Health in All Policies Within Local Public Health Reporting in Public Health Service

Abstract

The Public Health Service, as an administrative policy-oriented actor, can be essential for the implementation of Health in All Policies at the county level. Local Public Health Reporting, anchored in the federal state laws, as basis for planning processes can play a potentially central role in this regard. This study will investigate to what extent local health reports fulfill such an overarching role through integration and administrative intersectorality. A quantitative document analysis of published reports (random sample; n=53) was conducted based on a nationwide nonreactive data collection of Local Public Health Reporting. The degree of integration was classified in terms of methodological, content and intersectoral aspects. A stratified analysis was performed according to the type of regional authority, the administrative location of the Public Health Service and the type of report. Integration in the form of data from at least two other subject areas was found in 29 reports (55%). Intersectorality was explicitly recognizable in nine reports (17%), and with an above-average frequency in district-free cities and children/youth reports. Integration of reports on infection protection/vaccination was below average. The organizational location with the social and/or youth fields of action was positively associated with the degree of integration. From the perspective of Health in All Policies, the degree of integration and intersectorality of Local Public Health Reporting assessed so far is too low. There is potential for development through a beneficial organizational structure and the choice of topics, especially in the field of child and youth health.