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Community-based participatory health (CBPH) programs are important for addressing health disparities; however, the limited development of validated scales to measure outcomes may hinder the utilization and upscaling of such programs. Thus, this study aimed to develop a culturally appropriate and valid tool for the quantitative evaluation of a CBPH program and to test theory-driven pathways of associations among participation, social capital, empowerment and health outcomes. This study used a participatory and mixed methods approach. Formative research, including a literature review, survey results over the past 2 years, focus group interviews and participatory evaluation committee meetings, was conducted. Four program components—participation, social capital, empowerment and quality of life (QoL)—were identified and used to construct a validated evaluation tool. A total of 317 participants (89.9% women, mean age = 57.7 ± 11.5 years) responded to the survey. The data were analyzed for internal consistency and factor structure. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the theoretical pathways of health promotion through the CBPH program. The SEM results showed two significant mediation pathways such that participation in interventions was associated with higher QoL via social capital accumulation and improved empowerment. Our results exemplify a validated scale that can be used to evaluate the intermediate- and long-term outcomes of a CBPH program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the health needs of adults with disabilities in South Korea according to disability type using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). An exploratory, qualitative approach using content analysis was employed. Five focus groups consisted of six to seven participants with visual impairment (PVI), hearing impairment (PHI), physical impairment (PPI), brain disorder (PBD), and intellectual disability (PID). Linking rules were used to identify how the health needs related to the ICF components of Body Functions, Activity & Participation, and Environmental Factors. The health needs related to the Environmental Factors were the most mentioned and were frequently perceived as causes of poor health conditions related to Activities & Participation and Body Function. According to what participants perceived as main health issues in the Environmental Factors, the five groups were classified into (1) Services, systems, and policies mainly affecting type (PVI and PPI); (2) Support and relationships mainly affecting type (PHI); and (3) Attitude mainly affecting type (PBD and PID). Government officials and health professionals must tailor development and provision of healthcare for people with disabilities based on health need type. Few studies have investigated the health needs of people with disabilities, although many health indicators suggest that they are facing health inequalities in South Korea. The health issues related to the Environmental Factors were often perceived in this study as causes of poor health conditions related to the Activities & Participation and Body Function, indicating the need to preferentially solve the health issues related to the Environmental Factor. According to what people with each of the five types of disabilities perceived as main health issues and what kinds of actions they expected in the Environmental Factors, they could be classified into three health need types. It is recommended that government officials and health professionals develop and provide appropriate supply-side measures of healthcare considering these different demand-side health needs according to disability type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the locally tailored and individualized home-based rehabilitation (HBR) program developed using the community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, in terms of perceived health in patients with different levels of social engagement, and to explore the perceived facilitators and barriers to rehabilitation. Method:A concurrent mixed-method design was employed. Four patients participated in the combined therapist- and self-delivered HBR program for 5 months. The perceived health outcomes were quantitatively assessed at baseline, after the therapist-delivered intervention period, and at 1 and 3 months after the self-delivered intervention period. Then, in-depth individual interviews were conducted to explore the facilitators and barriers to rehabilitation. Results:The perceived health of patients who were fully or partially engaged in society was increased during the therapist-delivered intervention period, and maintained the increased level during the self-delivered intervention period, whereas that of patients who were rarely or not engaged dropped again to lower than the baseline. These results were caused by differentiated facilitators and barriers to rehabilitation depending on the level of social engagement. Conclusions:Applying tailored strategies to patients with differing levels of social engagement is recommended to further optimize the local relevance of the HBR program.Implications for rehabilitationA community-based participatory research approach can provide an opportunity to enhance local relevance through community-academic partnerships, in developing a home-based rehabilitation (HBR) program for the people with disabilities.For community therapists, enhancing the local relevance of the HBR program, applying tailored strategies to patients with differing levels of social engagement is recommended because the perceived health of the HBR program can be different owing to differing perceived facilitators and barriers to rehabilitation, depending on the level of social engagement.For patients with rare or no engagement in society, satisfying their need for interaction with the therapists and helping them cope with their wrong belief about the possibility of their recovery is important to encourage behavioral change and perceived physical improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]