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The SEAR
Health Promotion Strategy Framework
Health
Promotion seeks to reach individuals, families and communities in places
where daily decisions are made and/or where harmful behaviours are manifested
with the hope of providing information, skills and services as well as
creating an environment conducive for making informed choices.
The
South-East Asia Region (SEAR) Health Promotion Strategy embraces values,
principles and actions espoused in the first Health Promotion Charter (The
Ottawa Charter,1986) and the subsequent Health
Promotion Charters including the Bangkok Charter of 2005. The SEAR Strategy is mindful of the
numerous social issues that compete for limited available resources and
therefore, calls for innovative ways of delivering health promotion
activities including partnership, good governance, and participation of
intended beneficiaries among others.
The
SEAR Health Promotion Strategy combines several approaches that are
complementary for purposes of addressing multiple determinants of health and
other threats at country and international levels as well as maximizing the
utilization of available limited resources.
The SEAR Health Promotion Strategy Framework comprises a minimum
package consisting of:
The Settings Approach: This is used to delineate the locality
where intended beneficiaries (individuals, families or groups) live for
purposes of planning, implementation and evaluation of health promotion
interventions. Common Healthy settings
in the SEAR include the school, health institutions, workplace, cities,
islands and food market among others.
Multi-sectoral
Approach: Involvement of various
players at country, regional and international levels to deliver of Health
Promotion services is encouraged. This includes participation of all
government line ministries, civil society groups, private sector, media,
special groups, e.g. women and children, and development partners. A well coordinated multi-sectoral approach in Health Promotion maximizes the
utilization of limited resources by cutting down on duplication of services.
Partnership, Networks and Alliance Building: Health Promotion in SEAR encourages
partnership, network and alliance building for purposes of resource
mobilization, capacity building and knowledge sharing.
Gender and Culture: Health Promotion in SEAR serves diverse
cultures. Health Promotion respects values and beliefs of individuals and
groups irrespective of health status, ethnicity, gender, income, religious
beliefs or geographical region among others.
However, practices known to cause harm to self and others are
discouraged and eliminated through education, information and advocacy. Health Promotion strives to prevent or
confront any form of discrimination and stigmatization.
Information, Education and Communication
(IEC): Health Promotion in SEAR
supports access by beneficiaries or consumers to accurate health information
through a language of their preference and via channels of communication
which requires the least effort to access the information. IEC is delivered
through both traditional and modern channels of communication including
posters, radio, television, drama, song and the internet. In SEAR,
participation of beneficiaries in Health Promotion activities including IEC
is a pre-requisite to programme success.
Evidence-based Approach (Research,
Monitoring and Evaluation): The body of knowledge in Health Promotion in
SEAR is enriched through various types of research using local and
international experts. Programmatic
changes and documentation of “best practices” is achieved through rigorous
and timely monitoring and evaluation of Health Promotion activities.
Policy and Advocacy: Coherent policies in Health Promotion
are formulated and implemented at country level for purposes of
accountability, transparency and to guide equitable distribution of
resources. Health Promotion is
sustained through advocacy by various players including civil society,
non-governmental organizations and community based groups.
Capacity Building: SEAR needs a critical mass of trained Health
Promotion cadres to address diverse and complex social determinants of health
and other threats. The region needs to
build capacity to sustain current Health Promotion initiatives, for resource
and social mobilization, programme development and management, monitoring and
evaluation and to respond to emerging diseases.
Coordination and Management of Change: At country level, Health Promotion in SEAR
advocates for organizational changes that are likely to support an effective
coordination mechanism of activities.
Several countries in the SEAR, are exploring the possibility of
establishing a Health Promotion Foundation as a way of strengthening the
delivery of services. Thailand
has already established the Thai Health Promotion Foundation. It is critical that such changes in the
delivery of health promotion are well planned and managed effectively in
order to succeed in achieving the intended objectives.
Health Promotion at the Global Level: Health and development issues that
threaten livelihoods in SEAR include emerging diseases, natural disasters,
population growth as well as poverty, globalization, urbanization, trade and
environmental degradation.
Participation of SEAR member countries in policy dialogue and
advocacy, partnership and networking at international level allows views and
concerns of the region to be a part of the global agenda on Health
Promotion.
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