Global health promotion
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Global health promotion · Jun 2021
'Back to better': amplifying health equity, and determinants of health perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Equity and social justice have long been key tenets of health promotion practice, policy and research. Health promotion foregrounds the pertinence of social, economic, cultural, political and spiritual life in creating and maintaining health. This necessitates a critical structural determinants of health perspective that actively engages with the experiences of health and wellbeing among diverse peoples. The inequitable impacts of pandemics are well documented, as are calls for improved pandemic responses. Yet, current pandemic and emergency preparedness plans do not adequately account for the social and structural determinants of health and health equity. ⋯ There was a strong desire for a more just and equitable society in a post-COVID-19 world, going 'back to better' rather than 'back to normal.' Our analysis demonstrates that equity has not been well integrated into pandemic planning and responses. Social movement and systems theories provide insight on ways to build on existing community mobilization and policy openings for sustained social transformation.
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Global health promotion · Mar 2021
Rebranding social distancing to physical distancing: calling for a change in the health promotion vocabulary to enhance clear communication during a pandemic.
Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, the term 'social distancing' received immense attention in the mainstream and social media and was embraced by governments as a universal precaution to stem the coronavirus pandemic. 'Social distancing' belongs technically to a set of non-pharmaceutical infection control actions intended to stop or slow down the spread of a contagious disease. However, several weeks into the outbreak, scholars discussed whether the term was, in fact, misleading and could be counterproductive. To study the arguments, the study design included (1) analysis of the performance of the concepts 'social distancing' and 'physical distancing' based on Google Trends (15 February-15 June 2020); (2) analysis of the arguments used in media discussions of 'social distancing versus physical distancing' in the period 15 March-15 April 2020, derived from a Google search; and (3) a scientific literature review in PubMed. ⋯ Two papers were included in the scientific literature review, which both stressed the need for a change of terminology. In conclusion, the study emphasizes that the choice of terminology matters when life-saving public health messages are designed. It is therefore recommended to rebrand 'social distancing' to 'physical distancing' to enhance clear communication during the current COVID-19 pandemic in order to prepare for future pandemics.
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Global health promotion · Jun 2020
A stakeholder analysis of community-led collaboration to reduce health inequity in a deprived neighbourhood in South Korea.
Intersectoral collaboration amongst health and other sectors, as well as between government and non-governmental organisations, has been highlighted as a way to improve health equity. We used a mixed-methods approach to assess collaborative relationships between multiple government sectors and civil society and to suggest possible health promotion interventions and policy alternatives for the urban poor in deprived neighborhoods. A total of 18 participants involved in health promotion interventions and policy processes related to the inner-city area of Seoul were recruited using purposive sampling methods. ⋯ Three themes related to challenges to intersectoral collaboration emerged: (1) lack of trust and communication, (2) need of a coalition with a committed leading actor for future collaboration and (3) organisational and political silos within and across public sectors. Increased understanding of the current status of and challenges to collaboration can inform the planning and implementation of complex intervening strategies and policies tailored to vulnerable people in deprived neighborhoods. Community-led collaborative actions empower people in marginalised communities to envision a healthier community.
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Climate change poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of Indigenous peoples around the world. Despite living in diverse contexts, Indigenous peoples face a number of common challenges. Disproportionate threats from climate change exist due to a range of factors including unique relationships with the natural environment, socioeconomic deprivation, a greater existing burden of disease, poorer access to and quality of health care, and political marginalization. ⋯ The challenge for health promotion is to engage in a process of decolonization. This involves deconstructing its own systems and practices to avoid reinforcing colonialism and perpetuating inequities. It also requires health promotion practitioners to support Indigenous self-determination and recognize Indigenous knowledges as a critical foundation for climate change and health solutions.
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Global health promotion · Jun 2018
Mutuelles de santé en Afrique : caractéristiques et relations contractuelles avec les prestataires de soins pour la prise en charge de la qualité des soins.
En Afrique, une part importante de la population est encore confrontée à plusieurs barrières pour accéder aux soins. Les mutuelles de santé (MS) sont mises en place pour réduire la barrière financière et assurer à leurs membres un accès à des soins de qualité. Les MS établissent des relations avec les prestataires de soins sous forme de contrat, dont certaines clauses peuvent contenir des notions de qualité des soins (QS). ⋯ La quasi-totalité des MS disposent de contrats écrits et contenant des notions relatives à la QS. Bien que les MS de grande taille ayant des résultats financiers importants négocient plus les aspects liés à la qualité des soins lors de l'élaboration de la convention, les MS de taille et aux performances financières plus modestes mettent en œuvre des mécanismes plus réguliers de concertation avec les prestataires. Ces rencontres sont susceptibles de créer un espace de prise en charge de la QS.