[Participation in the cooperation between target group, project and sponsor]

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Health
• Health Promotion

Background:

• The Ottawa Charter highlights the link between citizen empowerment and participation in health promotion.
• Unequal power structures limit citizen influence on health-related decisions, necessitating equitable power sharing.
• Local decision-making significantly impacts community health promotion initiatives and funding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the "Circles of Decision-Making" method for assessing and enhancing stakeholder participation.
• To provide a tool for local-level health promotion practitioners.
• To strengthen community involvement in health-related decision-making processes.

Main Methods:

• The study presents the "Circles of Decision-Making" method.
• This method is based on Participatory Quality Development (PQD).
• PQD utilizes community-based research to improve health promotion quality.

Main Results:

• The "Circles of Decision-Making" method aids in evaluating current participation levels.
• It identifies strategies to include marginalized or excluded stakeholders.
• The method supports the strengthening of community-level health promotion.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing participation is crucial for achieving health empowerment.
• The "Circles of Decision-Making" method offers a practical approach for local health promotion.
• Equitable power sharing in decision-making can lead to stronger, healthier communities.