Abstract
Integrated strategies of health promotion at the municipal level are receiving particular attention in public health policy and practice in Germany. These strategies are intended to provide a coordinated approach to health promotion during the entire lifespan, with a particular focus on vulnerable communities. They are also intended to be participatory in both their design and implementation, involving all sectors of the social welfare, educational and healthcare systems, civil society, and the general public. PartKommPlus—German Research Consortium for Healthy Communities is examining such strategies using participatory forms of research. The goal is to determine how participation can best be planned and implemented and what effects this participation has. In this article the work of PartKommPlus from the first funding phase (2015–2018) will be described with particular attention to the lessons learned and the forms of impact which are being considered as part of the participatory research process.
Highlights
Under the coordination of the Federal Center for Health Education in Germany (BZgA) and EuroHealthNet, the European Union initiative “Closing the Gap: Strategies for Tackling Health Inequalities in Europe” was launched in 2004 to bring together the evidence regarding the causes of health inequality and the strategies to address them [1, 2]
Local stakeholders are supported by coordinators located at the regional Association for Health Promotion (AHP) or a similar body found in each of the sixteen states in Germany
Building trust and ownership at the local level stands in contrast to a central and, for many partners, abstract and geographically remote process of data synthesis
Summary
An evaluation of the Healthy Cities Network in Germany [12] revealed progress in most cities regarding the goals of the IMS; 90% of those responding reported structural and organizational factors which significantly hindered such strategies These included inadequate resources; inadequate understanding of the Healthy City concept; lack of commitment to the program of action proposed by Healthy Cities; inadequate integration into the national network and into the local political process; and inadequate documentation and evaluation. Positive outcomes were more likely in larger cities with a longer history of involvement in the network and with continuity in local program coordination Another body of evidence which can inform the implementation of IMS is the literature regarding the building of local coalitions for the purpose of improving the health of a specific group of people (most commonly in a neighborhood), often focusing on a specific health problem or set of health problems. According to Bar, the first approach appears to be most common in Germany, the second least common, and the third is receiving increasing attention
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