Abstract
The People Assessing Their Health (PATH) Project was designed to provide a means for people in selected communities within Eastern Nova Scotia to become more involved in decision making within the province’s emerging decentralized health system. Using community health impact assessment (CHIA) as a population health strategy, community members were able to identify factors that determine their health and to develop tools to help them assess the health impact of programs and policies within their communities. The participatory process used throughout the PATH Project enabled a wide range of people to generate information for designing a community health impact assessment tool (CHIAT) unique to their community. It also helped participants to broaden their understanding of the many factors determining health of their community and of the region.
Abrégé
Le People Assessing their Health Project (le projet des gens évaluant leur santé) a été conçu pour les populations de certaines communautés, situées dans la secteur est de la Nouvelle-Écosse, et ce, afin de leur permettre de mieux s’impliquer dans le nouveau réseau des services de santé. En se servant du modèle évaluatif ‘health impact assessment’, les participants ont été appellés à identifier les facteurs déterminants jouant sur toute question de santé publique. Ces mêmes participants ont été, dans un deuxième temps, habilités à développer des outils évaluatifs adaptés aux besoins propres de chaque commaunauté. Pour fournir une banque de données des plus riches, le processus employé durant le projet a favorisé l’inclusion d’un grand nombre de personnes. Enfin, un volet important, implicite dans ce projet d’études, a été de favoriser, chez les participants, une meilleure connaissance des facteurs déterminant la santé publique, soit au sein de leur communauté, soit dans toute l’étendue de leur région.
Footnotes
The PATH Project was sponsored by the Antigonish Women’s Association, Public Health Nursing Services of Nova Scotia’s Eastern Health Region, and the Extension Department of St. Francis Xavier University. It was funded under the Health Promotion Contribution Fund, through the Health Promotion and Programs Branch, Atlantic Region, Health Canada.
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