Health through People's Empowerment: A Rights-Based Approach to Participation

Abstract

shows that each phase of the evolution of these concepts added important new aspects to the discussion. This article focuses on three crucial issues that relate to these additions: the importance of social class when analyzing the essentials of community participation, the pivotal role of power highlighted in the discussion on empowerment, and the role of the state, which refers to the concepts of claim holders and duty bearers included in a rights-based approach to health. The authors compare these literature findings with their own experiences over the past 20 years in the Philippines, Palestine, and Cuba, and they offer some lessons learned. The concept of "health through people's empowerment" is proposed to identify and describe the core aspects of participation and empowerment from a human rights perspective and to put forward common strategies. If marginalized groups and classes organize, they can influence power relations and pressure the state into action. Such popular pressure through organized communities and people's organizations can play an essential role in ensuring adequate government policies to address health inequities and in asserting the right to health.

How could differences in ‘control over destiny’ lead to socio-economic inequalities in health? A synthesis of theories and pathways in the living environment

“…The potential direct pathways include a reduction in exposure to environmental toxins as a result of collective control, and the garnering of resources to prevent or mitigate risks to health (Popay, et al 2007;De Vos et al 2009). There may also be indirect pathways -through improving social supports and supportive networks which combat social isolation and foster a sense of connectedness and community competence.…”

Effects of Community Participation on Improving Uptake of Skilled Care for Maternal and Newborn Health: A Systematic Review

“…dialogue that develops over time [10], [16]–[18], [21] It focuses on lack of resources and social injustice as causes of poor health [12], [19] and sees community participation as a way to distribute power more evenly within and between communities, healthcare professionals, and the state, while also developing individuals’ and groups’ own abilities to participate in the process of change – improving their own health directly, or via community development activities [16], [17], [22]. In other words, this ‘community development’ or ‘empowerment’ approach sees participation as a longer-term process in which communities are actively involved in deciding on and implementing strategies to alter the socio-political, economic, and psychological conditions that shape their health [12], [19].…”

Integrating community outreach into a quality improvement project to promote maternal and child health in Ghana

“…Direct outreach entailed one-on-one interactions with pregnant women, mothers of newborns, and family members to provide health education and support. Taken together, these community-wide and direct outreach approaches sought to facilitate empowerment, which enables individuals to collectively transform or address issues of relevance to their wellbeing (De Vos, 2009; Minkler, Wallerstein, & Wilson, 1997; Prost et al, 2013). Study participants perceived that the community outreach activities empowered women to seek out maternal and child health services by improving access to information and understanding of their health needs, providing support to overcome barriers to care, and building relationships with health care workers.…”