Needs-based decision-making for municipal health promotion – an analysis across 13 European countries

Abstract

Abstract Introduction In contradiction to many recommendations, municipal health promotion often does not address identified needs. In order to create healthy living environments, all the 13 countries participating in Work package 6 - healthy living environments (WP6) of the EU Joint Action Health Equity Europe have been implementing feasible actions since autumn 2019 based on a country-specific needs analysis. They were supported on a theoretical level by the contents of the WP6 Implementation Template. The aim is to find out if and how the decision-making process from needs-based planning to the implementation of these measures in municipal health promotion was successful. Methods In order to gain an insight into the process 'from needs to action' and to obtain information about the methodological approach to implementation, guideline-based interviews were conducted with the project partners of WP6. These, as well as accompanying questionnaire-based interim reports, were evaluated comparatively in terms of content analysis according to Mayring and with regard to concrete evaluation criteria, obstacles and success factors during individual steps that can be transferred to the Public Health Action Cycle. Results The interim reports of the participating countries show that the step from an identified problem and related needs to a concrete, tailored action is often difficult. The relevant aspects mentioned above will be analysed more detailed during the interviews. It is to be expected that further insights can be gained from this, especially on successful implementation processes. Conclusions The mix of reports and interviews with participants from different European countries offers a broad view of the decision-making process in local health promotion and makes obstacles and success factors transparent for other actors in this field.