Promoting Health through Community Activities

Experience in Nishitosa-mura Village, Kochi Prefecture

Abstract

What is called “health promotion” should be considered in the framework of its rationale rather than its contents.
If emphasis is placed on the contents, the means of health promotion such as increasing the number of persons receiving health checkups or of persons attending health seminars may become the ends in themselves.
By understanding its rationale, we could appreciate the essence of “living more humanely” and reach the counclusion that the end of health promotion is to establish a healthy and affluent society. Health-promoting activities in a community are revitalized through participation of people of the community, and empowerment of inhabitants is achieved through putting into practice what has been gained in health learning. These two factors combine to make for the promotion of health. It is strongly recommended that those involved in public health and medical welfare stand on the same footing as the people of a community in supporting their activities and achieve by learning from them.