A Search for the 'public' in Government Public Health Initiatives

In contemporary societies, individuals and§communities are increasingly being expected to look§after their health, but to what extent is their§knowledge and experience valued? This book is a study§of community involvement in health and explores the§understanding of health that lay people have compared§to professionals. It traces and analyses the process§of lay participation in health promotion. The study§methodology is informed by the author s own history§and draws on participatory action research§techniques, underpinned by the work of amongst§others, Paolo Freire. It is contextualised in a§review of UK public health, community development,§the government''s Health Action Zone initiative, and§constructions of health and illness. The policy and§political context is that of the New Labour§Government s third way and its association with the§concept of social capital. The study demonstrates how§the government s idea of modernisation marginalised§lay participation and the use of lay knowledge in§public health. It recommends frameworks and also a§social capital model that can aid the planning and§implementation of health promotion initiatives that§are more inclusive of the public.