Local health promotion
As health is shaped by people’s immediate living environment, it is precisely here that local health promotion begins. The Swiss Red Cross (SRC) strengthens people’s health in their communities and together with its sister societies reaches vulnerable people at the local level – in Switzerland and across the world.
Challenges
Poverty and unequal opportunities
Billions of people across the world have no access to basic health services. The key reasons for this are poverty, a shortage of specialists and a lack of information and infrastructure. Even in well-functioning healthcare systems there are certain sections of the population without simple access to healthcare provision. This can be due to linguistic barriers or a low level of education. Medical care is for many people simply too expensive and they are unable to afford the treatment costs and in many cases even the journey to hospital.
High health risk for the vulnerable
Many people are particularly dependent on prevention and good access to the healthcare system, such as small children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, older people, people with disabilities and those with an immigrant background. They are particularly at risk if this access is lacking or impeded. This means that we need to be aware and take account of their special needs in our work in order to protect them better.
Unhealthy lifestyles and habits
It is difficult to change habits. Too little knowledge about health is generally only one of many obstacles to permanently changing our own behaviour. Alongside this, time, costs, social norms, access to infrastructure and the setting of priorities also play a role.
Information alone is not sufficient to be able to change habits in the long term. Further factors need to be taken into account, such as what motivates or holds somebody back – for example personal circumstances, financial resources or the environment in which a person lives.
Climate change, diseases and migration
The consequences of climate change are having a negative impact on health in many places. Heat, droughts and flooding are destroying livelihoods, leading to food insecurity and exacerbating resource conflicts. Older people most frequently die due to heat, particularly if they are chronically ill or socially isolated.
Flooding often contaminates drinking water, resulting in cholera and diarrhoea. Illnesses spread by mosquitoes are also fostered by rising temperatures and areas of flooding.
Refugees and displaced people are exposed to additional health risks. It is frequently difficult when fleeing to obtain medical care. Living in cramped conditions in refugee camps and shelters for asylum seekers with insufficient access to sanitary facilities and clean water increases the risk of infectious diseases.
Our goal
Together with the Confederation in Switzerland and its sister societies across the world, the SRC strengthens the health and well-being of the population at the local level and prevents disease.
In doing so we support the United Nations “Good Health and Well-being” Sustainable Development Goal.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
UN global goals
What we do
The SRC supports the staff and volunteers of its cantonal associations and sister societies (national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies) strategically and professionally in their task of improving health at the local level – in the communities – in the long term.
Promoting healthy behaviour
Behavioural changes have a lasting effect if we understand people’s motives. The SRC therefore develops practical measures together with the affected population for promoting healthy behaviour. The SRC works according to a proven approach (COM-B model of Michie and Stralen, 2012). This approach takes account of the reality of people’s lives – their capabilities, their opportunities and their motivation – in order to develop practical solutions that sustainably change the way they behave.
The focus here is placed on preventing illness in the following areas:
Healthy ageing
Mental health
Mother-child health
Water and hygiene
Non-communicable diseases
Blood donation
Climate and health
Health and migration
Behavioural changes strengthen health while simultaneously relieving the healthcare system and the tight budgets of the most vulnerable people.
COM-B model
The COM-B model is a scientifically-based approach for analysing and promoting behavioural changes. It helps us to understand why people change their behaviour – or fail to do so. It considers three factors to be decisive:
Capability: does a person have the necessary knowledge and capabilities?
Opportunity: do the right conditions prevail in everyday life to implement a behaviour?
Motivation: does a person wish to change their behaviour?
A long-term change of habits (change of behaviour) can only succeed if the three factors interact.
Target-group-oriented information
The SRC is one of the largest providers of health courses for the population in Switzerland. Participants learn how to care for themselves and for others.
The SRC also promotes equal opportunities in the field of health:
We advise experts who work with people from different social, linguistic and cultural environments.
We provide easily understandable and multilingual health material.
This way the SRC helps to enable as many people as possible in Switzerland to understand and make use of health knowledge and to make self-determined decisions for their health.
Examples of our global commitment to health
Closing gaps and reaching the most vulnerable
The Red Cross and Red Crescent societies close gaps in state healthcare provision in many countries, including Switzerland. Volunteers and staff are also present in remote communities. The population trusts them, as they are themselves part of their communities. They are aware of the needs, risks and inequalities and trained to provide targeted support.
Where we help
The SRC supports health in Switzerland and across the world. It promotes the professional expertise of its sister societies in several countries in order to enable them to meet the health requirements of the population as well as possible.
Our project countries
World map.The Swiss Red Cross project countries are highlighted in red. Here is the full list: Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Israel and the occupied territories, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Moldova, Nepal, Paraguay, South Sudan, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Togo, Ukraine.
