European Public Health Association Research Articles

8.I. Skills building seminar: Improving your elevator pitch: convincing a policymaker in a matter of seconds

Abstract Many public health researchers aspire their scientific findings to contribute to evidence-informed policies. However, realising this translation of evidence into policy is often experienced as a challenge. This is no surprise, as typical researchers’ activities - from data collection and analysis to publishing scientific articles - is a totally different ballgame than getting your messages across to policymakers. Additional skills are required by public health researchers in order to let their research findings make their way into health policies. One of those skills is to be able to pitch your work when meeting a policymaker e.g. in an elevator. In this skills building seminar high scoring abstract submitters will be invited to present their work in maximum 60 seconds to a panel of policymakers and politicians. Following the learning by doing approach, this hands on session will not only be a learning experience for the presenting researchers, also the audience will learn, as each pitch will receive feedback on the spot from the panel of real policymakers and politicians. Are they interested? Do they remember the key message? And if all goes well, do you get an invitation to come back and present more of your work? Since a number of years the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) has been organising skills building seminars on the elevator pitch. Building forward on those previous four successful and well-attended workshops, the current workshop will follow up on this series and take forward where the previous editions ended. Lessons learned at the previous elevator pitch workshops: - Have a clear ask (keep it simple) and show enthusiasm. - Appeal to the policymaker's own interests and priorities. - Spell out how action will be beneficial for the policymaker. - Be aware of upcoming elections. - Build a relationship with the assistants of politicians. - Consider the ‘policy window’. - Make the comparison with the policy plan. - Propose an action the politician should undertake. - Identify the relevant stakeholders and groups affected by the problem. For this fifth edition we take the elevator pitch to the next level. Whereas previous editions allowed pitches up to 2 minutes, the current seminar will set the timer at 60 seconds. The previous editions showed that keeping the pitch very short was more successful. The session will be wrapped up by a key note with reflections on the pitches exercise and linking this to what the literature says about influencing healthy policy making. Key messages • The elevator pitch is a useful skill to have for public health researchers to facilitate the outcomes of their research feed into health policies. • There are numerous tools available to effectively communicate public health messages to policymakers and promote evidence-informed policy making.

10.M. Workshop: Community Health Practice and Research in Europe: Up front and centre!

Abstract Community Health (CH) is one of the most undervalued and poorly funded domains of action of health systems. Although evidence is strong on its contribution to population health, well-being and equity, national and regional health systems, and to some extent public health institutions, tend to pay little attention to its contribution. Community health encompasses the application of health promotion principles and strategies at the local level to improve equity and resilience of a community. It does so through three fundamental means: cross-sectoral collaborations, community involvement/engagement, and community health workers (CHW). It engages and works with communities in a culturally appropriate manner in order to implement effective strategies. In community health, capacity building is essential. The aim of this workshop is three-fold: 1) to generate a discussion among participants on the state of practice and research, 2) to reflect on strategies to strengthen and improve community health in Europe and, 3) to enhance the visibility of this domain within the ranks of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA). The workshop will provide a space for reflections and discussions. Each of our speakers, who are researchers from 5 different countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, and UK), will have 5 minutes to provide some elements of answers to the two following questions: • What is the state of community health practice and research in your country? • What difference does it make for health systems to implement community health strategies? Eric Breton (France) will briefly introduce the workshop providing a conceptual framework for community health and an overview of the different perspectives that drive practices and policies. Manfred Cassens (Germany) and Caroline Masquillier (Belgium) will discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has enhanced the shortfalls of health systems and lead their countries to experiment community health strategies. Camila Picchio (Spain) will demonstrate how CHWs are essential in reaching out marginalised communities as will Ekaterina Volevach (Czech Republic) drawing lessons from a programme targeting the Roma population. Both will highlight the difficulties health systems face in answering the need of vulnerable population. Catherine Jenkins (United Kingdom), will describe a city-region intervention for galvanising community-level innovation to reduce gambling-related harms. Luis Saboga-Nunes, President of the EUPHA Health Promotion Section and Goof Buijs, Manager of the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education will conclude the session. We trust that this very interactive workshop will help attendees of the EUPHA conference in Dublin working in community health to find each other and facilitate the development of partnerships. Key messages • Community Health strategies are essential in improving populations’ health and well-being. Yet, this contribution is hardly reflected in national health policies and in the resources invested locally. • The COVID-19 pandemic cast a harsh light on the limits of health systems under-investing in community engagement, community health workers and in the mobilisation of local stakeholders.

Parents’ knowledge towards prevention of unintentional injuries in children aged up to 14 years

Abstract The CHILD Vigilance project is a European study supported by the Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion Section of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA INJ) and aims at assessing parenting knowledge and attitudes that are relevant to supervision and risk taking in children. The study aims contribute to the epidemiological knowledge of injuries and accidents in Greece and Portugal, through the study of the knowledge of the perceptions of parents and caregivers of children and adolescents between 0 and 14 years old. A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study was developed in these countries during the period from february till april 2023, under the CHILD Vigilance project. In this study was obtained a total of 577 valid responses, involving 890 children (53,1% male; 46,8% female), with an average age of 8,9 years old. In both countries the mother was the main child carer (60,3% in Greece vs 60,1% in Portugal). In majority of the cases parents had two children (30,1% in Greece vs 44,9% in Portugal). The results revealed that almost all the parents knew about unintentional injuries (82,4 % in Greece vs 92,3% in Portugal), considered that have a big impact on children (89,8% in Greece vs 66,9% in Portugal) and injuries are preventable (63,2% in Greece vs 88,4% in Portugal). Considering data from both countries, the analysis of the association of parents’ knowledge with their occupation showed that civile servant were those who most considered that injuries have a big impact on children (86,5% - mother; 83,2% - father) and that injuries can be preventable (87,9% - mother; 84,9% - father), these differences were statistically significant (p < 0,01). The results may inform the design, implementation and evaluation of interventions to promote safety and prevent accidents in these both countries. Key messages • The lack of data regarding to parents’ knowledge on injury prevention involving children highlight the need to conduct this type of studies. • Education injuries prevention programs addressed to parents should be design considering demographic variables.

Підготовка кадрів для вітчизняної системи охорони громадського здоров’я: виклики та перспективи

The purpose of this work is to analyze the current state and develop basic proposals for the further development of the draft National Plan for the Development of Human Resources for the Public Health System in the intersectoral and intersectoral direction – «Health care in all government policies» based on an assessment of the best practices of foreign and domestic experience. Materials and methods: The research material was the documents of international and domestic professional organizations, publications on international experience in training personnel on the fundamental principles of preventive public health. We used data from our preliminary research on the assessment of basic health systems and analyzed scientific data on current public health issues. To solve the tasks set in the work, a set of methods was used: historical, analytical, comparative, systematic approach. Results: Emerging threats and emergencies in the field of public health in recent years included the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the failure of global health systems to effectively deal with such challenges. For the development of new effective health care systems, it is necessary to change the paradigm and policies in personnel training using advanced and effective practices of international and domestic schools of preventive medicine, incl. on the example of organizing the experience of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service of Ukraine to control the safe environment of human life and counteract biological threats. Conclusions: It is advisable to identify those domestic developments in the training of personnel for the field of public health that have no corresponding analogues at the international level and initiate expansion of cooperation with relevant European associations, for example, the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER), the Public Health Accreditation Agency (APHEA); the European Public Health Association (EUPHA); EuroHealthNet; European Public Health Alliance (EPHA); European Health Management Association (EHMA).

5.C. Skills building seminar: Learn how to contribute to raising awareness about public health in Europe with the EUPHW

Abstract The European Public Health Association (EUPHA) aims to bring together the public health workforce for professional exchange and collaboration through Europe. EUPHA is always looking for new tools and that is how the European Public Health Week (EUPHW) started: it promotes collaboration among the public health community in Europe and raises awareness about public health. The EUPHW has been an annual initiative since 2019, inspired by similar initiatives in Austria and the USA. The EUPW cannot be a success without the public health professionals who organise their own public health event. EUPHA needs those enthusiasts! And therefore, this workshop aims to encourage individuals to organise an event during the next European Public Health Week. For event hosts, the EUPHW is the perfect opportunity to share your expertise and contribute locally, regionally and nationally to topics of great relevance all across Europe. We are very well aware that organising an event may be daunting which is why EUPHA is organising this workshop. Over the years we built a network and created materials for promotion, which will make it easier to organise an event. In this workshop, we would like to give you the tools for organising an event during the EUPHW. The EUPHW has a rich portfolio: the past four editions of the EUPHW recorded approximately 550 online and in-person activities, hosted by more than 40 different countries in multiple languages. In this workshop, we will let members of EUPHW's steering committee share their favourite activities from the past few EUPHW editions. What made those events successful? We will talk about engagement with the future generation of public health professionals (EUPHAnxt) and building continuity and sustainable partnerships. Hosts will share their experiences of the EUPHW. What is their perspective on organising a public health week event at both national and European levels? How does the day-to-day coordination work? This sharing of knowledge will be followed by interaction. Together, we will imagine the European Public Health Week of 2023: what topics are important for public health professionals? On what subject do you want to make the case and amplify existing messages? What collaborations do you see? What kind of event would you like to organise? The topics that will be covered include choice of themes and key messages, logistics, target audiences, governance, communication, partnerships, stakeholder engagement, as well as involvement types and evaluation. The EUPHW is supported by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Key messages • The European Public Health Week offers a unique opportunity to showcase public health, raise awareness about important health themes and promote collaboration among the public health community. • This workshop aims to inspire individuals to get involved in the European Public Health Week, and contribute locally to topics of great relevance across the European Region.

1.P. Skills building seminar: Taking the elevator pitch to the next level: how to convince a policymaker in less than 2 minutes

Abstract Since a number of years the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), the European Public Health Conferences and other organisations have been working hard to translate the evidence in a such a format that policymakers take notice. For example, the WHO Regional Office for Europe works on ‘telling the public health narrative’ and provides factsheets and infographics, in order to effectively communicate public health messages to policymakers. At the European Public Health Conference so-called pitch presentations were introduced (at Glasgow 2014), where researchers are asked to present their work in 5 minutes with maximum 5 slides (no animations), as a way to learn to present key messages from research in just a few minutes. EUPHA has organised several skills building workshops on translation of evidence in the past years, including the 2019 session ‘making the elevator pitch work’, then in 2020 ‘making the elevator pitch more effective’, and last year ‘making the elevator pitch perfect’. Building forward on those three successful and well-attended workshops, the current workshop will follow up on this series and dive deeper into communicating the evidence through the elevator pitch. Lessons learned at the previous elevator pitch workshops: – Have a clear ask (keep it simple). – Appeal to the policymaker's own interests and priorities. – Spell out how action will be beneficial for the policymaker. – Be aware of upcoming elections. – Built a relationship with the assistants of politicians. – Considering the ‘policy window’. – Make the comparison with the policy plan. – Propose an action the politician should undertake. – Identifying the relevant stakeholders and groups affected by the problem. The importance of effectively communicating the evidence to policymakers is highlighted by infodemics, e.g. called out by the WHO and UN in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic with the spreading of mis- and disinformation about the pandemic. Considering the physical distancing measures that were in place the past years, which made teleworking (working from home) more common, the workshop will also cover virtual tactics. Communicating the science in an increasingly virtual world has made it a whole different kind of sports. In this skills-building workshop, we will select a number of abstracts that have been accepted by the International Scientific Committee as posters and we will invite the presenting authors to this dare: Present your work and key messages in less than 2 minutes. In order to see whether the policymaker/politician is convinced, we are organising a small panel of policymakers and politicians and ask them to give their feedback. Are they interested? Do they remember the key message? And if all goes well, do you get an invitation to come back and present more of your work? Key messages • Being able to present your key messages anywhere, anytime is needed (including virtual tactics). • Telling the public health narrative and telling a story are important skills for public health professionals to have. Speakers/Panellists Marleen Bekker EUPHA (PHPP)

8.L. Round table: Breaking the barriers: gender equality and women empowerment in public health practice

Abstract Gender equality is an issue in the public health arena. Though women make 70% of the healthcare workforce, there is an average 28% pay gap. (WHO, 2019). Other barriers have been identified in the literature. (Lancet, 2019) Work-life balance, gender discrimination, sexual harassment or assault in the workplace are pointed out in research studies. Consequences of poor work-life balance include insufficient time with families, difficulties in handling work and all household responsibilities, affecting childbearing decisions. Women also decline leadership opportunities, such as promotions and committee chair positions, because of family obligations. Gender discrimination included feeling inferior and discouragement from promotions or leadership positions on the basis of gender. Another identified barrier was the lack of a safe and unbiased system for seeking help following harassment or assault. Issues related to work-life balance became even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, which placed a disproportionate burden in female public health workers. In the recovery phase, we have an opportunity to rethink public health delivery in order to make it a more equal, less biased, and safe place for women. This should be a concerted effort, involving men and vulnerable populations such as trans women and underrepresented ethnic groups, to ensure that no one is left behind. As one of the leading public health organizations in Europe, the European Public Health Association is committed to join efforts to address this issue in the multiple public health arenas: public health practice, policy and research. This panel discussion is a collaboration between the EUPHA Working Group on gender equality and women's and girl's empowerment, the Policy and Practice section and EUPHAnxt, and is for any conference participant that is committed to reducing the gender gap in public health. The aim of this panel discussion is two-fold. First, we aim at discussing the barriers that female healthcare workers face on an everyday basis, and their impact on their careers. Secondly, we aim at discussing how institutions and individuals can address these barriers and contribute to enhanced gender equality in the public health arena. Following panelists’ interventions (additional speakers have been invited and will be confirmed at a later stage), the audience will be invited to participate in a discussion on gender barriers they have experienced and how those could be addressed. Key messages • Public health practice still faces several barriers to gender equality. • Identifying barriers to gender equality and discussing strategies to overcome them is a step towards achieving gender equality in the workforce. Speakers/Panellists Marie Guichardon EUPHA Marleen Bekker EUPHA-PHPP

2.P. Round table: Covid-19 pandemic: the rise or downfall of public health

Abstract This year, we are celebrating 30 years of the European Public Health Association. But celebrating this after over two years of COVID-19 and the Russian reinvasion of Ukraine, invites us all to reflect on the use, misuse and non-use of public health. Over the years, our approach to public health has evolved. At the start of the 20th century, public health emphasized the inequalities created by the environments in which people lived, including housing, sanitation, and nutrition. By the end of the century, this extended to the political and commercial determinants of health and the concept of planetary health, which would later be encapsulated by the 2016 Vienna Declaration on Public Health. Given this comprehensive approach, supported by a much greater body of knowledge produced by many disciplines, public health should have been in the driver's seat when the world was hit with COVID-19. But it was not. Its expertise was often absent from COVID-19 response teams. Policies were often driven by panic in the face of visions of overwhelmed hospitals. Restrictions on mixing were essential until more was known about this new virus but there were failures to appreciate the impact that these measures would have on those already disadvantaged, many in precarious employment in public-facing jobs and overcrowded accommodation. As a consequence, existing health inequalities deepened. It seemed that much that had been learned over the preceding decades had been forgotten. In this roundtable, we seek to explain why, and what needs to change in order to refocus the centrality of public health on supporting and creating fair societies as a prerequisite for health for all. So, is COVID-19 the downfall or the new rise of public health? In this Round Table, we will discuss the questions as follows. 1. Where was public health during COVID-19? 2. Why were social factors ignored during COVID-19? 3. Why has public health not used/is not using the momentum created by COVID-19? 4. And the main question: How can we create a fair society? Key messages • Public health needs to strengthen its core activities. • Advocacy is a key role for public health. Speakers/Panellists Martin McKee LSHTM, London, UK Natasha Azzopardi Muscat WHO, Msida, Malta Dineke Zeegers Paget EUPHA Klaus D Pluemer Independent Public Health & Health Promotion Consultant, Duesseldorf, Germany Caroline Costongs EuroHealthNet, Brussels, Belgium

Survey of Professionals of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) towards Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing.

The increasing availability of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests (DTC-GTs) has great implications for public health (PH) and requires literate healthcare professionals to address the challenges they pose. We designed and conducted a survey to assess the state of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of PH professionals members of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) towards DTC-GTs. EUPHA members were invited to participate and fill in the survey. We performed multivariable logistic regression to evaluate associations between selected covariates and knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of healthcare professionals towards DTC-GT. Three hundred and two professionals completed the survey, 66.9% of whom were not involved in genetics or genomics within their professional activities. Although 74.5% of respondents were aware that DTC-GTs could be purchased on the web, most of them reported a low level of awareness towards DTC-GTs applications and regulatory aspects. The majority did not approve the provision of DTC-GTs without consultation of a healthcare professional (91.4%), were doubtful about the test utility and validity (61%) and did not feel prepared to address citizens' questions (65.6%). Predictors of knowledge on DTC-GT were the involvement in genetics/genomics and receiving training during the studies (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.043). Predictors of attitudes were medical degree and knowledge about DTC-GTs (P = 0.006 and P = 0.027). Our results revealed a high level of awareness of DTC-GT web purchasing and a moderate to low level of awareness towards their applications. Despite the overall positive attitudes, PH professionals reported a high need for strengthening regulatory aspects of DTC-GTs provision process.

The dawn of digital public health in Europe: Implications for public health policy and practice.

SummaryThe COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of digital health technologies and the role of effective surveillance systems. While recent events have accelerated progress towards the expansion of digital public health (DPH), there remains significant untapped potential in harnessing, leveraging, and repurposing digital technologies for public health. There is a particularly growing need for comprehensive action to prepare citizens for DPH, to regulate and effectively evaluate DPH, and adopt DPH strategies as part of health policy and services to optimise health systems improvement. As representatives of the European Public Health Association's (EUPHA) Digital Health Section, we reflect on the current state of DPH, share our understanding at the European level, and determine how the application of DPH has developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also discuss the opportunities, challenges, and implications of the increasing digitalisation of public health in Europe.

Challenges in the development of digital public health interventions and mapped solutions: Findings from a scoping review.

Background“Digital public health” has emerged from an interest in integrating digital technologies into public health. However, significant challenges which limit the scale and extent of this digital integration in various public health domains have been described. We summarized the literature about these challenges and identified strategies to overcome them.MethodsWe adopted Arksey and O’Malley's framework (2005) integrating adaptations by Levac et al. (2010). OVID Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, and 14 government and intergovernmental agency websites were searched using terms related to “digital” and “public health.” We included conceptual and explicit descriptions of digital technologies in public health published in English between 2000 and June 2020. We excluded primary research articles about digital health interventions. Data were extracted using a codebook created using the European Public Health Association's conceptual framework for digital public health.Results and analysisOverall, 163 publications were included from 6953 retrieved articles with the majority (64%, n = 105) published between 2015 and June 2020. Nontechnical challenges to digital integration in public health concerned ethics, policy and governance, health equity, resource gaps, and quality of evidence. Technical challenges included fragmented and unsustainable systems, lack of clear standards, unreliability of available data, infrastructure gaps, and workforce capacity gaps. Identified strategies included securing political commitment, intersectoral collaboration, economic investments, standardized ethical, legal, and regulatory frameworks, adaptive research and evaluation, health workforce capacity building, and transparent communication and public engagement.ConclusionDeveloping and implementing digital public health interventions requires efforts that leverage identified strategies to overcome diverse challenges encountered in integrating digital technologies in public health.

4.N. Skills building seminar: Making the elevator pitch perfect: how to convince a policymaker in less than 2 minutes

Since a number of years, the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), the European Public Health Conferences and other oganisations, have been working hard to translate the evidence in a such a format that policymakers take notice. For example, the WHO Regional Office for Europe works on ‘telling the public health narrative' and provides factsheets and infographics, in order to effectively communicate public health messages to policymakers. Over the years, EUPHA has organised several skills building workshops on translation of evidence in the past years. At the European Public Health Conference in Glasgow 2014, so-called pitch presentations were introduced where researchers are asked to present their work in 5 minutes with maximum 5 slides (no animations), as a way to learn to present key messages from research in just a few minutes. Since 2018, EUPHA organises this elevator pitch skills-building exercise with great success. Building forward on two successful and well-attended skills-building sessions, the current workshop will be a follow-up workshop in this series and is about perfecting the elevator pitch. Lessons learned at the previous elevator pitch workshops: Have a clear ask (keep it simple).Appeal to the policymaker's own interests and priorities.Spell out how action will be beneficial for the policymaker.Be aware of upcoming elections.Built a relationship with the assistants of politicians.Considering the ‘policy window'.Make the comparison with the policy plan.Identifying the relevant stakeholders and groups affected by the problem. The importance of effectively communicating the evidence to policymakers is highlighted by infodemics, e.g. last year called out by the WHO and UN in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic with the spreading of mis- and disinformation about the pandemic. In the context of physical distancing measures, the workshop will also cover virtual tactics. As in the era of teleworking (working from home), advocacy has become a whole different kind of sports. In this skills-building session, we will select a number of abstracts from young professionals/students that have been accepted by the International Scientific Committee as posters and we will invite the presenting authors to this dare: Present your work and key messages in less than 2 minutes. In order to see whether the policymaker is convinced, we are organising a small panel of policymakers and ask them to give their feedback. Are they interested? Do they remember the key message? And if all goes well, do you get an invitation to come back and present more of your work?Key messages Being able to present your key messages anywhere, anytime is needed (including virtual tactics).Telling the public health narrative and telling a story are important skills for public health professionals to have.

Survey of Public Health Professionals on perspectives towards Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests

Abstract Background The diffusion of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests (DTC-GTs) requires properly literate professionals to appropriately address the challenges they pose to Public Health (PH). Hence, we conducted a survey to assess the current state of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of PH professionals members of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) towards DTC-GTs. Methods The results of a scoping review conducted on PubMed to identify articles on healthcare professionals' perspectives towards DTC-GTs were used to elaborate a survey, which was validated through a focus group with experts. EUPHA members were invited to participate through email invitation, and EUPHA and EUPHAnxt newsletters. We performed a descriptive analysis of the results, and a univariate analysis to evaluate associations between selected variables. Results Two hundred and seventy-seven PH professionals (44.4% male, 55.6% female) completed the survey, 67.1% of whom were not involved in genetics or genomics within their professional activities. Although 78.0% were that companies are advertising and selling genetic tests directly to consumers, most of them reported a low level of awareness towards DTC-GTs applications and regulation aspects. The majority reported that a qualified health professional be involved in the DTC-GT process (91.7%), and did not feel prepared to address citizens' questions (64.6%). Eventually, 72.6% of the respondents stated that the provision of DTC-GT should be regulated on a national level, similarly to medicines. Conclusions Our results revealed a high level of awareness about the existence of DTC-GTs. Despite the overall positive attitudes, PH professionals reported a high need for strengthening regulatory aspects of DTC-GTs provision process. The growing interest of DTC-GTs among citizens and the poor knowledge of PH Professionals about these tests highlights the need to identify strategies for literacy improvement. Key messages Given the challenges for health systems, improving Public Health professionals' literacy on new technologies such as Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests is essential. The need for strengthening the regulation of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests expressed Public Health professionals should guide policymakers.

5.G. Skills building seminar: How to organise and benefit from a public health week in your country, region or continent

Abstract The European Public Health Week (EUPHW) is an annual activity by the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) that began in 2019, inspired by similar initiatives organised in Austria and the USA. This session aims to inspire and guide individuals and institutions to organise a public health day, week or month in a new city, country, region or continent. Having taken place both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the EUPHW has demonstrated that public health professionals, institutions and citizens across Europe are strongly committed to deliver its goals: to make the case for public health, amplify existing messages about important health topics, and create innovative ways of collaboration among all professionals contributing to public health - from local to international level. With a rich portfolio, the three editions of EUPHW recorded approximately 400 online and in-person activities hosted by more than 40 countries in multiple languages. In this skills-building seminar we will share examples, tips, best practices and lessons learned. This will be an interactive session combining group dynamics and Q&amp;A to and from the audience, allowing participants to provide suggestions for improvement and share their experiences and perceptions as event hosts, disseminators or participants of past editions. The topics to be covered include governance, choice of themes and key messages, logistics, target audiences, communication, partnerships, stakeholder engagement, involvement types and evaluation, as well as concrete ways of applying the motto of EUPHW: “Joining forces for healthier populations”. Panellists will bring the perspective of organising a public health week at both national and European levels, including the day-to-day coordination work. They will also explain how we can engage with the future generation of public health professionals (EUPHAnxt) and build continuity and sustainable partnerships. The EUPHW is an initiative by the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), receives co-funding under an operating grant from the European Union's Health Programme and is supported by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Speakers/Panelists Dineke Zeegers Paget EUPHA Thomas Dorner Austrian Public Health Association, Vienna, Austria Marie Guichardon EUPHA Monica Brinzac Cluj School of Public Health, Cluj Napoca, Romania Key messages The European Public Health Week is a unique opportunity to make the case for public health, raise awareness about important health themes and promote collaboration among the public health community. This seminar aims to inspire individuals and institutions to organise a public health awareness day, week or month in their own local community, country or even continent.

Public Mental Health services in the European region during the COVID-19 pandemic

The European Public Health Association (EUPHA), in conjunction with the Mental Health Foundation UK, conducted a purposely designed online survey of public and mental health professionals from across Europe, exploring public mental health responses to the pandemic in different regions, nations and localities. Participants were recruited from EUPHAs mental health division and through snowballing. Four broad areas were explored, namely; (1) perceived changes in available mental health supports during the pandemic; (2) whether or not a public mental health response plan had been developed; (3) if any demographic groups or priority areas had been given particularly consideration in this response and (4) how the response had been developed (i.e. whether intersectoral approaches had been adopted and the perceived degree to which service users and carers had been included in its development). Forty-four survey responses from twenty different European nations were collected and grouped according to whether respondents were practising in countries with low, medium or high COVID-19 incidence rates. The majority of responses were from public health professionals with over 20 years of experience. Results indicated wide variations in policy responses to the crisis and in the way mental health services have adapted to date. However, in the majority of countries surveyed, while an increase in online mental health supports during the pandemic was reported, no change in long term funding for mental health supports was observed. In addition, in the majority of countries, several vulnerable groups were rarely given specific attention in policy responses, namely low-income families, people with long-term health conditions or disabilities and ethnic minorities. In this workshop we will discuss the findings from this survey and explore what insights might be learned from experiences across Europe to date.

Digital Public Health Role in promoting Mores Sustainable Care practices

Abstract As digitalization is progressively permeating all aspects of healthcare. Here we will address how can we address the potential of applying digital tools to public health and discuss some key challenges. We have identified the strategic pillars for a successful European strategy for public health digitalization and we outlined how the approach being pursued by the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) applies to digital health. Here we will link these pillars to the impact on climate change. From a public health perspective, digitalization is being touted as providing several potential benefits and advantages, including support for the transition from cure to prevention, helping to put people and patients at the center of care delivery, supporting patient empowerment and making healthcare system more efficient and mitigate climate change.

Lessons from an International Initiative to Set and Share Good Practice on Human Health in Environmental Impact Assessment.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is applied to infrastructure and other large projects. The European Union EIA Directive (2011/92/EU as amended by 2014/52/EU) requires EIAs to consider the effects that a project might have on human health. The International Association for Impact Assessment and the European Public Health Association prepared a reference paper on public health in EIA to enable the health sector to contribute to this international requirement. We present lessons from this joint action. We review literature on policy analysis, impact assessment and Health Impact Assessment (HIA). We use findings from this review and from the consultation on the reference paper to consider how population and human health should be defined; how the health sector can participate in the EIA process; the relationship between EIA and HIA; what counts as evidence; when an effect should be considered ‘likely’ and ‘significant’; how changes in health should be reported; the risks from a business-as-usual coverage of human health in EIA; and finally competencies for conducting an assessment of human health. This article is relevant for health authorities seeking to ensure that infrastructure, and other aspects of development, are not deleterious to, but indeed improve, human health.

12.I. Skills building seminar: Making the elevator pitch more effective: how to convince a policymaker in less than 2 minutes

Abstract Since a number of years, the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), the European Public Health Conferences and other associations, have been working hard to translate the evidence in a such a format that policymakers take notice. For example, the WHO Regional Office for Europe works on 'telling the public health narrative' and provides factsheets and infographics, in order to effectively communicate public health messages to policymakers. At the European Public Health Conference so-called pitch presentations were introduced (at Glasgow 2014), where researchers are asked to present their work in 5 minutes with maximum 5 slides (no animations), as a way to learn to present key messages from research in just a few minutes. EUPHA has organised several skills building workshops on translation of evidence in the past years, including last year's session 'making the elevator pitch work'. Lessons learned during this workshop in Marseille are: Have a clear ask (keep it simple)Appeal to the policymaker's own interests and prioritiesSpell out how action will be beneficial for the policymakerBe aware of upcoming electionsBuilt a relationship with the assistants of politicians Following the great interest in last year's workshop, this workshop will complement the outcomes of the 'lessons learned' with additional tips for convincing a policymaker. The list of lessons learned will be expended by reflecting on models of knowledge translation. Models of knowledge translation and evidence informed policymaking are abundant. Some key aspects that can be added to the list are: considering the 'policy window', making the comparison with the policy plans, identifying the relevant stakeholders and groups affected by the problem. In this skills-building workshop, we will select a number of abstracts that have been accepted by the International Scientific Committee as posters and we will invite the presenting authors to this dare: Present your work and key messages in less than 2 minutes. In order to see whether the policymaker is convinced, we are organising a small panel of policymakers and ask them to give their feedback. Are they interested? Do they remember the key message? And if all goes well, do you get an invitation to come back and present more of your work? Key messages Being able to present your key messages anywhere, anytime is needed. Telling the public health narrative and telling a story are important skills for public health professionals to have.

10.C. Round table: European public health week: how to unite a continent to celebrate healthy populations

The first two editions of the European Public Health Week (EUPHW) took place in May 2019 and May 2020. Both exceeded all expectations, registering more than 140 events in more than 30 countries each year - despite the pandemic context and a fully online format in 2020. In this session we will share insights from both editions, with the round table format allowing for a wider discussion of experiences with other countries from around the world.Under the motto “celebrating healthy populations” in 2019 and “joining forces for healthier populations” in 2020, EUPHW aims to raise awareness about public health, maximise existing messages around the five themes that are set each year, and encourage collaboration among all professionals contributing to public health at local, national, regional and European level. Amid the COVID-19 public health emergency, the importance of ensuring that populations remain healthy and that the public health community joins forces gained momentum.The five days of the 2020 edition were dedicated to the Sustainable Development Goals, primary care in the digital age, staying together for mental health, equal health for all, and healthy ageing - under the exceptional overarching theme of 'COVID-19 Collaboration, Coordination, Communication'. Last year's edition covered physical activity, healthy environments, the healthcare workforce, healthy and sustainable diets, and youth mental health.The EUPHW Coordinator will explain what the initiative consists of and reveal key figures from both editions. The different types of involvement in the EUPHW will also be described: Event host, Disseminator and Participant. Three panelists will represent the EUPHW Steering Committee, providing important insights into the backstage preparation of this large-scale initiative. One is the communications coordinator of the EUPHAnxt network, representing contributions from the young generation of public health professionals in Europe. A second panelist will not only share the experience of hosting EUPHW events but also represent EUPHA Sections, which play an important role in fact-checking resources and messages about each of the annual themes. The fourth panelist will share their experiences at country level through the Austrian Public Health Association and its own National Public Health Week. The final panelist will share examples of activities hosted by the community of public health schools across Europe.Although the focus of the EUPHW is the European region, its online reach enables the participation from anywhere in the world. In fact, both editions saw registered activities in Brazil, USA, South Africa, Kenya, Australia and Colombia.The EUPHW is an initiative by the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), receives co-funding under an operating grant from the European Union's Health Programme (2014-2020) and is supported by the WHO Regional Office for Europe.Key messages The European Public Health Week brings together a continent to raise awareness about important public health issues.The workshop unveils how public health themes are explored on different contexts, across different cultures and in different formats. Panelists: Debora Miranda EUPHA, PortugalContact: debbiemiranda@gmail.com Thomas Dorner Austrian Public Health Association, AustriaContact: thomas.dorner@meduniwien.ac.atNicole RosenkötterNRW Centre for Health - Health Information, GermanyContact: Nicole.Rosenkoetter@lzg.nrw.de Pasquale Cacciatore EUPHAnxt, ItalyContact: pasqualecacciatore@gmail.com Robert Otok AASPHER, BelgiumContact: robert.otok@aspher.org

Knowledge translation and health policy for burden of disease

Abstract A key goal of most Burden of Disease (BoD) studies is to support public health policies. However, while the concepts of BoD and Disability Adjusted Life years have been introduced more than 25 years, BoD researchers are still struggling to find better ways to translate their findings and communicate them to the relevant decision makers and other stakeholders. To address this gap, the burden-eu COST Action aims to generate better guidance of the use of BoD metrics in policy-making processes. In collaboration with experts in knowledge translation and risk communication, the Action will compile good practices in knowledge translation and develop a roadmap to integrate knowledge translation in national BOD studies. To support these objectives, collaborations have been established with knowledge translation experts from the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the WHO Regional Office for Europe, and the European Public Health Association. During an initial meeting of the “knowledge translation” working group, 29 participants identified elements in the pathway from evidence generation to practice that need to be addressed. Building on the outcomes of this meeting and the inputs from the knowledge translation experts, this presentation will introduce the knowledge translation framework, and address some of the challenges in identifying best routes to reach out to the public and policy-makers. Specific emphasis will be placed in profiling the context, actors and processes of each country within the policy triangle, and drawing on best and worst example case studies. Additionally, the process will be discussed to co-create a toolkit or guide for using BoD evidence in policy and practice. The session will conclude with an interaction with the audience to learn about the perceived barriers for implementing knowledge translation within the BoD framework.