There’s a middle ground, you know:partnering with low-socioeconomic status families in health promotion

Intergenerational poverty, where children from poor households do not seem to escape from poverty later in life, is becoming more visible in society. About 8% of Dutch families have a low income. Some specific regions, such as the southern part of the Netherlands, score worse on well-being, participation and poverty outcomes. This study focuses on enhancing the situation of low socioeconomic status (SES) families with children under the age of eighteen living in the municipality Vaals. Although strengthening the position of low-SES families is seen as important, recruiting and retaining them within defined interventions to enhance their well-being has been found difficult. This research describes studies that create equal partnerships in order to bring together the best of professional expertise and local talent. Activities were carried out providing information and suggestions to enhance partnership processes with low-SES families in the future. Funded by NutsOhra (grant number 31963254N

With whom are you dealing? Using social network analysis as a tool to strengthen service delivery structures for low socioeconomic status populations

Background: Health disparities between populations with different socioeconomic status (SES) are increasing. Although a wide variety of support service organizations and arrangements are in place, no general overview of this social network, its reach, and harmonization of services surrounding low-SES populations are available. The present participatory health research study examined the current network structure and the utility of using social network analysis (SNA) as a tool to improve service delivery structures. Design and methods: We applied a mixed-methods study design. An online-questionnaire was used to examine the relationships among organizations assumed to support low-SES individuals in the municipality of Vaals, the Netherlands. In addition, semi-structured interviews and a networking session were used to examine the current network structure and to explore opportunities for improvement. Results: The SNA revealed a weak network structure, and all interviewed professionals mentioned that the current structure should be improved. Participants indicated that a first step would be to install a central information system. Conclusions: SNA can be a useful tool to gain more in-depth insights into the relations within a service delivery network. The professionals were assisted in discovering new organizations that could help them reach low SES populations and in harmonizing and improving their service delivery