Question

If you are trying to address and further implement certain strategies for a specific public health issue in a community, what are some of the examples of multiple social and political forces you might be faced with? In other words, what kinds of community politics could you encounter?

Answer 1

Community politics is one of the major factors responsible for the success and failure of implementing strategies and programs on a public health issue for the community. As we know community engagement and participation is key for any public health program to take off and make intended strides leading to positive outcome. The most effective way to mobilize the community is by involving the political representatives who can gather support and bring the community together. But the same political forces and social groups can be a major impediment and interfere with the public health program and destabilize the implementation and affect the outcome too. Some of the examples of such community politics can be:

1. Community boycott: The community politics is key in bringing people together and if at political opposition is met then the implementation of the public health can be reversed into a boycott. The community representatives when politicize the program and strategies then public perception is tainted leading to low participation and even boycott

2. False information propaganda: Another way for political interference is to spread false information and proposing that the community cannot benefit from the implemented strategies and this false information form the community groups and political representatives can have more impact then the truth due to public trust.

3. Alterior motives: At times even the best of the public health programs fail due to the alterior motives and indirect or direct damage the program can have on the political interests of the community. if any risk or threat is posed to the political motives and agenda, then these alterior motives can help impede the program strategy implementation and lead to failure of the program on false pretenses.

4. Indirect opposition: the community political entities and groups at times cannot protest a good public health program adn due to this they indirectly oppose the program by creating problems in an indirect ways, methods and people using as medium and then building on the incidences and charging the opposition to the public health implementation of the program.

5. Accusing misconduct: Most programs are tainted and even fail due to public perception being tailored by accusing misconduct to the public program and diminishing its reputation and intentions. This misconduct when accused and even not proved can have a long lasting damaging impact on the program which can have detrimental impacts on implantation and success of the programs.