The role of community context in planning and implementing community-based health promotion projects

The current study examines how community context affected collaborative planning and implementation in eight sites participating in a healthy cities and communities initiative in California. Data are from 23 focus groups conducted with coalition members, and 76 semi-structured interviews with local coordinators and community leaders. Multiple case study methods were used to identify major themes related to how five contextual domains influenced collaborative planning and implementation. Results showed that history of collaboration can influence resources and interpersonal and organizational connections available for planning and implementation, as well as priorities selected for action. Community politics and history can affect which segments of the community participate in a planning process and what issues are prioritized, as well as the pool of partners willing to aid in implementation. Some community norms and values bring people together and others appear to limit involvement from certain groups. Community demographics and economic conditions may shape outreach strategies for planning and implementation, and may also shape priorities. Geography can play a role in assessment methods, priority selection, partners available to aid in implementation, and participation in activities and events. Results suggest that community context plays a substantive role in shaping how community-based health promotion projects unfold.     

The community development potential of large health services organizations

Large health services organizations routinely support communitiesthrough provision of services. However, as these organizationshave also become important economic entities, they are increasinglyviewed as having significant potential to make additional contributionsto community development in a variety of ways. The incentivesfor large health services organizations to play broader communitydevelopment roles include the same business advantages thataccrue to other organizations that do so. Beyond this, uniquely,health services organizations can more fully fulfill their centralhealth-enhancing purposes through their community developmentefforts because, ultimately, the health of people is affectedby the quality of the communities in which they live.     

The use of theory in applied sociology: The case of community mental health

Despite the rapid growth of applied sociology as a recognized subdiscipline in American sociology, very little attention has been focused on the use of traditional theory in applied settings. The author traces consensual and conflictual approaches to the concept of community in the applied literature of the community mental health movement and relates them to political economic phases of the movement. The analysis suggests that varying forms of consensual theory dominated the early years of the movement, that conflict theory emerged during the middle years, and that consensual theory again reasserted its dominance in the late years of the movement. It is concluded that applied theory is importantly limited and directed by the political and economic interests that influence the environment in which that theory is produced and employed. Sylvia kenig is a medical sociologist who directs her own consulting firm, which specializes in evaluation of nonprofit health and welfare agencies.     

AIDS: health education in schools:The role of the community child health services

SUMMARY. Health education is seen as the only effective method of combating the spread of AIDS, until an adequate immunisation procedure is discovered. The use of both information and education within schools is discussed, particularly emphasising the need for schools and the community child health services to work closely together. The article represents the views of the authors and is not an official document     

Evaluating a community based mental health programme in West Bengal,India: Description of the methodology and lessons learned

Mental disorders impose an enormous burden on society. In developing countries like India, there is a lack of adequate number of trained mental health professionals to provide specialized care and 75–85 % of affected individuals do not have access to appropriate mental health services. The National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) is being implemented by the Government of India to support state governments in providing mental health services in the country. The Urban Mental Health Programme (UMHP) is a pilot initiative that has attempted the integration of mental health services in primary health care settings in two municipal wards in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The overarching aim of this paper is to describe the methodology used for the evaluation of the community based mental health programme and to understand the processes of the programme in terms of barriers and facilitators. The current evaluation is based on a concurrent nested design, where qualitative and quantitative data are both collected at the same time but analysed separately and priority was given to qualitative data. This experience will contribute in helping other researchers to make some evaluations more effective, useful and manageable. Ethics approval was obtained from an institutional ethics committee of an organization (Ekjut) based in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. The evaluation was undertaken by the George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi from February- June 2016.     

Social Rights and Disability: the language of 'rights' in community care policies

Social rights and disability: the language of 'rights' in community care policies. The paper argues that what disabled people mean when they speak of 'rights' is relatively under-developed with regard to health and social services. Furthermore, while a claim of 'rights' is typically presented as a fairer alternative to the needs-based character of welfare policies, how such an approach would change the delivery of health and social care is unclear. The paper draws on a landmark test case in community care to explore the problems of a rights-based approach to social justice for disabled people. It demonstrates the weaknesses of rights, especially the more problematic 'social rights', and urges caution in seeking solutions to social problems through the courts. It ends by suggesting that, given the anecdotal evidence about local authorities' tightening their eligibility criteria in the light of the 'Gloucestershire case', that limits on coverage may be the trade-off for implementing rights.     

HIV/AIDS and constructs of gay community: Researching educational practice within community-based health promotion for gay men

This paper reports on the methodology of a comparative study of three gay communities in Australia as they struggle with HIV/AIDS. The study focused on the pedagogy and practice of HIV/AIDS education for disease prevention and for health maintenance for people living with HIV/AIDS, through the investigation of three problematics: (1) constructs of 'community'; (2) the centrality of gay community-based health educators; and (3) the relations of gay men within and to their communities. The study was conceived of as a critical ethnography involving a three-part sample in the three sites and using three related research methods: (1) individual and group interviews; (2) textual analysis; and (3) participant observation. The theoretical bases for the study and its design lay in notions of 'performativity', community and adult education, organizational and institutional processes, and the idea of a 'post-AIDS' sociality. The methodology is explained in detail, as are various consultative processes embedded in the design to facilitate and enable a productive relationship with the communities researched.     

Evaluating multicultural curricula in the community college: A sociocultural framework

This paper addresses the need for models for assessing multicultural programs in the community college, the most culturally and socioeconomically diverse educational institutions in the country. A three-dimensional framework presents faculty, student, and curriculum variables critical to the implementation and outcomes of multicultural programs. The framework emerged from the formative evaluation of a new interdisciplinary social science curriculum and guided the design of the national field test of that curriculum in 30 community college classrooms. Three kinds of results are reported: implementation patterns; appropriateness to faculty members' teaching goals; and impact on reading behavior, interest, overall learning, and political efficacy of students with diverse ages, ethnic and sociocultural backgrounds, and political positions. Political efficacy gains of older students and students with lower socioeconomic backgrounds are discussed. The importance of such a framework in documenting the interaction between a curriculum and its sociocultural context is stressed.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of infant mental health enhanced case management for dependency populations

Children who are receiving services for abuse and neglect are likely to have reduced developmental levels and are less prepared for success in school as a result. The progress of 144 children receiving services from The Children's Home Society of Florida was tracked with half being randomly assigned to a control group and half to an experimental group receiving enhanced infant mental health oriented case management services from two social work professionals in each of two locations in Tallahassee and West Palm Beach Florida. Those receiving enhanced case management showed significantly higher results in the following areas: more visits with their parents (for those removed from the family home), more service referrals, more completed assessments for services, more services based on the assessments they received, and more success in completing goals of treatment for which they were referred. Their parents had more contact with professionals to whom they were referred and had more success in completing goals of the treatment for which they were referred. Children who received intensive case management also showed improvement in their developmental skills related to problem solving from inception to completion of services. Implications for further research are considered.     

The politics of health: the case of smoking control

The policy of the United Kingdom government towards the control of smoking has been characterized by a non-interventionist approach such as persuasion and industrial self-regulation, as opposed to more direct intervention through fiscal policy or control over tobacco production and sales. The effectiveness of the policies adopted by the UK government is difficult to assess, although there has been a reduction over the last ten years in the proportion of smokers in the population. However, evidence from other countries shows that a more comprehensive programme including direct legislation controlling tobacco advertising has a much stronger impact on tobacco consumption. The determinants of the UK government's policy position are analysed and the evidence suggests that this policy position is determined in part by the power of the vested interests in the maintenance of tobacco production, as well as the confusion of interests within the government itself.     

Evaluating local food programs: The case of Select Nova Scotia

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the buy local food program Select Nova Scotia; a government program with the goal to increase awareness and consumption of Nova Scotia produced and processed agri-food products by Nova Scotians and visitors. The evaluation methodology was based on prior evaluation resources and local food consumer research. Data were gathered through a web panel survey; 877 respondents completed the survey in June 2010. The results suggest that the program is reaching a wider audience than just those predisposed to local food initiatives. In addition, awareness of Select Nova was related to perceptions of local benefits and barriers, as well as purchase motivation and behavior. Respondents who were aware of Select Nova Scotia rated societal benefits as more important and viewed location and price as less of a barrier; they were also more likely to be highly motivated to purchase local foods. This study also informs results found in previous consumer research studies and identifies marketing opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of local food programs. The results suggest that societal benefits might be used as a way to differentiate products with similar attributes.     

Globalization and the policing of protest: the case of APEC 1997

The policing of protest at international events conflicts with the political and policing culture of the host nation. Previous research shows a trend toward softer, more tolerant styles of policing protest within various Western democracies. We present a case study of an exception: the repression of protest at an international event in which one Western democracy hosted rulers of less democratic regimes in a ritual celebration of economic globalization. We explore reasons why, in the face of protests about undemocratic regimes elsewhere, the Canadian government and police were willing to use blatantly undemocratic tactics popularly believed to be more characteristic of those other regimes. Implications are discussed concerning protest policing, economic globalization, the nation-state and social movements.     

The transnational effect of multicultural policies on migrants' identification: the case of the Israeli diaspora in the USA

While it is difficult to gauge the effect of multicultural policies within countries, it is even more difficult to measure them across countries. In this article, I use fundamental multicultural changes that have occurred in Israeli society in recent decades as a case study, and track their effect on how Israelis who reside in the USA identify with Israel. Analysing the US census and the American Community Survey, I have focused my research on three groups of Israeli‐born migrants in the USA – Israeli Arabs, ultra‐Orthodox Jews and the Jewish majority. Findings indicate that originating from a minority community in the homeland predicts not only a different rate, but also different longitudinal trends of Israeli identification. I offer several possible explanations for these variations, but an in‐depth analysis of the Israeli case indicates that the transnational effect of the changing multicultural agenda in Israel is the leading mechanism at play.     

Evaluating the implementation of health policy: pre-hospital care in Pennsylvania.

A statewide study of ambulance services was conducted to inform executive and legislative decision making regarding Emergency Medical Services in Pennsylvania. The study focused on the training status of ambulance personnel, turnover, and coordination between state and local levels. The study found indications that adequate numbers of trained personnel were often not making ambulance trips. A variety of issues that might cause and solve this problem are discussed, as are the dissemination and utilization of the study's results.     

Evaluating Dancing With Parkinson's: Reflections from the perspective of a community organization

In 2015, Dancing With Parkinson's (DWP), a Toronto-based community organization, participated in the Ontario Brain Institute's (OBI) newly launched Evaluation Support Program. This paper reflects on that experience. In particular, we identify the key lessons derived from the OBI initiative, discuss how these lessons have informed DWP practice going forward, and highlight what we consider to be the most valuable aspects of the Evaluation Support Program. While we now recognize the need to establish an evaluation culture within DWP, we find that there are significant challenges associated with both building and sustaining evaluation capacity in the context of a small community-based organization. Whereas DWP has built considerable strengths in terms of informal evaluation capacity, on its own, such capacity is insufficient to, for example, demonstrate DWP's impact to outside audiences or successfully scale up the program.     

Occupational rehabilitation services provided by a community workers health centre in Hong Kong: a case study

Ergonomics is commonly known as "the scientific study of human work" [14, p. 3] and "the application of scientific information concerning human beings to the design of objects, systems, and environments" (p. 4). The American Occupational Therapy Association defines occupational therapy as "skilled treatment that helps individuals achieve independence in all facets of their lives. It gives people the 'skills for the job of living' necessary for independent and satisfying lives [1]." Both professions share common backgrounds. Occupational therapy has been involved in health care and ergonomics is looking for its place in the health care field.