Taking charge--strategies for self-empowered health behavior among older people

RECENT campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of health issues amongst older people have contributed much to the debates about health education and health promotion. Unfortunately though, publicity campaigns fail to address the very practical aspects of how we might help older people develop self-empowered health behaviour. This article considers firstly what it means to be poor and powerless and describes seven key factors which facilitate self-empowered health behaviour. These are then related to an innovative health project being developed with older people in Stoke-on-Trent, funded jointly by the Beth Johnson Foundation and the EEC under its Second Poverty Programme.