Abstract
Analysis of Outstanding Health Promotion Organizations: Lessons of Future Development This study aims to describe to process and success of various outstanding health promotion organizations include describe their factors and conditions of success as well as recommend for policy and management, and infrastructure for other health promotion organizations to develop their health promotion programs. The study was conducted through quality research strategies in 4 outstanding health promotion organizations which represent for governmental organization (Health Promotion Centre, Zone1 Bangkhen, Bangkok), private sector (The Unilever Thai Holdings Co. Ltd.), non-government organization (Mission Hospital), and civic group (The Association of Thai Bicycle for health). Most data gathered from interview the organizations’ managers and their staff, and collected from reports and questionnaired the programs participants. The results of this study were found that;1. Major Characteristics of the 4 case studies: 1.1 Mission Hospital (Private hospital) handles many health promotion activities for their service by the participants have to pay for those services. The hospital has a clear policy to develop and service for health promotion programs. The hospital has readiness for infrastructures, personnel, models which emphasize on holistic approach and practical model under the “NEWSTART” (nutrition-exercise-water-temperance-air-rest-trust) course that has been proved for its success. 1.2 Health Promotion Centre, Zone1 (The Ministry of Public Health) is a governmental organization that respond for research and development of health promotion models. The centre itself has a clear policy and good management strategies and techniques to enhance their staff capacities and emphasize their staff’s health promotion at first. The outstanding research projects of this centre are; LAMAZ, Thai Traditional Exercise for physical therapy Clinic, and Dental Health Model for children. 1.3 The Unilever Thai Holdings Co. Ltd. (Private Sector) emphasize on workers’ health as main policy. Their health promotion program started at “Lever Smoking Free Program”. This program used civic group of non-smokers as major factors to enforce and develop other health promotion activities eg. Selection of new good-health workers who are non-smokers, non-fat personnel, including other six health promotion programs (foods-exercise-emotion-drinks-AIDS-accident). 1.4 Thai Bicycle Organization for Health (Civic group) is a civic health promotion organization which all participants are willing to participate to all activities that have been set up, which then develop to good health and other beneficial public activities.2. Lessons and Idea from the case studies 2.1 Variety of health promotion activities in different organizations indicates that health promotion belongs to every persons’ life-style and it can be developed and applied to other organization or non-target community. 2.2 These organizations are all freely managed by themselves under difference of their success conditions and readiness which hindrance their systematic development or the holistic development and their broad success. This needed to have a co-ordination organization to make network between each parties in term of policy, strategies, budget, research and development, and exchange of their knowledge and experiences. 2.3 Health promotion policy of an organization is an essential factor for its direction and condition of success. This needs a keen leadership for management and governmental public policy to support the success. 2.4 All these outstanding organizations can be leading organizations for health promotion, however, all these organization still need concrete support from govenmental sector to develop their activities and co-ordination to exchange their technology and other existing resources of thealth promotion development. 2.5 Variety of their health promotion strategies can be applied to other organizations such as development of personal life-skill, practical model, emphasis of the staff health promotion skill as a model, create supportive environment, and making partnership on the same issues etc. 2.6 These should be motivation for the success of any person and organization such as rewards, health bonus for a good health worker, tax-decreasion for such organization, decreasion of health insurance premium etc. 2.7 Governmental sector must have a clear policy and strategies to enforce health promotion issues as social movement to make population concern of good family health, school health, healthy work place, healthy society through mass media systematically.
