How We Prevent Chronic Diseases

Running Head: COMMUNITY HEALTH AND DISEASE PREVENTION 1
COMMUNITY HEALTH
AND DISEASE
PREVENTION
Assessment 3
Student Name:
Student ID:
Subject Name:
Subject ID: PUBH6006
Date:

COMMUNITY HEALTH AND DISEASE PREVENTION 2
Module 1: Discussion Topic 1: Defining and
Working with Communities
As per Zakus and Kysack (1998) Laverack (2007, Chapter 2), the definition of community
states that community encompasses a place where people lives such as a neighbourhood. The
diversity of individuals as well as groups in a certain geographic community that can lead to
problems regarding selection of representation by the individuals of such community.
Neighbourhood’s diversity might create problem in the representation of the community
members in health programs. These problems include consideration regarding majority in the
community and their overpowering aspect. This implies that minorities in the community
might not get activities or access to the health care programs that they require.
On the basis of Laverack’s ladder of community-based interaction (2007, Chapter 2), the
key steps and approach for practitioners working with communities needs to empowerment of
communities. Key strategies includes community development programs, policy making and
buidlign of leadership. I would undertake inter personal aspect of community interaction such
that the entire community can be empowered and there is a link between individuals, control
capacity and social aspects. The best point of entry for a practitioner is to develop leadership
and inter-personal interaction process. This will directly affect the success of the program by
being able to interact with communities.

COMMUNITY HEALTH AND DISEASE PREVENTION 3
Discussion Topic 2: Community Capacity
Building and Empowerment
Labonte and Laverack (2001a) community capacity is described as an appropriate
descriptor of the relationship between social and organizational with existence of dynamic
qualities as against static properties. Reflecting upon this definition of community capacity, it
does reflect the definition of community empowerment to some extent. As it aims at the
process of defining relation between society and the organization.
Community capacity can be used in fostering empowerment at the current workplace by
development, implementation and sustenance of own solutions in a manner that assists in
exercising and shaping control over social, physical, economic and cultural environments. It
allows multi-directional approach to problem solving in communities. This can enable
identifying challenges that deters community’s capacity in reaching their goals and in
development specific strategies to address these challenges.
Module 2: Discussion Topic 1: Theories,
Approaches and Models of Health Promotion
Evaluating the theories and models of health promotion, the focus is on empowerment
with problem assessment when working with diversified communities. The strength of these
theories and models is in their ability to diagnose specific problems with ease and
empowering all section of the communities such that their problems can be answered.
However, the weaknesses of these theories and models includes determination of challenges
through a evaluation tools such as making use of rating scales. These rating scales does not
effectively determine the depth of challenges being faced by specific communities hence
ignoring the totality of the challenge. Moreover, the communities whose data is not available