BMC Public Health 2004, 4 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/4/11 supervision. Participatory planning exercises (participa- tory needs assessment) may be conducted jointly by the communities and professionals for analysing the health situation in the district and developing strategies to address them. Existing routine data from different sources may be analysed to understand the health profile of dis- trict population. For understanding the health and dis- ease-related perceptions and practices of individuals, especially SC practices in their social and cultural context, qualitative and quantitative methods may be employed. Special attention may be given for the HP of the hard to reach groups. Information alone is not sufficient for their HP, structural and social barriers need to be addressed simultaneously. Design and initiation Based on this exercise, appropriate action plan may be devised. The roles and responsibilities of individuals and the community and that of the sectoral administrations may be defined. The roles of the individual and the com- munity can be formulated as SC information. For communicating SC information, a wide range of tools including print and audio-visual tools, computer based tools, tele-communication based tools may be used. Web sites on SC may be designed to communicate this infor- mation. Electronic discussion forums may be formed to discuss various issues on SC and HP. A telephone help line may be set up for SC of common illnesses. One such print-based tool could be a personally held SC manual and health record (SCMHR). The first part of the SCMHR may contain basic SC information. This informa- tion may be arranged in many creative ways. One way is to put it in three sections: SC and the individual, SC and the family, SC and the community; each describing what an individual can do for HP of herself/himself, family and the community respectively. Alternatively, SC informa- tion may be put in four different sections based on the type of SC [26]. For instance, information on regulatory SC may contain locally appropriate scientific information on diet, nutrition, personal hygiene and sleep. Preventive SC may include information on exercise, dieting and self- examination. Reactive SC may include information on self management of illnesses and when to approach a pro- fessional and so on. SC information should be simple, rooted in the local social and economic situation, and be appropriate and actionable. The second part of the SCMHR, which may also be designed jointly by lay person and professionals, may contain outlines of various health records like birth certificate, immunization card, growth chart, child health card, drugs prescriptions and discharge slips (for hospital admission), to record important health and disease related events of the individual. The SCMHR of a baby may be provided to his/her parents at the time of birth to be retained for life. Basic SC information is likely to empower the parents to promote the health of their baby during childhood, and the individual as he/she grows up. SC information may be formulated for preg- nancy in the case of woman. SC information may be designed for various chronic diseases like diabetes melli- tus, hypertension and psychosis. Such material can be annexed to the SCMHR through the health system, if the need arises. In place of SCMHR, electronic tools like CD ROM may also be used for communicating SC informa- tion to each individual and record his/her important health related events, if majority of the population have access to computers. Implementation and maintenance-consolidation SC information generated through the participatory proc- ess mentioned above, may be disseminated using a range of tools and employing a variety of channels as discussed below: The individual and the family The greatest asset for mobilizing people for HP may be the people themselves. For instance, if a student is informed and educated on SC and CP, he/she can be further moti- vated to spread the message to his/her family members and neighbours. This creates the potential of involving illiterate poor people in rural areas of developing world. Moreover an informed and empowered individual within a family can be carer for all the members. Community health workers (CHWs) or village level development workers CHWs are the bridge between the formal health sector and communities in many countries of the world. They are from communities where they work, and should be selected by communities and should be supported and trained by the health system. Their functioning has been reviewed recently and issues like their capacity building has been discussed [64]. CHWs may play a role in mobi- lizing individuals and families. Similarly, field level work- ers of other development sectors may also be involved in the programme. Strong professionalism of formal health sector towards curative medicine rather than public health and preventive medicine in most countries, combined with the need for inter-sectoral coordination for HP, may warrant maximum utilization of the workers from other development sectors. Social mobilisation through community based organisations, NGOs and private sector As mentioned already, NGOs and the private sector may be actively involved in the programme. Page 8 of 12 (page number not for citation purposes)