Gesundheitswesen 2008; 70(12): 755-763
DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1103260
Originalarbeit

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Evaluation von Empowerment – Perspektiven und Konzepte von Gesundheitsförderern. Ergebnisse einer qualitativen Studie in Australien

Evaluation of Empowerment: Health Promotion Practitioners’ Perceptions and Concepts. Results of a Qualitative Study in AustraliaJ. Loss 1 , M. Wise 2
  • 1Institut für Medizinmanagement und Gesundheitswissenschaften, Universität Bayreuth
  • 2Australian Centre for Health Promotion, The University of Sydney, Australia
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
11 December 2008 (online)

Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund: Empowerment ist ein Kernkonzept der WHO-Vision von Gesundheitsförderung. Die Evaluation von Empowerment erweist sich aber als schwierig. Bei der Entwicklung angemessener Studiendesigns, Indikatoren und Methoden für die Messung und Bewertung von Empowerment sollten die Erfahrungen, Bedenken und alltäglichen Rahmenbedingungen von Praktikern der Gesundheitsförderung berücksichtigt werden.

Methoden: Es wurden semistandardisierte Interviews mit 17 erfahrenen Experten der gemeindenahen Gesundheitsförderung im Bundesstaat New South Wales, Australien, durchgeführt. Die Interviews behandelten Nutzen und Probleme der Evaluation von Empowerment, Schlüsselindikatoren und methodische Aspekte. Die Interviewtranskripte wurden mithilfe der thematischen Content-Analyse ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse wurden mit den Interviewpartnern auf einem Workshop diskutiert (sog. respondent validation).

Ergebnisse und Diskussion: Die Evaluation von Empowerment wird generell von den Gesundheitsförderern unterstützt. Wesentliche Bedingung hierfür ist, dass Empowerment explizit Bestandteil der Programmlogik bzw. der zugrundeliegenden Theorie ist. Die Interviews machten deutlich, wie wichtig es ist, dass das politische Umfeld die Evaluation von Empowerment befürwortet. Die oftmals fehlende Anerkennung von Empowerment als Ergebnis einer Intervention im Vergleich zu gesundheitsbezogenen Ergebnissen ist eine große Herausforderung für die Finanzierung von Evaluationen. Gemeindemitglieder sollten in den Evaluationsprozess einbezogen werden; allerdings bestand keine Einigkeit darüber, wie Repräsentativität erreicht werden kann. Die besten Methoden zur Erfassung von Empowerment sind nach Ansicht der Interviewten qualitative Verfahren. Die positiven Erfahrungen, die die Interviewpartner mit innovativen qualitativen Methoden gemacht haben, rechtfertigen eine Investition in die Entwicklung neuer Forschungsansätze.

Abstract

Background: Although the concepts of participation and empowerment are hallmarks of the WHO vision of health promotion, it is acknowledged that they are difficult to evaluate. Devising adequate study designs, indicators and methods for the assessment of participation and empowerment should take into account the experiences, concerns, working conditions and constraints of health promotion practitioners.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 experienced practitioners in community-based health promotion in New South Wales, Australia. The interviews covered benefits of and barriers to the evaluation of empowerment, key indicators and methodological aspects. Interview transcripts were examined using thematic content analysis.

Results and Discussion: The idea of evaluating empowerment is supported by health promotion practitioners, provided that empowerment is part of the programme logic and/or programme theory. The interviews highlighted the importance of a receptive environment for evaluation of empowerment and participation to take root. The resistence of health authorities towards empowerment indicators is a great challenge for funding of evaluations. Community members are to be included in the evaluation process, al-though it is not always easy to do so in a representative way and empowering approach. The best methods to capture whether empowerment has occurred in a programme are qualitative ones. The positive experiences that the interview partners made with innovative qualitative methods encourage further investment in developing new research designs.

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Korrespondenzadresse

Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Julika Loss

Institut für Medizinmanagement und Gesundheitswissenschaften

Universität Bayreuth

95440 Bayreuth

Email: julika.loss@uni-bayreuth.de

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