Health Promotion International, Vol. 15, No. 3, 249-257,
September 2000
© Oxford University Press 2000
Health promotion in South-East Asia: Indonesia, DPR Korea, Thailand, the Maldives and Myanmar*
Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, Melbourne, Australia, 1 Thai Institute for Rural Development and Village Foundation, Bangkok, Thailand, 2 Australian International Health Institute and 3 Department of Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Address for correspondence: C. Borthwick Vic Health 333 Drummond Street PO Box 154 Carlton South Victoria Australia
SUMMARY
The state of health of South-East Asian nations depends as much or more on extranational forces beyond their control —global warming, economic boom and bust—as it does on their own policies and practices. Nonetheless, the political systems of the region, the scope that these allow for community participation, and their attitudes to human rights, are also key determinants of health status. Governments in the region hold different attitudes to the desirability of a monopoly of effective power in government hands, and therefore vary in their commitment to concepts of community empowerment for health promotion and the involvement of non-governmental organizations. Health promotion in these nations is inextricably linked with the creation of social capital.
Key words: health promotion; South-East Asia: Indonesia, DPR Korea, Thailand, the Maldives and Myanmar