Community Empowerment as a tool for health promotion

The common definition of empowerment in health care is a process that allows people to gain greater control over the decisions and actions that affect their lives. Community empowerment enables communities to increase control over their lives. In essence, people within a community (be it those within a certain geographical area or those that identify as a community because of similar lifestyles, common interests, common concerns, or identities) gain power over decisions with an influential part of their lives. Community empowerment re-negotiates power to gain more control.