1. ,Introduction
Involving community and engaging with its members are cornerstones of efforts to
improve public health. Several studies across the globe have shown that
community engagement is vital for addressing public health challenges and
controlling disease burden such as those of obesity, diabetes, cancer, HIV, etc., and
promoting quality care and disease prevention.
Participation in health care was a key principle in the Alma-Ata Declaration. The
fourth article of the Declaration stated that, "people have the right and duty to
participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of
their health care",
and the seventh article stated that "primary health care requires and promotes
maximum community and individual self-reliance and participation in the
planning, organisation, operation and control of primary health care".
The experience of pilot projects before the Alma-Ata Declaration, and subsequent
evidence based research, suggests that community mobilization can bring about
cost-effective service delivery system and substantial reductions in mortality and
improvements in the health of newborn infants, children, and mothers.
Government ownership of health system has been important as the State can play a
role in ensuring its citizens' right to health, while respecting participatory and
empowering processes in contrast to private actors in healthcare.
Thus, ample evidences have beyond doubt shown that community participation and
accountability in health service delivery and health care leads to improved health
outcomes within that community.
Perspectives of Community engagement in health promotion
Community engagement in disease prevention and health promotion is crucial as
lifestyles, behaviors, and the incidence of illness are all shaped by social and
physical environments.
This 'ecological' viewpoint maintains that health inequalities have their roots in
larger socio-economic conditions (Iton, 2009). If health is a function of socio-
economic environment, then health issues are best addressed by engaging
community.
Moreover, if health inequalities are rooted in larger socio-economic inequalities,
then concerned communities must take appropriate actions to seek accessibility
and affordability of health services to its diverse population groups.
Communities in relation to health promotion may be viewed in diverse ways, four
main types are mentioned below:
From a systems perspective, a community is similar to a living organism,
comprising different parts that work in consistancy and perfect coordination with
each other.
, Likewise, a healthy community too collaborates and coordinates with its different
parts to maintain an optimum level called equilibrium. Factors disturbing this
equilibrium tend to create disorganization and diseases. For example, too much
stress and tension at workplace may trigger health issues among people. From a
systems perspective, collaboration is a prime approach to health promotion.
From social perspective, a community can be described in terms of the social and
political networks that link individuals, community organizations, and leaders.
Understanding a community’s social networks is
essential because of their potential to affect people's health and their accessibility to
health services. For instance, tribal communities have historically relied on
traditional healers; migrants in cities face inhibition to utilize health services in
contrast to native people.
Research, worldwide, has shown that social networks are an important tool for
understanding a community and mobilizing it for health improvement by initiating
community-engaged health promotion activities.
Virtual perspective of community entails emergence of electronic social media that
has ample potential to influence health seeking behaviour of the people. Now-a-days,
computer mediated communications, such as facebook, YouTube, twitter, emails,
etc., have started influencing people's access to information, life style and that also
includes their health related decisions and behaviours. These virtual communities are
potential partners for community-engaged health promotion and research.
Individual Perspective includes how an individual views himself/herself and the
community he/she resides in, the sense of belongingness, identity and perceived
formal and informal support available from the community, ideas and attitudes of the
role of community towards its individual members and individual's roles and duties
towards the community - all these factors have strong bearing on the health of an
individual.
Models of Community Engagement in Health Promotion
Following models as frameworks are relevant for promoting health in the
community.
Involving community and engaging with its members are cornerstones of efforts to
improve public health. Several studies across the globe have shown that
community engagement is vital for addressing public health challenges and
controlling disease burden such as those of obesity, diabetes, cancer, HIV, etc., and
promoting quality care and disease prevention.
Participation in health care was a key principle in the Alma-Ata Declaration. The
fourth article of the Declaration stated that, "people have the right and duty to
participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of
their health care",
and the seventh article stated that "primary health care requires and promotes
maximum community and individual self-reliance and participation in the
planning, organisation, operation and control of primary health care".
The experience of pilot projects before the Alma-Ata Declaration, and subsequent
evidence based research, suggests that community mobilization can bring about
cost-effective service delivery system and substantial reductions in mortality and
improvements in the health of newborn infants, children, and mothers.
Government ownership of health system has been important as the State can play a
role in ensuring its citizens' right to health, while respecting participatory and
empowering processes in contrast to private actors in healthcare.
Thus, ample evidences have beyond doubt shown that community participation and
accountability in health service delivery and health care leads to improved health
outcomes within that community.
Perspectives of Community engagement in health promotion
Community engagement in disease prevention and health promotion is crucial as
lifestyles, behaviors, and the incidence of illness are all shaped by social and
physical environments.
This 'ecological' viewpoint maintains that health inequalities have their roots in
larger socio-economic conditions (Iton, 2009). If health is a function of socio-
economic environment, then health issues are best addressed by engaging
community.
Moreover, if health inequalities are rooted in larger socio-economic inequalities,
then concerned communities must take appropriate actions to seek accessibility
and affordability of health services to its diverse population groups.
Communities in relation to health promotion may be viewed in diverse ways, four
main types are mentioned below:
From a systems perspective, a community is similar to a living organism,
comprising different parts that work in consistancy and perfect coordination with
each other.
, Likewise, a healthy community too collaborates and coordinates with its different
parts to maintain an optimum level called equilibrium. Factors disturbing this
equilibrium tend to create disorganization and diseases. For example, too much
stress and tension at workplace may trigger health issues among people. From a
systems perspective, collaboration is a prime approach to health promotion.
From social perspective, a community can be described in terms of the social and
political networks that link individuals, community organizations, and leaders.
Understanding a community’s social networks is
essential because of their potential to affect people's health and their accessibility to
health services. For instance, tribal communities have historically relied on
traditional healers; migrants in cities face inhibition to utilize health services in
contrast to native people.
Research, worldwide, has shown that social networks are an important tool for
understanding a community and mobilizing it for health improvement by initiating
community-engaged health promotion activities.
Virtual perspective of community entails emergence of electronic social media that
has ample potential to influence health seeking behaviour of the people. Now-a-days,
computer mediated communications, such as facebook, YouTube, twitter, emails,
etc., have started influencing people's access to information, life style and that also
includes their health related decisions and behaviours. These virtual communities are
potential partners for community-engaged health promotion and research.
Individual Perspective includes how an individual views himself/herself and the
community he/she resides in, the sense of belongingness, identity and perceived
formal and informal support available from the community, ideas and attitudes of the
role of community towards its individual members and individual's roles and duties
towards the community - all these factors have strong bearing on the health of an
individual.
Models of Community Engagement in Health Promotion
Following models as frameworks are relevant for promoting health in the
community.
