First of all, as far as the topic of health promotion is concerned, it is necessary to state that personal experiences of people regarding their illnesses and explanations of the latter is of crucial importance (Laverack, 2004). As defined by International Union for Health Promotion and Education, health promotion is the process of enabling people to exert control over the determinants of health and thereby improve their health (International Union for Health Promotion and Education, p. 2) Drawing from this, personal orientation of health promotion is crucial because its main aim is to reach every single person with the information on how to monitor and improve, if necessary, his or her health conditions.
Needless to say, the ways of peoples empowerment in relation to health promotion are numerous (Naidoo & Wills, 2002), but the International Union for Health Promotion and Education defines two of them as the most effective one, stating that empowerment of people and community groups& has the potential to contribute to the reduction of these inequalities [poverty, homelessness, joblessness, poor sanitation, and various social breakdowns, including the family unit, are significant contributory factors to poor health] (Inte
rnational Union for Health Promotion and Education, p. 22). Such attitudes towards health promotion allow the European community of today hope for the development of health awareness of its citizens, especially when the individual and community health empowerment are applied in combination.
The major difference between the two types of empowerment mentioned is their scope. The individual empowerment aims at reaching every individual in order to make him or her first think of and than take actions in the direction towards the healthy life. What is the most important that empowerment not only provokes people to take these positive health-improving actions but also enables them to carry them out (Wallerstein, 2002). And here the main similarity between the two approaches lies: Effective health promotion strengthens the skills and capabilities of individuals to take action, and the capacity of groups or communities to act collectively to exert control over the determinants of health (International Union for Health Promotion and Education, p. 2). Therefore, if well informed and instructed how to use the information, people can take care of their health and ensure the development of the healthy European community in the future.