Table 2.
Proposed mechanisms
| Mobilisation activities | Description | Discussed by |
| Group participation | Community members attend group meetings and become members of their community group. | 1 30 42–47 49 55 61 62 67 69 70 76 80 107–113 |
| Group deliberation | Group members engage in open, critical dialogue with each other and their facilitator, identify shared problems, decide on and set goals, develop collective solutions and evaluate past initiatives. | 2 4 22 25 37 42 43 48 49 51–55 57 60 67 75–77 79–81 87 107 109 112–119 |
| Individual acts of information sharing | Sharing information within the group and across social networks in the wider community. | 15 30 37 44 46 48 54 57–62 71 86 107 |
| Informal social support | Mutual emotional, economic and practical support; referral for health problems; crisis support and protection from violence and harassment. | 2 4 15 22 30 37 40 44–48 51 55 58 63–66 72 73 77 81 82 84 85 111 114 119–122 |
| Collective action | Group and community members carry out collective action to address shared health issues, such as protest, self-help or resource mobilisation. | 1 4 8 15 23 25 30 37 42 44 46–48 52 56 58 60 61 65–67 69–74 78–81 85 109 111 113 116 121–124 |
| Mediating capacities | Description | Discussed by |
| Individual level | ||
| Critical consciousness | Capacity to critically examine one’s own and others' beliefs and values, relate one’s own vulnerability to wider social forces and question the immutability of everyday reality. | 4 37 42 43 46–49 55 60 72 79 107 116 118 124 125 |
| Attitudes and norms relevant to a health issue | Concern for a health problem; perceived value of addressing a health problem; perceived social disapproval of harmful behaviour; critical personal attitude to harmful behaviour. | 8 49 51 53 55 61 62 64 71 75 77–79 110 113 119 121 123 |
| Self-concept | A sense of agency, purpose and inspiration in one's own life; a sense of confidence and self-efficacy; self-worth and self-esteem; a sense of entitlement to basic rights; improved self-knowledge. | 4 8 25 40 46–48 55 60 63 65 66 70 72 75 79–82 84 85 107 109 110 113 114 116 118 122 123 |
| Technical knowledge/skills | Knowledge of the epidemiology of a health problem, knowledge of effective ways to address it, knowledge of legal rights and entitlements. | 4 22 48 52 53 60 62 71 73 75 77 78 107 108 112 113 122 125 |
| Practical knowledge/skills | Leadership, negotiation and communication skills; problem formulation, decision-making and problem-solving skills; ability to translate theory into action. | 4 25 37 40 49 61–63 70 79–81 84 115 116 |
| Household level | ||
| Women’s position in the household | Status, respect, support and decision-making power in the household for women. | 1 59 72 76 79 81 82 109 110 113 119 120 122 123 |
| Collective level | ||
| Social cohesion | A shared sense of belonging, identity and trust; well connected, mutually supportive social networks; cohesion among group or community members. | 2 8 15 23 25 40 44–47 50 52 59 61 68 71 74 77 79 80 83 84 86 109–111 113–115 119 121 123 124 |
| Civic attitudes and norms | Shared attitudes and norms around informal social support and collective action; shared belief in the collective efficacy of one’s group or community. | 2 8 15 25 40 44–46 50 52 64–66 68 71 73 77 80 84 85 108 111 121 124 |
| Self-governance | Sense of ownership over process of addressing a health issue; presence of initiative and leadership; effective management of own resources; ability to discuss, agree and make decisions as a group. | 8 15 23 25 46 51 61 63 64 68 71 73 78 83 86 111 113 122 126 127 |
| Institutional linkage | Dialogue and partnership between community and institutions; better accountability and responsiveness of institutions to the community; links between community groups and institutions | 4 8 25 47 48 51 56 61 63 64 67 68 74 78 115 120 126 |