Community-based Health Interventions

COURSE OBJECTIVE
- To describe and explain the current status, history and theoretical underpinning of CbHIs
- To describe and evaluate the different aspects of CbHIs (including design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of CBHI).
- Identify organizational conditions for implementing CbHI (like organizational learning and change, and attention for knowledge transfer and sustainability).
- Analyse strengths and opportunities of CbHIs, leading to a well-grounded advice for optimization. - Discuss and analyse case studies of CbHIs in their context in a participatory way that is ethically sound.
- Describe and explain knowledge and understanding through verbal as well as written communication.

COURSE CONTENT
Numerous interventions are developed and implemented in the area of health care and prevention. Although there is often much attention for national or even international scale interventions, community-based health interventions (CbHIs) are a rapidly upcoming phenomenon. The underlying transition of perceiving health as an individual attribute to health as a result of complex social and local aspects is supporting the importance of CbHIs.

CbHIs are an innovative approach to severe and complex problems. In CbHIs, health is perceived as the result of interaction between individual and environmental aspects. Therefore, implementers of CbHIs take an interdisciplinary approach to public health issues. For instance, (self) management of diabetes, sexual health, mental health, and obesity are addressed by CbHI, but also community problems like loneliness of elderly or limited access todrinking water can be targeted. CbHIs are flexible and participatory in nature. As a result, they are easier to adapt to specific situations and are often designed in collaboration with the target group.

This course focuses on why CbHIs are essential for solving complex health issues and the types of interventions involved. We will take you through the history of CbHIs and the theoretical foundations of this strategy. In addition, we will give insights into aspects of design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of CbHIs, taking into account appropriate attitudes, skills and knowledge to influence public health in a community setting. The ethical issues involved in community work are very important and issues such as stakeholder participation, sustainability and scaling-up of the intervention and its effects are discussed. Furthermore, the importance of learning from and adapting to emerging issues is discussed in relation to implementing CbHIs. We will explore the importance of learning capacity of the organisations that implement CbHIs, and their role as spiders in a web of multiple stakeholders that are involved with different perspectives, objectives and goals.

TEACHING METHODS
Lectures, self-study, work groups, field visits, assignments

TYPE OF ASSESSMENT
Written exam with open questions (60%), group assignment of written report (30%), oral presentation in the form of a pitch and discussion (10%). All parts need to be passed.

RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
We recommend that student have been enrolled in the course future challenges in global health and drivers for change in global health.

TARGET AUDIENCE
Bachelor students from Biomedical Sciences, Health & Life, Health Sciences, bachelor programs in the natural sciences and similar bachelor programs that participate in the minor Global Health.

REMARKS
Guest lecturers will be invited to discuss fieldwork and research