Introduction: Noncommunicable chronic diseases are among the leading causes of death and premature mortality in the world. Their occurrence and associated complications can be avoided through health promotion activities involving measures in the field of wider determinants of health. This includes supporting local communities in building a health-supportive environment. By strengthening their role in the health promotion in local communities and implementing the community-based approach, nurses from the health promotion centers and community nursing are placed in a more complex health promoter role. Purpose: The purpose of the master thesis was to identify the key roles of nurses from health promotion centers and community nursing in the health promotion in local communities based on a preliminary analysis of the situation in this field. Methods: A focus group method was used. Three focus groups were carried out in primary health centers Celje, Vrhnika and Sevnica. In total, 20 nurses from health promotion centers and community nursing participated. The acquired data were analyzed using the method of qualitative content analysis. Results: Nurses defined the concept of "health promotion in local communities" in the majority by specifying concrete examples of activities, and, more rarely, they tried to show understanding of concept with more abstract descriptions. Examples of activities were the provision of consultations in local communities and the activities at “world days” with health topics. A part of the activities in local communities is planned in advance, and some of these activities are carried out in the form of response to the needs of the target population. Proper knowledge and practical experience in the professional field of nursing was exposed as a key to the implementation of health promotion in local communities. The providers of health promotion activities in local communities are accompanied by some basic data (number of participants, satisfaction and feedback from participants, age structure of participants), and most would also want to monitor the progress of the participants and the health status of the target population. Some key obstacles to the implementation of health promotion in local communities were also highlighted, as well as proposals for bridging them. Discussion and conclusion: Nurses need to strengthen their role in the systematic approach to planning and subsequent monitoring of the efficiency of health promotion activities in local communities. In further development and research, more attention will need to be paid primarily to the reorganization of the work of nurses in local communities from the approach of health professionals to the community to the community-based approach to health.
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