This study explored the current status, barriers, and strategies for enhancing the integration of health and social services within neighborhood-level health promotion programs. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten key stakeholders who had expe...
This study explored the current status, barriers, and strategies for enhancing the integration of health and social services within neighborhood-level health promotion programs. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten key stakeholders who had experience with local health and social welfare initiatives. Thematic analysis was applied to the transcribed data, using the “Conceptual Framework for Integrated Care” proposed by Valentijn and colleagues to support a structural understanding of service integration.
The findings revealed that integration within health promotion programs operates as a multidimensional structure across micro (practice), meso (organizational), and macro (systemic) levels, with each level encompassing both facilitating and hindering factors. At the micro level, excessive workloads and the deprioritization of collaboration emerged as key barriers, indicating a need for education and training to strengthen cross-sectoral collaboration capacities. At the meso level, unclear professional roles and the tokenistic operation of the coalition were major challenges, requiring the mitigation of hierarchical and cultural divides between professionals and the activation of community participation in governance. At the macro level, insufficient linkage between health and social welfare policies and the absence of operational guidelines were critical obstacles, underscoring the importance of sustained policy support and the establishment of institutional foundations.
To effectively integrate health and social services in health promotion programs, it is essential to promote community engagement, strengthen neighborhood-level health functions, and adopt a population-based approach. Multisectoral collaboration is necessary to address the structural challenges of integration.