Title:

An assessment of the possibility to shape the environment in localities – members of the Polish Healthy Cities Association: A qualitative analysis of competent informants’ opinions

Author:

Balcerzak, Bartosz

Subject:

environmental health ; Healthy Cities Project

Abstract:

The main goal of this research project is to describe and evaluate local environmental health actions undertaken within the Healthy Cities network in Poland. The qualitative research was carried out in 2002 in three cities – members of the Polish Healthy Cities Association. The sampling was purposeful. The data were collected by means of semistructured interviews. The sample consisted of key informants representing different institutions involved in environmental health actions at the local level. The transcripts of fifty interviews were analyzed with the use of Microsoft Word and QRS N6 tools. The results demonstrate that the environmental health interventions implemented in the investigated cities had hardly any of the qualities expected by the Healthy Cities Project, such as: commitment of all sectors to health issues as well as reinforcement of intersectoral cooperation and community participation. It was found that apart from the regional disease control centres, there were no institutions declaring commitment to environmental health issues. The way the interventions were planned, developed and evaluated was adjusted to the objectives of the implementing institutions rather than to the needs of the local communities. The results of the research clearly show the risk that the Healthy City Project is treated by it’s participants more as a bureaucratic task to be executed by ; means of purely administrative measures than a social movement. In conclusion can be stated that the idea of Healthy Cities in Poland encounters obstacles. A grant for this research project was awarded by the Committee of Scientific Research (no. 0773/po5/2001/20).

Place of publishing:

Kraków

Level of degree:

2 - studia doktoranckie

Degree discipline:

zdrowie publiczne

Degree grantor:

Wydział Nauk o Zdrowiu

Promoter:

Hałuszka, Janusz

Date:

2011

Date issued:

2010

Type:

Praca doktorska

Call number:

ZB-113850

Language:

pol

Access rights:

nieograniczony

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