scholarly journals Implementation of Health Promotion Competencies in Ireland and Italy—A Case Study

Author(s):  
Barbara Battel-Kirk ◽  
Margaret M. Barry

This paper reports on a case study that explored the broader contextual factors influencing the implementation of the CompHP Core Competencies at a country level in Ireland and Italy between 2011 and 2018. The sample comprised key informants who were Health Promotion experts and were knowledgeable about how the competencies had been used in their country. These experts formed National Reference Groups that guided the research process in each country and helped identify additional key informants. Qualitative methods were utilized consisting of a desk review and semi-structured interviews. The data from each country were analyzed separately using a thematic analysis approach, with the findings then compared and reviewed by the National Reference Groups. A total of 26 interviews were completed (13 in each country). The findings show that both the focus and rate of progress of implementing the competencies differed across the two countries and that this reflected their levels of Health Promotion infrastructure and capacity development. A lack of awareness of the competencies was identified as a major limiting factor in implementation in both countries, of particular concern in relation to employers and decision-makers. While the case study focused on implementing the competencies in two European countries, there are insights from their experience that can inform implementation in other countries. The study also begins to address the gap in empirical evidence on the use and impact of Health Promotion competencies and the factors that influence their implementation.

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Laurent ◽  
C Ferron ◽  
P Berry ◽  
B Soudier ◽  
B Georgelin ◽  
...  

Abstract Issue Effectiveness analyses of health promotion (HP) interventions (HPI) abound nowadays in France, but few research details how HPI work, nor explains how practitioners can translate conclusive evidence from the literature into action. Furthermore, large amounts of experiential knowledge remain untapped and undervalued. To close these gaps, a national multidisciplinary committee, comprising public officials, academics and practitioners, has worked since 2016 at designing a new method to build up knowledge in HP. CEKHP The method aims at Capitalizing, collecting and circulating Experiential Knowledge in HP (CEKHP). Committee members first investigated methods used in other countries to synthesize and share practical evidence, then drafted and experimented CEKHP in 11 different settings to test its relevance and applicability. Results Key components of CEKHP are: 1/CEKHP consists in in-depth semi-structured interviews and offers a guideline template adjustable for various contexts and multiple public health issues (behaviors, environments, etc.); 2/a trained outsider, mastering 7 core competencies, must conduct CEKHP; 3/CEKHP includes a framework for reporting key mechanisms that influence HPI outcomes. Detailed mechanisms include: context, partnerships, key steps, barriers and levers, ethics, theoretical foundations (intervention models, evidence-based literature, etc.), transferability. A guidebook and a toolkit are published in 2020. CEKHP successfully disseminates within the French HP community. It is currently used as the main data collection tool in a research project investigating health promoting sports clubs (PROCeSS) and in a practice-focused project documenting tobacco prevention (DCAP). Lessons Practitioners benefit from access to knowledge on how HPI work. CEKHP offers new tools to value and disseminate experiential knowledge. Given that policymakers increasingly prioritize funding in France on documented HPI, providing such tools and training is crucial. Key messages CEKHP offers a new method in the French context that has proven fruitful in various settings, for various public health issues, and can be useful to practitioners and researchers alike. Building up experiential knowledge with and for practitioners can be effective at both documenting practices and helping them gain new skills and better understanding of their interventions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Ruth Zárate-Rueda ◽  
Sonia Patricia Díaz-Orozco ◽  
Leonardo Ortiz-Gumán

 This scientific article shows the results of a research process whose objective was to analyze the practices and pedagogical strategies implemented by teachers of the Industrial University of Santander (UIS) and the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga (UNAB); these teachers have students with sensory disabilities in their classrooms. For this goal, a qualitative methodology was adopted with a case-study approach; 27 subjects participated in this process: 20 educators and 7 students from the programs of Law, International Business, Accounting, Social Communication, Gastronomy, Music, and Philosophy. Based on a sample of homogenous cases of intentional type and semi-structured interviews, it was possible to conclude that, despite the significant advances made so far, it is required for universities to promote institutional guidelines articulating participatory work with the educational community. This community intervenes in the social reality of students with disabilities, as well as in the axes of accessibility and communication.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Akua Agyepong ◽  
Fredline A.O. M’Cormack-Hale ◽  
Hannah Brown-Amoakoh ◽  
Abigail N.C. Derkyi-Kwarteng ◽  
Theresa Ethel Darkwa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Global health agendas have in common the goal of contributing to population health outcome improvement. In theory therefore, whenever possible, country level policy and program agenda setting, formulation and implementation towards their attainment should be synergistic such that efforts towards one agenda promote efforts towards the other agendas. Observation suggests that this is not what happens in practice. Potential synergies are often unrealized and fragmentation is not uncommon. In this paper we present findings from an exploration of how and why synergies and fragmentation occur in country level policy and program agenda setting, formulation and implementation for the global health agendas of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Health Security (HS) and Health Promotion (HP) in Ghana and Sierra Leone. Our study design was a two country case study. Data collection involved document reviews and Key Informant interviews with national and sub-national level decision makers in both countries between July and December 2019. Additionally, in Ghana a stakeholder workshop in December 2019 was used to validate the draft analysis and conclusions. This study is part of a series of country case studies to inform the Lancet Commission on synergies between UHC, HS and HP.Results: National and global context, country health systems leadership and structure including resources were drivers of synergies and fragmentation. How global as well as country level actors mobilized power and exercised agency in policy and program agenda setting and implementation processes within country were also important drivers. Conclusions: There is potential in both countries to pull towards synergies and push against fragmentation in agenda setting, formulation and implementation of global health agendas despite the resource and other structural constraints. It however requires political and bureaucratic prioritization of synergies, as well as skilled leadership. It also requires considerable mobilization of country level actor exercise of agency to counter sometimes daunting contextual, systems and structural constraints.


2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Millar ◽  
Ian Warwick

Objectives: The aim of this study was to improve understanding of the relationship between music practice and the wellbeing of young refugees, by examining the perspectives of Yazidi music participants aged 11–18. Design: Focused exploratory case study design, informed by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion which provided the conceptual framework for the research. Setting: A camp in northern Greece, where people from Iraq and Syria had been living for up to a year. Method: Data were collected over a 5-week period through participant observation of individual music lessons and group music workshops involving between 3–12 participants. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of six participants (three boys and three girls) aged 11–18. Results: Findings indicate that activities involving music practice can impact positively on young people’s wellbeing, enabling the development of emotional expression, improved social relations, self-knowledge and positive self-identification, and a sense of agency. Conclusion: The positive impacts of music practice noted here suggest it has the potential to be a promising health promotion approach for young refugees, by helping to develop supportive environments, through which community action can be strengthened and personal skills developed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Akua Agyepong ◽  
Fredline A. O. M’Cormack-Hale ◽  
Hannah Brown Amoakoh ◽  
Abigail N. C. Derkyi-Kwarteng ◽  
Theresa Ethel Darkwa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Global health agendas have in common the goal of contributing to population health outcome improvement. In theory therefore, whenever possible, country level policy and program agenda setting, formulation and implementation towards their attainment should be synergistic such that efforts towards one agenda promote efforts towards the other agendas. Observation suggests that this is not what happens in practice. Potential synergies are often unrealized and fragmentation is not uncommon. In this paper we present findings from an exploration of how and why synergies and fragmentation occur in country level policy and program agenda setting, formulation and implementation for the global health agendas of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Health Security (HS) and Health Promotion (HP) in Ghana and Sierra Leone. Our study design was a two country case study. Data collection involved document reviews and Key Informant interviews with national and sub-national level decision makers in both countries between July and December 2019. Additionally, in Ghana a stakeholder workshop in December 2019 was used to validate the draft analysis and conclusions. Results National and global context, country health systems leadership and structure including resources were drivers of synergies and fragmentation. How global as well as country level actors mobilized power and exercised agency in policy and program agenda setting and implementation processes within country were also important drivers. Conclusions There is potential in both countries to pull towards synergies and push against fragmentation in agenda setting, formulation and implementation of global health agendas despite the resource and other structural constraints. It however requires political and bureaucratic prioritization of synergies, as well as skilled leadership. It also requires considerable mobilization of country level actor exercise of agency to counter sometimes daunting contextual, systems and structural constraints.


Author(s):  
Ezenwayi Amaechi ◽  
Patricia Fusch

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the investigator's reflections, both prospective and retrospective, on the process and experience of conducting a mini-ethnographic case study research in Nigeria. The research titled “Exploring barriers to women entrepreneurs in Enugu State Nigeria” was written to add to the body of knowledge on barriers facing some small-scale women entrepreneurs in the marketplaces in Nigeria. A mini-ethnographic case study design was used for this study, this methodology is a combination of ethnography and case study research that can assist a researcher to gain an in-depth understanding of a phenomenon. The data collection methods used for this study included open-ended semi-structured interviews, direct observation, reflective journaling, and field notes. Reflection enables investigators to engage in self-analysis throughout the research process. Reflections and experiences in the three marketplaces where the research took place, including interactions with the gatekeepers as well as the women entrepreneurs who shared their lived experiences, will be discussed.


Author(s):  
Ibrahim Osman Adam

This chapter presents some methodological issues raised in the research process of an interpretive researcher in a maiden doctoral programme in a developing country. The chapter draws on a doctoral research experience which employed an interpretive case study approach as the methodology and a combined lens of activity and agency theories as to the theoretical foundation. The research relied on a single case study in a developing country context. The chapter offers an overview of some practicalities of carrying out a single case study research using an interpretive philosophy by presenting the different viewpoints using semi-structured interviews, documents and participant observation, and analysing the data through hermeneutics. The chapter presents some challenges and how interpretive research methods can be used as a clear methodological strategy, especially in an environment where many researchers are not familiar with this research approach. This reflective account provides lessons for others who wish to go through an interpretive process of researching an information systems phenomenon.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 779-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Battel-Kirk ◽  
Margaret M Barry

Abstract This paper reports on a study undertaken to determine what progress has been made in the uptake and impact of the CompHP Core Competencies on Health Promotion practice, education and training in Europe since their publication in 2011. The study used a purposive sample comprising health promoters who had contributed to the development of the CompHP Competencies was augmented by snowball sampling across European Health Promotion practitioners. An online survey tool was employed to elicit information on respondents' attitudes to the Competencies, levels of current and intended use, and opinions on their impact. A total of 81 responses were received from 25 European countries. Findings on factors considered likely to influence the use of the Competencies were generally positive, as were respondents' attitudes to them. However, only 53% of respondents reported that the CompHP Competencies were used in their country and 54% that they used them in their practice. The Competencies were most frequently used in Health Promotion education, where their impact was also most apparent. A lack of support and recognition of the Competencies by key organizations and stakeholders at country level emerges as a potentially critical factor influencing their uptake and use. The survey findings provide an insight into the uptake and impact of the CompHP Core Competencies to date and begin to address the gap in empirical evidence on the use and impact of Health Promotion competencies. However, further research is required to explore the factors influencing implementation of the CompHP Core Competencies at a country level.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Wanka

CHARGE Syndrome is a genetic syndrome with a recognized pattern of features, and involves extensive medical and physical challenges. It is recognized as the most common cause of congenital deafblindness. This case study focuses on the development of identity of individuals with CHARGE Syndrome which is of concern to individuals with CHARGE Syndrome, their parents and the various professionals that provide support and service. A review of the literature demonstrates that the vast majority of research regarding CHARGE Syndrome focuses on the medical, developmental, and family structures. However, identity research shifts the paradigm to the individual and their unique personality, which encourages professionals to apply their support or services to the human being rather than the disability. This study introduces a method with which it was possible to collect differentiated data from individuals with CHARGE Syndrome themselves through a guided creation of pictorial collages and a specialized interview technique based on their collages. The methodological approach used in this study included structured interviews embedded within the Collage Life Story Elicitation Technique. The CLET (Collage Life Story Elicitation Technique) is a protocol to support individuals in their efforts to create their own life story. Analysis of the resulting data was viewed according to several theoretical frameworks applied to the core narrations and the resources. This provided different avenues to the construction of meaning that formed an understanding of identity from the voices of individual themselves. This research initiative uses a single case study of a young man: Janosch. It becomes clear that Janosch does not associate his core identity with CHARGE Syndrome but rather from alternate origins of self. Janosch demonstrated through this research process that the relevance of animals and the topic of tolerance take a leading role in the formation of his identity. Furthermore and unexpected, Janosch's participation in the Mangas community serves as a primary source of social and emotional support, forms his construction of “togetherness” and strongly influences his concept of the relevance of family. This is in contrast to the role in which friends often impact these components of ones' own identity. The specialized methodology used in this study demonstrates that individuals with CHARGE Syndrome can be active participants in identity research that realize rich and accurate data.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1491
Author(s):  
Ahmed S. Alanazi ◽  
Heather Wharrad ◽  
Fiona Moffatt ◽  
Michael Taylor ◽  
Muhammad Ladan

All face-to-face studies were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as they could not be run in person due to rules and guidance linked to social distancing which were in force during the outbreak. Finding and testing an available COVID-secure approach for both participants and researchers was important as was the need to continue conducting such studies during this critical time. At present, the extant literature indicates a clear gap in research that elucidates how to carry out a Q methodology study online, step by step. This paper describes an option for online Q methodology using an approach that simulates all of the steps performed in a face-to-face setting using an open-source software known as Easy-HtmlQ. Using a case study in telemedicine adoption as illustration, this paper also considers the perspective of both research participants and Q methodology researchers via semi-structured interviews. Using Easy-HtmlQ V1.1 in online Q methodology studies appears to be an affordable, practical and user-friendly solution. Some of the benefits associated with running Q methodology studies online were the decreased costs, enabling the recruitment of wider number of participants, providing a COVID-19-secure environment and offering convenience to both participants and researchers during the research process. The findings of this study may contribute to increasing the number of online Q methodology studies in the future, as it has succeeded in offering a feasible approach for Q methodology researchers.


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