The training of health promotion agents in Cote d'Ivoire: Socio-anthropological issues in community interventions

Abstract

Adou Serge Judicael Anoua

Statement of the Problem: The epidemiological transition remains a major challenge for public health in Côte d’Ivoire. It stems from the medicalized vision of the health system. In fact, the action plans of the various national programs are in no way officially supported by any sociological support study. The reference structure for prevention remains the service of epidemiological surveillance. The implication of such an attitude is the fact of sociological resistance in the acculturative process. In this context, the human component is a dimension of importance. From this we deduce that this epidemiological monopoly underlying the public health approach in Côte d’Ivoire seems to us to be wrong. How to reduce this complex health situation? And how to get people to take charge of their own health individually and collectively? Intervention: Faced with these questions, we propose the establishment of a training system in health promotion anchored in lifestyle. It is a matter of guiding the different social strata of the population towards the adoption of the behaviors in favor of a general well-being, in addition to the control of their own health. It is in this context that the opening in 2014 of the community health training program at Alassane Ouattara University in Bouaké, meets a healthy wait. This stream recruits nurses, midwives and doctors. They are trained in theory and practice from a multidisciplinary perspective in order to establish the mechanism of behavioral change in the population. Results: The first promotion has just been released in 2018, with the Master’s degree in Community Health. Conclusion: It is envisaged for these new graduates, the creation of a national network to maintain relations, strengthen the spirit of professional belonging and develop a framework for collaboration and exchange of experiences for improving skills.