Continuing participatory research beyond the end of projects: participatory quality development in municipal health promotion

Abstract

The limited timeframes of participatory health research (PHR) studies make it difficult to achieve the desired specific social changes through the projects. This is particularly true for the promotion of health equity in municipal settings. This article examines how participatory quality development (PQE) approaches can complement PGF in order to implement participation as aquality criterion in health promotion and to contribute to the sustainability of research results.Based on the structure and course of two participatory research projects on integrated municipal health promotion, quality development processes with older people and parents of preschool children are described.Structural and process design contribute significantly to the transfer of research results into practice and beyond the end of the project. In their structure and by continuously involving local partners and stakeholders, projects must ensure that the principles of participatory quality development are implemented in processes from the very beginning.Participation as aquality criterion in health promotion is now well established. However, there is adeficit in the implementation of this claim. PGF and PQE consistently implement the criterion but place high demands on structure and process design. It is recommended that participation principles should be anchored in cooperation agreements in the municipal partnerships and supportive frameworks for participatory approaches should be continuously developed.