Beyond form and functioning: Understanding how contextual factors influence village health committees in northern India

dc.contributor.authorScott, Kerry
dc.contributor.authorGeorge, Asha S.
dc.contributor.authorHarvey, Steven A.
dc.contributor.authorMondal, Shinjini
dc.contributor.authorPatel, Gupteswar
dc.contributor.authorVed, Rajani
dc.contributor.authorGarimella, Surekha
dc.contributor.authorSheikh, Kabir
dc.date.accessioned2018-10-29T12:24:34Z
dc.date.available2018-10-29T12:24:34Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractHealth committees are a common strategy to foster community participation in health. Efforts to strengthen committees often focus on technical inputs to improve committee form (e.g. representative membership) and functioning (e.g. meeting procedures). However, porous and interconnected contextual spheres also mediate committee effectiveness. Using a framework for contextual analysis, we explored the contextual features that facilitated or hindered Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC) functionality in rural north India. We conducted interviews (n = 74), focus groups (n = 18) and observation over 1.5 years. Thematic content analysis enabled the identification and grouping of themes, and detailed exploration of sub-themes. While the intervention succeeded in strengthening committee form and functioning, participant accounts illuminated the different ways in which contextual influences impinged on VHSNC efficacy. Women and marginalized groups navigated social hierarchies that curtailed their ability to assert themselves in the presence of men and powerful local families. These dynamics were not static and unchanging, illustrated by pre-existing cross-caste problem solving, and the committee's creation of opportunities for the careful violation of social norms. Resource and capacity deficits in government services limited opportunities to build relationships between health system actors and committee members and engendered mistrust of government institutions. Fragmented administrative accountability left committee members bearing responsibility for improving local health without access to stakeholders who could support or respond to their efforts. The committee's narrow authority was at odds with widespread community needs, and committee members struggled to involve diverse government services across the health, sanitation, and nutrition sectors. Multiple parallel systems (political decentralization, media and other village groups) presented opportunities to create more enabling VHSNC contexts, although the potential to harness these opportunities was largely unmet. This study highlights the urgent need for supportive contexts in which people can not only participate in health committees, but also access the power and resources needed to bring about actual improvements to their health and wellbeing.en_US
dc.description.accreditationISI
dc.identifier.citationScott, K. et al. (2017). Beyond form and functioning: Understanding how contextual factors influence village health committees in northern India. PLoS ONE, 12(8): e0182982.en_US
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0182982
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10566/4165
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.privacy.showsubmitterFALSE
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_US
dc.rights© 2017 Scott et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
dc.status.ispeerreviewedTRUE
dc.subjectHealth committeesen_US
dc.subjectCommunity participationen_US
dc.subjectHealthen_US
dc.subjectVillage Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC)en_US
dc.titleBeyond form and functioning: Understanding how contextual factors influence village health committees in northern Indiaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Scott_Beyond-form_2017.pdf
Size:
1.72 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description: