Community Development for Health Promotion

Abstract

Development of a healthy community today represents an important process from different stand point, especially for improvement of population health and for health promotion intervention among vulnerable population groups such as women and children, adolescents, poor people and refugees. Community orientated approach particularly ensures proper identification and meeting the needs of underserved population groups which are most often not recognised among under, either because they belong to special ethnical or cultural groups or to groups of poor. Community strengthening for improvement of their health is realised through the wide and sustainable partnership of local community members, their leaders, supportive organisations, financers and governmental institutions, which is present in all phases of health promotion intervention. Examples of community based health promotion programmes, in world and in Serbia, show that wide partnership ensures improvement of numerous health determinants which is impossible to achieve by isolated health service activities. Authentic community leaders that are educated for successful leadership during all phases have prominence in development of these programmes. Achievement of their long-term sustainability through the multidisciplinary approach is a constant challenge to community based health promotion programmes.