Community involvement towards community objectives

A community participatory oral health promotion program in an inner-city Latino community

OBJECTIVES

This paper reports the planning, implementation, process evaluation, and refinement of an oral health community participatory project in Mount Pleasant, an inner-city Latino neighborhood of Washington, DC. The main goal was to explore the feasibility of implementing such a project.

METHODS

The PRECEDE-PROCEED model was used to guide the planning and process evaluation of this project, in conjunction with community organizational methods. A steering committee, which met periodically, was formed to assist in program planning, implementation, and evaluation. The needs assessment of the community identified extensive dental health problems among children and deficiencies in their parents' oral health knowledge, opinions, and practices. In response, culturally appropriate health education and promotion activities were planned and implemented in collaboration with local community organizations, volunteers, and local practitioners. Process evaluation was used to provide feedback into the refinement of the community approach, which included record keeping and an inventory approach to activities completed and resources used. The overall impact and usefulness of this program were assessed informally using an anonymous open-ended questionnaire directed to members of the steering committee, and an outreach survey using a convenience sample at a local Latino health fair.

RESULTS

The implementation of such a community participatory approach was feasible and useful for building upon existing local resources and addressing oral health concerns in a community not reached by traditional dental care and health promotion initiatives. Individuals in this community showed a substantial interest in oral health matters and participated in a variety of oral health prevention activities. The community approach adhered to community-based research principles.

Quality of life assessment in children: a review of conceptual and methodological issues in multidimensional health status measures

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To clarify concepts and methodological problems in existing multidimensional health status measures for children.

DESIGN

Thematic review of instruments found by computerised and manual searches, 1979-95.

SUBJECTS

Nine health status instruments.

MAIN RESULTS

Many instruments did not satisfy criteria of being child centered or family focussed; few had sufficient psychometric properties for research or clinical use; underlying conceptual assumptions were rarely explicit.

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of life measures should be viewed cautiously. Interdisciplinary discussion is required, as well as discussion with children and parents, to establish constructs that are truly useful.