Community engagement for health promotion

Abstract

Objectives and Settings: A growing Asian population currently resides in New Zealand, yet under half of this population claim the support they are entitled to in the face of an accident and injury. This research is focused on identifying ways of effectively engaging the Chinese community in health-promotion programmes to prevent and/or reduce injuries. Methods: Research field work was conducted based on a qualitative approach. Interviews were carried out with 32 members of the Chinese community and six experts from six different organizations working with the Chinese community in Auckland, New Zealand. Results: Interviews revealed that issues of resettlement and relocation, lack of communication, community readiness and community capacity all impacted on the delivery of health-promotion activities within the Chinese community. Conclusion: The findings led to a series of seven steps as guidelines to engage the Chinese community to prevent and/or reduce injuries towards improving the quality of their lives. The underlying principles of the guidelines helped in the development of a community engagement approach for Chinese communities in Auckland, New Zealand.