Facilitating and hindering factors of community participation for health promotion in residents of the second region of Tehran

  Background: Community participation is considered as one of the essential determinants of the health promotion and sustainable development in communities.   Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the facilitating and hindering factors of the community participation in the health promotion in Tehran citizens.   Methods: This qualitative study was conducted by content analysis approach in the second region of Tehran municipal , during 2009-2010 . Data were collected by semi structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. 35 employees of governmental and non-governmental organizations (that were active in the field of health promotion and social welfare) and residents of Sattar-Khan region were participated in the study. Data were analyzed by latent content analysis approach .   Findings: Based on the qualitative analysis of the data, 337 codes were derived in four main categories , consist of: “ participants’ attributes “, “ attributes of the organization al stakeholders ”, ” contextual conditions “ and ”policies and functions of the organizations”. These categories included the factors related to the community participation in the health promotion .   Conclusion: The Community participation in the health promotion can be achieved through establishing and improvement of community participation culture from the family to school and community context, effective public education and improvement of public awareness, training participating people, establishment of organizations and structures that facilitate community participation by effective planning and policymaking.