Hands-on-ground in a new country: a community-based participatory evaluation with immigrant communities in Southern Alberta.

Immigrants experience a high risk of mental health deterioration following settlement in Canada. Immigrant communities benefit from health-promoting interventions that stimulate social inclusion and belonging as protective factors. In this context, community gardens have been recognized as interventions that promote healthy behaviours, place attachment and belonging.This article summarizes our experience conducting a community-based participatory evaluation (CBPE), engaging community stakeholders in planning, implementing and evaluating a community garden for immigrants. We conducted a CBPE to provide relevant and timely feedback to inform programme adaptation and development. Participants, interpreters and organizers were engaged through surveys, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Participants expressed a range of motivations, benefits, challenges and recommendations. The garden was a place that fostered learning and promoted healthy behaviours, including physical activity and socialization. However, there were challenges in organization and communication with participants. Findings were used to adapt the activities to immigrants' needs and expand the programming of collaborating organizations. Stakeholder engagement facilitated capacity building and direct use of findings. This approach may catalyse sustainable community action with immigrant communities.

Help-seeking behaviour of Serbian women who experienced intimate partner violence.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify whom women in Serbia approach for help in case of intimate partner violence (IPV), their reasons for seeking help and their satisfaction with the received help. METHODS: A cross-sectional, population-based household survey of a random sample of women aged 15-49 years was conducted in Belgrade (WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women). A standard questionnaire was administered by trained interviewers through face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 1456 women and 1196 of them ever had an intimate partner. Almost one in four ever-partnered women reported experiencing either physical and/or sexual violence, at least once in their life. Among these abused women, ≈ 22% had ever sought help from formal institutions. Police and health services were most commonly approached (12% and 10% of abused women, respectively). Satisfaction with services was highest for health services and legal advice and lowest for police and social services. Women sought help especially when violence had a severe impact on them or when they saw that their children suffered. Women who did not seek help stated that they believed that the violence was bearable or had ended. Other reasons for not seeking help were fear of undesirable consequences of seeking help and lack of trust in institutions. CONCLUSIONS: From the abused women's perspective, health care services are the institutions with the highest potential to help women in cases of IPV. Developing a comprehensive health sector response is of critical importance to ensure appropriate care and referral.