Public health nurse educators’ conceptualisation of public health as a strategy to reduce health inequalities: a qualitative study

International Journal for Equity in Health

Mzwandile A Mabhala¹ 

[1] Department of Community Health and Wellbeing, University of Chester, Riverside Campus, Chester CH1 1SF, UK

关键词: Nursing;    Socioeconomic determinants;    Public health;    Inequalities in health;    Social justice;   

Others  :  1133628
DOI  :  10.1186/s12939-015-0146-2

 received in 2014-07-22, accepted in 2015-01-21,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

Nurses have long been identified as key contributors to strategies to reduce health inequalities. However, health inequalities are increasing in the UK despite policy measures put in place to reduce them. This raises questions about: convergence between policy makers’ and nurses’ understanding of how inequalities in health are created and sustained and educational preparation for the role as contributors in reducing health inequalities.

Aim

The aim of this qualitative research project is to determine public health nurse educators’ understanding of public health as a strategy to reduce health inequalities.

Method

26 semi-structured interviews were conducted with higher education institution-based public health nurse educators.

Findings

Public health nurse educators described health inequalities as the foundation on which a public health framework should be built. Two distinct views emerged of how health inequalities should be tackled: some proposed a population approach focusing on upstream preventive strategies, whilst others proposed behavioural approaches focusing on empowering vulnerable individuals to improve their own health.

Conclusion

Despite upstream interventions to reduce inequalities in health being proved to have more leverage than individual behavioural interventions in tackling the fundamental causes of health inequalities, some nurses have a better understanding of individual interventions than take population approaches.

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Mabhala; licensee BioMed Central.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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