Abstract
Background: Asset-based approaches have become popular inpublic health. As yet it is not known to what extent health and welfare professionals are able to identify and mobilise individualand community health assets. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand professional’s perceptions ofhealth and health assets. Methods: In a low-SES neighbourhood, 21 health and welfare professionals were interviewed about their definition ofhealth and their perceptions of the residents’health status, assets available inthe neighbourhood’senvironment, and the way residents use theseassets. A Nominal Group Technique (NGT) sessionwas conducted for member check. Verbatimtranscriptsof thesemi-structured interviews were codedand analysed using Atlas.ti. Results: The professionals used a broad health concept, emphasizing thesocialdimensionof health as most important. They discussedthe poor health ofresidents, mentioning multiple health problems and unmet health needs. They provided many examples of behaviour that they considered unhealthy, in particular unhealthy diet and lack of exercise. Professionals considered thegreen physical environment, as well as health and socialservices, including their own services, as important health enhancing factors, whereas socialand economic factors were considered as major barriers for goodhealth.Poor housing and litter inpublicspace were considered as barriers as well. According to theprofessionals, residents underutilized neighbourhood health assets. They emphasisedthe impact of poverty ontheresidents and their health.Moreover, they felt that residentswere lacking individual capabilities to lead a healthy life. Although committed to the wellbeing of the residents, some professionals seemed almost discouraged bythe(perceived) situation. They looked for practical solutions by developing group-based approaches and supporting residents’ self-organisation. Conclusions: Our study shows, firstly, thatprofessionals inthe priority district Slotermeerrated the health of the residents as poor and their health behaviour as inadequate. They considered poverty and lack of education as important causesofthis situation. Secondly, theprofessionals tended to talkabout barriers inthe neighbourhood rather thanabout neighbourhoodhealth assets. As such, it seems challenging to implement asset-based approaches. However, the professionals, based ontheirown experiences, did perceivethe development of collective approaches as a promising direction for future communityhealth development.