health Plan 2013-2023 and National Womens Health Policy 2010 (Browne, Hayes Gleeson, 2014). In the international context a health policy would include suggested policies and ratified guidelines to public health based on agreements between nations and also recommendations of the World Health Organization (though only binding on ratifying nations) (World Health Organization, 2015). The difference between the two are more of a subset and superset than entirely differentiable concepts. Firstly, a government policy statement would ideally include a health policy which that government seeks to implement. Thus the former is more generalized and the latter is more specific (Fox, 2014). Secondly, a government policy statement ideally addresses all citizens within the jurisdiction of that sovereign whereas a health policy is ideally focused on a particular section of society or a particular age group. Thirdly, a government policy statement is usually focused on political goals whereas health policies ideally focus on general well being and specific health issues that the population maybe facing such as obesity. Fourthly, government policy statements are jurisdiction centric and cannot exceed beyond a sovereigns territorial jurisdiction health policy however can extend beyond a sovereigns territory when its an international health policy. How does the new public health differ from the old public health approach? Health as a subject has evolved into a wide area of study that goes beyond the normative approach of just biological illness. Health now encompasses the idea of absolute mental and physical fitness this is known as the new public health approach (Sallnow et al., 2016). This approach takes into account all socio-economic and environmental factors which may affect public health. The previous approach that only considered bodily ailments as factors affecting health is referred to as the old public health approach. The new public health approach deals with concepts such as proper sanitation and waste management (Tulchinsky Varavikova, 2014). It aims at providing a clean environment with minimal pollution levels. It embodies the idea of complete well being. The old public health approach on the other hand considers factors such as diseases and viral infections and the dispersion of such ailments. The new public health approach deals with various initiatives that promotes a healthy lifestyle and aims to eliminate large scale public health issues such as obesity. The old approach is more disease centric and only deals with large scale health issues when they are dealing with diseases such as polio or cholera. The new approach additionally takes into account concepts such as psychological health and mental wellness (Rosen, 2015). The old approach ideally disregards mental well being or prioritizes it lower than physical wellness. The most identifiable difference between the two concepts is the sub ject matter they discuss, the old approach is a narrow look at the concept of health whereas the new approach is wider yet more consolidated. The new public health approach is of paramount importance when formulating health policies for the present population. The old public health approach would be a limited view as it would only cater to physical ailment afflicted sections of society and would ignore the need of the greater whole which requires policies aiming at complete well-being. What are key sociological issues and how do they determine a persons state of health? Sociology is the study of society and it aims at identifying and removing issues that acts as a hindrance to societal development (Weiss Lonnquist, 2015). Health being a common link between all social elements is deeply related with sociology. The social conditions of a person are closely related to his physical and mental well-being. The social circumstances of a person are often instrumental in deciding the health issues that the person may face (Baum, 2016). Weight as a health concept is looked at differently depending on the social background of the person in question. In some societies excessive weight is seen as a positive attribute (this is typical in societies where the availability of food is limited) whereas excessive weight (obesity) is looked at as a negative attribute and a risk to well being (typically in societies where the availability of food is abundant) (Sobal, 2017). Moreover, the consumption of fast food maybe be perceived as an indulgence and a sign of affluenc e in certain strata of society however it is generally looked at as a vice in the upper strata of society. Social inclusion also plays a key part in shaping health and well-being, when parts of society are excluded or deprived of education or higher standards of living they are deprived of the level of awareness about health and precautionary measures which help live healthier lives compared to the included sections of society. Relative poverty is an economic concept which deals with a section of society that cannot be considered to be living in poverty but are relatively poorer than the other strata in that society. Relative poverty largely leads to social exclusion and hence is a prime factor affecting health and well being. Another important social factor is the sanitary conditions that one is subjected to, this plays a vital role in health and well-being. The sanitary conditions of a societal structure dictate the kind of diseases and the rate at which such diseases spread withi n the society. This means that the better the sanitary conditions the healthier the member of that society. What policy considerations should be included in a national obesity health campaign? Obesity refers to excessive weight or the condition of being over-weight. Obesity has been associated with a variety of ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, orthopaedic illnesses and a plethora of other diseases (Ahima Lazar, 2013). Obesity primarily stems from over-indulgent lifestyles however it may have other sources. A national policy that seeks to tackle obesity must be well equipped with awareness initiatives. Nutritional facts and concepts of balanced diets must be conveyed to all citizens. The awareness initiatives could include cycling competitions and other physical activities which engage sections of the population and spread awareness at the same time. These policies could also include guidelines to be followed by nutrition specialists to advice patients effectively about leading healthy lives. This should also include warning relating to fast/junk food and indulgence in the same. The policy measures should have comprehensive action plans about the initiatives and a lso include efforts to reduce obesity among senior citizens (Ahima Lazar, 2013). This policy should take into account the various sections of society based on the economic backgrounds of the populous. These should provide subsidized nutritional consultations to the lower sections of society. Most importantly the policy considerations must include clear strategies to deal with widespread obesity that goes beyond individual treatment. Further there should be healthy food campaigns the spread awareness about dietary choices that provide optimal nutritional value (Beattie et al., 2014). Additionally the taxation structure should be revisited to ensure that fast/junk food items are priced substantially higher than healthy products. This should facilitate a shift in trends towards healthy food products. There should also be subsidized cardio and physical therapy sessions for physically handicapped sections of the society (Oliver-Baxter, Brown Bywood, 2013). These considerations should b e line with law and public policy to be effectively implemented. Reference list Ahima, R. S., Lazar, M. A. (2013). The health risk of obesitybetter metrics imperative.Science,341(6148), 856-858. Anderson, J. E. (2014).Public policymaking. Cengage Learning pp- 225-229. Baker, S. R., Bloom, N., Davis, S. J. (2016). Measuring economic policy uncertainty.The Quarterly Journal of Economics,131(4), 1593-1636. Baum, F. (2016).The new public health(No. Ed. 4). Oxford University Press pp 120-127. Beattie, E., O'reilly, M., Strange, E., Franklin, S., Isenring, E. (2014). How much do residential aged care staff members know about the nutritional needs of residents?.International journal of older people nursing,9(1), 54-64. Browne, J., Hayes, R., Gleeson, D. (2014). Aboriginal health policy: is nutrition the gapin Closing the Gap?.Australian and New Zealand journal of public health,38(4), 362-369 Budge, I., Laver, M. J. (Eds.). (2016).Party policy and government coalitions. Springer pp 60-68. Fox, D. M. (2014).Health policies, health politics: The British and American experience, 1911-1965. Princeton University Press. Lasswell, H. D., Kaplan, A. (2013).Power and society: A framework for political inquiry. Transaction Publishers. Oliver-Baxter, J., Brown, L., Bywood, P. (2013). Integrated care: what policies support and influence integration in health care in Australia.Adelaide: Primary Health Care Research Information Service. Rosen, G. (2015).A history of public health. JHU Press pp 270-273. Sallnow, L., Richardson, H., Murray, S. A., Kellehear, A. (2016). The impact of a new public health approach to end-of-life care: A systematic review.Palliative medicine,30(3), 200-211. Sobal, J. (2017).Interpreting weight: The social management of fatness and thinness. Routledge. Pp 1-11. Tulchinsky, T. H., Varavikova, E. A. (2014).The new public health. Academic Press. Weiss, G. L., Lonnquist, L. E. (2015).Sociology of health, healing, and illness. Routledge. World Health Organization. (2015).WHO guideline on country pharmaceutical pricing policies. World Health Organization.