Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Health promotion--Romania--Transylvania--Evaluation; Medical care--Needs assessment--Romania--Transylvania; Health promotion--Evaluation; Medical care--Needs assessment; Romania--Transylvania;
Abstract
Since the revolution of 1989, Romania has been undergoing wide ranging changes affecting all aspects of the country including health promotion. As common to many newly independent states (NIS) the changes in socio-economics, on-going poverty, unemployment status, and the overall culture shock of political transition, has resulted in health characteristics and indicators improving in some areas but suffering in others. This project was initiated as a descriptive study of the health promotion practices of Transylvania, Romania. The goal of the research was to describe and discover the philosophical practices driving current Romanian health promotion practices, as well as to conduct a needs assessment. Thirty-eight health professionals were interviewed with a 35-question survey, then immediately followed up with focus group discussion. In addition to the health professional survey and discussion, villages across Transylvania were visited and 70 Romanian citizens were interviewed regarding their perceptions concerning. the current health promotion practices. Knowledge and awareness concerning the topic of Methemoglobinemia was also of interest as some of the participants were identified, through a related study in this region, as having had experienced the disease. It was discovered that there are national programs established by law for health promotion in Romania, but allocation of funding for those programs is limited, resulting in many needs remaining unmet across the country. Insufficient labor and funding were found to be of highest concern to the health professionals surveyed. Also, difficulty in reaching rural populations was a problem.
Current health promotion activities practiced by local health professionals were discovered to focus on the individual as the instrument of responsibility in regards to health. Other implicating factors, at the societal, political, or ecological levels were not recognized by the Romanian health professionals and were not brought up during focus group sessions. It was concluded that the health promotion practices most resemble the constructs of the Health Belief Model, with an emphasis on the individual's responsibility for their own health. For health promotion practices to improve, future expansion of focus to other factors impacting health is suggested. If programs and health behavior are to improve, consideration of influential factors that include the environment, interpersonal relationships, and community change is needed.
Year of Submission
2002
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
First Advisor
Catherine Zeman
Date Original
2002
Object Description
1 PDF file (186 pages)
Copyright
©2002 Bryan C. Byrd
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Byrd, Bryan C., "Health Promotion Evaluation and Needs Assessment in the Transylvania Region of Romania" (2002). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1669.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1669
Comments
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