Community Participation and Empowerment in Promoting Healthy Communities (Published)
Community participation and empowerment could be imperative in achieving healthy communities if properly utilized and implemented. A community is a configuration of individuals, families, and groups whose values, characteristics, interests, geography, or social relations unite them in some way and the word is used to denote both the people living in a place, and the place itself. Community participation and empowerment are community-based actions, policies or programs that are driven by community members which can affect local factors that can influence health, and has the potential to promote healthy communities. This paper on community participation and empowerment in promoting healthy communities discussed concepts such as community participation and empowerment, healthy community, importance of community participation and empowerment, the need for community participation and empowerment, roles of community participation and empowerment on healthy communities, partnerships for healthy communities, components of a healthy community and benefits of healthy communities.
Keywords: Community, Empowerment, Participation, healthy community
Sociocultural Factors as Predictor of Immunization Participation among Rural Mothers of Waterside in Ogun State, Nigeria (Published)
Active Immunization Coverage in the rural community of Ogun Waterside have been perceived to be bedeviled by several factors ranging from geographical to demographic issues limiting accessibility to health care. The study looked into those factors that prevented and distorted complete uptake of Immunization in the rural location of waterside. The study was conducted in eight wards of the Local Government Area. Descriptive survey research design with qualitative method was adopted. SFIIPQ: R = 0.78, CFPIPQ R = 0.810, AUPIPQ: R = 0.93 and MMFPIPQ: R = 0.88 were the instrument used to glean data. The study revealed that cultural factors of living style, health seeking behavior and values are 59.0% of the total variation (R2 = 0.587, P < 0.05). Also, the social variables of peer influence, parenting style, socioeconomic status, level of education and sex of the child accounted for 55.0% of the total variation (R2 =0.550, P <0.05). Mothers reported that sometimes, vaccines are not available in the right quantity. Conclusively, immunizations in the local community of waterside is fairly good as reported but require more education, supply of adequate vaccines and provision of active cold chain facilities.
Keywords: Immunization, Participation, rural mothers, vaccines, waterside