The health promotion action is a process to improve people health`s. In this context, people has an active role to enhance their well-being and wellness. The nursing college could be a health promoting context to enhance the health self-control of academic communities, and it creating a learning environment and organizational culture that enhances health. The main lines that characterized these contexts are: to adopt institutional compromises and build healthy policy, to promote well-being, knowledge in health’s area, critical health literacy, personal and social responsibility of the academic and local community.
The aim of the study was to describe the process of transforming nursing college in health promoting context using the PEER-IESS model (Brito & Mendes, 2009) and to analyse the contributions of the involvement of academic community in participatory health research. PEER-IESS intend to be a bottom-up strategy to implement health promotion contexts.
Methods:
A participatory health research (ICPHR, 2013) was implemented, using a constructive case-study in a nursing college, to evaluate in which way the involvement of a “seed group” in a participatory health research process initiates the mobilization a higher education community. The participatory health research through PRECEDE-PROCEED model (Predisposing, Reinforcing, Enabling, Constructs in Educational/ecological Diagnosis and Evaluation)-(Policy, Regulatorory, Organizational, Constructor in Educational and Environmental Development) of Green and Kreuter (1991) conceptually guided our study.
The data collection strategies were multi-method, including semi-structured interviews, focus group, participatory observation, documental analysis and questionnaires. Based on PRECEDE-PROCEED model and quality criteria of participatory health research we trained and empowered a "seed group" to implement peer-research, peer-education and health promotion strategies. The initial assessment was based in social, epidemiological, behavioural, environmental, educational, organizational, political and administrative diagnostics. This approach supported the design of health promotion interventions in the academic community.
The "seed group" was constituted by 5 students, 4 teachers and 2 staff members. The interventions of the “seed group” were implemented since 2013.
Results: The priority areas of intervention were defined and implemented, in a collaborative and participatory involvement of all the academic community with the support of the “seed group”. The main areas of intervention were targeted for nursing students, institutional policies, school health services and infusion of health promotion content in undergraduate course curriculum in nursing.The intervention strategies used were workshops, worldcafé, peer-to-peer counselling interventions with the objective to reduce risk damage during academic festivities, curricular infusion, and definition of strategic development plan of the institution, occupational health and quality management.The intervention process engages the academic community to have an active voice in promoting health and in promoting the universal responsibility of the academic community. The engagement of the nursing students in studies with the participatory health research promotes the development of personal and professional skills, preparing the students to exercise of nursing profession.
Conclusion:
These results will be an important contributes to guide the formulation of health enhancing policies and practices, thereby strengthening health and sustainability in universities and colleges and local community.
See more of: Research Sessions: Symposia