1 minute
Health promotion or community development? Health communication or DevCom? Who's confused?
Abstract: A high prevalence of xerophthalmia, abnormal dryness of the eyeball, was reduced in a Mumbai (Bombay) squatter area by improving the nutritional status of children under age 5 years and reducing the prevalence of malnutrition among women and children. To achieve these results, the project improved women's status, trained community health workers, motivated and mobilized communities to improve environmental conditions and prevent morbidity, increased women's literacy, taught mothers about nutrition and health care, expanded the sale of vitamin A-enriched vegetables through door-to-door vendors, provided income generation training to enable women to buy vitamin A-rich foods, organized a supplementary feeding program for malnourished children, and maintained horticultural activities such as a demonstration garden to motivate women to grow dark green leaf vegetables. This intervention was supported by locally appropriate IEC activities. The authors consider whether the intervention was community development, health promotion, or both. The core assumptions between community development and health promotion are considered, with discussion of the implications for communication training and practice. 3 priorities for action are suggested.