Strengthening Community Action for Health Promotion : Working with Communities

건강증진사업을 위한 지역사회 참여와 연대 구축 - 지역사회 건강증진 활동 강화를 위한 노력

Community action is an essential component for health promotion. Through effective community action, a community can gain control over its health & health determinants, and improve the quality of its life. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (WHO, 1984)stated that a health promotion program that stimulates and strengthens community health activity is one of the five main action areas in the field of health promotion. This paper reviews the meaning and key concept of community health promotion action, and discusses ways to strengthen community action as defined by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. It discusses the principle of community participation for health promotion, and, taking a successful example of a community-based health promotion program, it provides an illustrative example of how to build partnerships and coalitions in a community. Community development theories for community-based approaches are also introduced, along with their key concepts. Finally, the paper assesses the barriers to effective community health promotion action in Korea, and proposes several strategies for strengthening community action for health promotion.