A Community-led Workshop to Convey the Concept of “Community-centered Model of Health Promotion:” An Experience from Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background and Aim: This paper details the results of a formal workshop conducted by lay community members for a professional audience, as part of an initiative by the Department of Health Promotion in Rajarata University to popularize its “community centered model of health promotion”. Methods: Ten persons from rural communities in Anuradhapura district, who had previously implemented health promotion interventions in their communities, conducted the workshop. The half-day workshop, was in 3 phases – phase I: Prioritizing issues and setting goals; phase II: Training participants on the steps of the community centered model; phase III: A discussion with participants on enhancing the effectiveness of interventions. The participants were 10 local and foreign professionals and 17 undergraduates. A self-administered questionnaire was administered to the participants and telephone interviews were conducted with community members who conducted the workshop. Results: The majority of participants reported a strong achievement of learning outcomes. Participants’ comments indicated that the model was well presented and the community member trainers conducted the workshop well. Responses from the community member trainers indicated that they felt confident in conducting the workshop and believed they had succeeded in imparting the intended knowledge and experience. Conclusions: The community-led workshop was successful in terms of conveying the model, achieving the leaning outcomes of participants and in empowering community members to conduct a formal workshop for professionals. It is recommended that this model be replicated.