For those in community or public health, the themes in this article get nothing new-but as busy professionals ourselves, we end up finding it helpful to be reminded of the basic premises of our chosen fields. It’s so easy in our hectic-and very important-drive to complete work tasks that we lose sight of those core values that we strive.
There are a growing number of evidence-based interventions for use by community and public health professionals to promote health and stop disease. [Leeman, Calancie, et al: 2015] These practices have the potential to improve environments, behaviors, and health outcomes in our social networks. In order to adopt these practices, however, public health agencies and community partners often need additional tools, strategies, and training to enhance their capacity to improve health outcomes. https://healthjade.com/
The most effective prevention strategies actively engage the communities they are designed serve. Effective health promotion and health-enhancing social change require communities to identify, plan, channel resources, and take action. The concept that a community is the solution to its own problems is not contemporary. There is considerable support for designing community-based interventions to further improve the health behaviors and overall health status of community members. According to Sotomayor, Pawlik, and Dominguez in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, “These community-based interventions are important because health disparities and positive aspects rate of chronic diseases in minority populations, particularly among those who are poor and lack associated with community resources, are not possible to be prevented without them.” [Sotomayor, Pawlik, and Dominguez: 2007]
The U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Healthy People 2020 strives to
Identify nationwide health improvement priorities.
Increase public awareness and understanding for the determinants of health, disease, and disability and the opportunities for progress.
Provide measurable goals and objectives that are applicable at the national, State, and local levels.
Engage multiple sectors to take actions to strengthen policies and improve practices that are driven by the best available evidence and data.
Identify critical research, evaluation, and data collection needs.
