A participatory practice study for the improvement of sub-regional health vulnerabilities: a qualitative study

This study aimed to explore the experiences of the residents of Samho-dong with the health environment in the local community, and their in-depth opinions on health promotion using a photovoice methodology. Alternatives to improve health among the residents of Samho-dong were also discussed with the local residents, with the aim of translating suggestions from the discussion into practice.

A total of 195 photographs taken by the 15 participants over the course of 7 weeks were collected, along with 96 photovoice activity logs and transcription data from 5 rounds of focus group discussions. The photovoice activity logs consisted of the photographer’s name, the dates photos were taken, and a series of responses to the following SHOWeD questions: “What do you SEE here?”, “What is really HAPPENING?”, “How does this situation or scenario affect OUR lives/health?”, “WHY does this problem or strength Exist?”, “What can we DO about it?”. Direct content analysis was used for analysis.

The analysis yielded a total of 247 semantic units, which were categorized into the themes, “the good, but insufficiency, living environment in Samho-dong,” “the health environment in Samho-dong needs improvement,” “small efforts to improve Samho-dong,” and “points of improvement for a better Samho-dong”. Samho-dong was found to have a poorer walking and transportation infrastructure than other regions, even though it was a town with a large elderly population. The dark streets in the residential complex made participants hesitate to engage in afternoon activities, and the insufficient traffic environment made it difficult to live a natural daily life by solving food, clothing, and shelter. Participants have made various attempts to solve areas that need improvement in the Samho-dong, which has led to actual improvement. It was analyzed that in order to make Samho-dong better, it was necessary to improve the perception of residents in Samho-dong and cooperate with the local community.

This study was significant in that it enabled the in-depth exploration and identification of areas of improvement from the participants’ perception of their health environment, considering that as residents, they are the direct stakeholders of the community health environment.