'Improving Health through Reducing Stress': Parents' Priorities in the Participatory Development of a Multilevel Family Health Programme in a Low-Income Neighbourhood in The Netherlands.

Gerda Wink,Lieke Van Disseldorp,Gerdine Fransen,Sandra Boersma,Koos Van Der Velden,Maria Van Den Muijsenbergh,Merel Huisman,Annemarie Wagemakers

doi:10.3390/ijerph18158145

Abstract

In order to reduce health inequities, a socio-ecological approach and community engagement are needed to develop sustained interventions with a positive effect on the health of disadvantaged groups. This qualitative study was part of the development phase of a community health promotion programme. The study aimed to provide insight into the perceptions of parents in a disadvantaged neighbourhood about health, and their priorities for the community health programme. It also described the process of integrating these perceptions in the development of a multilevel plan for this programme. Participatory methods were applied to enable the engagement of all groups involved. Ten parents from a low-income neighbourhood in the Netherlands participated in five panel sessions. Parents’ priorities for improving family health were reducing chronic stress and not so much healthy eating and physical activity. They prioritised solutions to reduce their financial stress, to provide a safe place for their children to meet and play and to establish good quality communication with authorities. The programme development process resulted in objectives in which both parents and professionals were willing to invest, such as a safe playground for children. This study shows that target population engagement in health programme development is possible and valuable.

Highlights

To facilitate the integration of disadvantaged groups’ perceptions and ideas in the development of a multilevel intervention to reduce health inequities, this study aims to provide insight into (1) a disadvantaged group’s perceptions of (a) community family health, (b) their priorities for improving health and (c) related intervention activity ideas and (2) the process of integrating these perceptions in the development of a multilevel intervention plan
intervention mapping (IM) is grounded in communitybased participatory research methods and provides a protocol for effective decision-making for intervention development [15]
For parents in a low-income neighbourhood, family health meant above all less and more social well-being and safety for themselves and their children, as well as suffistress and more social well-being and safety for themselves and their children, as well cient financial means. Their priorities for improving family health all related to reducing as sufficient financial means. Their priorities for improving family health all related to stress: they needed enough money, a safe place for their children

Summary

Introduction

Socio-economic health inequities persist in the Netherlands as well as throughout the world [1,2,3]. This means that, the more disadvantaged people are in terms of income and education level, the more likely they are to die sooner and to spend less of their shorter lives in good health [4,5]. Policymakers at global, national and municipal level have expressed the need for evidence to inform effective strategies to reduce health inequities [3,6,7].

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Discussion

Conclusion