Health Promotion Switzerland

Health promotion

Key themes

Are you planning a health promotion project? The guiding principles of health promotion require:

  • a focus on health and resources rather than on diseases and deficits (salutogenesis and empowerment)
  • reduction of inequalities in health (health equity)
  • planning and support of projects with target groups rather than for them (participation)
  • creation of environments that are more supportive to health (setting approach)

Taking these principles into account is not simple in practice, but improves the potential for lasting effects.

Criteria

Projects   Programs

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  • Das Projekt entspricht den Grundsätzen und Handlungsprinzipien der Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention.

    Indicators Project phases
    PD IM VA

    Umfassendes Gesundheitsverständnis: Das Projekt beruht auf einem umfassenden Gesundheitsverständnis, welches Gesundheit als das Zusammenspiel von vielfältigen Einflussfaktoren (z. B. Gesundheitsdeterminanten) versteht.

    Salutogenese und Ressourcenorientierung: Das Projekt fokussiert auf die Entstehung, Erhaltung und Förderung von Gesundheit und rückt Ressourcen und Schutzfaktoren ins Zentrum.

    Empowerment: Das Projekt erschliesst und erweitert Handlungsoptionen von Individuen, Gruppen und Organisationen und ermöglicht ihnen mehr Selbstbestimmung im Hinblick auf gesundheitsförderliche Lebensweisen und Lebensbedingungen.

    Partizipation: Akteure in den Settings und insbesondere die Zielgruppen wirken in angemessener Weise bei der Planung, Umsetzung und Evaluation des Projekts mit und sind in die Entscheidungsprozesse einbezogen.

    Settingansatz: Um die gewünschten Wirkungen zu erzielen, setzt das Projekt in Settings an, mit dem Ziel, deren Strukturen gesundheitsförderlicher zu gestalten.

    Gesundheitliche Chancengleichheit: Die gesellschaftliche Diversität (z. B. Alter, Bildung, sozialer Status, Gender, sexuelle Orientierung, Migration, Beeinträchtigungen usw.) ist bei der Wahl der Settings, Zielgruppen und Vorgehensweise angemessen berücksichtigt.

  • Das Programm entspricht den Grundsätzen und Handlungsprinzipien der Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention.

    Indicators Project phases
    PD IM VA

    Umfassendes Gesundheitsverständnis: Das Programm beruht auf einem umfassenden Gesundheitsverständnis, welches Gesundheit als das Zusammenspiel von vielfältigen Einflussfaktoren (z. B. Gesundheitsdeterminanten) versteht

    Salutogenese und Ressourcenorientierung: Das Programm fokussiert auf die Entstehung, Erhaltung und Förderung von Gesundheit und rückt Ressourcen und Schutzfaktoren ins Zentrum.

    Empowerment: Das Programm erschliesst und erweitert Handlungsoptionen von Individuen, Gruppen und Organisationen und ermöglicht ihnen mehr Selbstbestimmung im Hinblick auf gesundheitsförderliche Lebensweisen und Lebensbedingungen.

    Partizipation: Vertreter der Settings und wenn möglich der Zielgruppen wirken in angemessener Weise bei der Planung, Umsetzung und Evaluation des Programms mit und sind in die Entscheidungsprozesse einbezogen.

    Settingansatz: Um die gewünschten Wirkungen zu erzielen, setzt das Programm in Settings an, mit dem Ziel, deren Strukturen gesundheitsförderlicher zu gestalten.

    Gesundheitliche Chancengleichheit: Die gesellschaftliche Diversität (z. B. Alter, Bildung, sozialer Status, Gender, sexuelle Orientierung, Migration, Beeinträchtigungen usw.) ist bei der Wahl der Settings, Zielgruppen und Vorgehensweise angemessen berücksichtigt.

Tools

  • This checklist follows the structure of the list for quality criteria. It enables you not only to test the degree of your gender sensitivity but you can also identify areas of your work where a gender approach can be introduced.
    If you use this checklist periodically, if you really set out to exploit the potential for improvement and implement corresponding measures, you will be able to develop, check and document your gender competence.

    Checklist (pdf)

  • This checklist follows the structure of the list for quality criteria. It enables you to test your migration sensitivity. It also identifies areas of your work where a migration approach can be introduced. Thus it is applicable in particular to the projects which are not (only) focused specifically on men and women with migration background.
    If you use this checklist periodically, if you set quality objectives for the domains which are to be improved and implement corresponding measures, you will be able to evaluate and document your progress in the implementation of the migration approach.

    Checklist (pdf)

  • The inequality chart helps you discover the position of specific target groups with regard to socio-economic and socio-demographic characteristics. By filling out the chart, differences between individual groups as well as between the project team and individual target groups become apparent. Based on this analysis, disadvantages, but also opportunities and resources of each target group are recorded in the following table.

    Template (doc.zip) | Worksheet (pdf)

Questions for critical reflection

  • To what extent does your project take into account the key principles of health promotion?
  • Are the stakeholders and target groups sufficiently involved in the project?
  • How will inequalities in health be reduced by your project?

Key terms

  • Scientifically documented factors influencing the health of individuals, groups or populations are called Health Determinants. However, the expression "determinants" is ill chosen in this context. While health is influenced by these factors, it is not determined by them in the sense of 'absolute certainty'.
    Glossary
  • Reinforcement of the ability of individuals or groups to make decisions and have control over decisions and actions affecting their health, including opportunities to shape their own environments and the conditions which have an impact on health.
    Glossary
  • As distinct from 'sex' (which is biological), gender usually refers to psychological or socially/culturally constructed characteristics which are then attributed to the different biological sexes. It also refers to the relationship between the two sexes.
    Glossary
  • Health promotion is the process of enabling individuals, groups and organizations to maintain and improve the factors for health by changes in lifestyle and environment. Health promotion not only embraces actions directed at strengthening the skills and capabilities of individuals, but also action towards changing social, environmental and economic conditions so as to improve their impact on public and individual health.
    Glossary
  • Equity in health means that all people, irrespective of ethnic or socio-economic status, sex or age, have equal opportunity to develop and maintain health through fair and just access to resources for health.
    Glossary
  • Migration refers to the migratory movements of population groups. In the context of health promotion, to consider the migratory aspect refers to the need of giving adequate consideration to the specific challenges of migrants.
    Glossary
  • Active involvement of individuals and groups in the planning, implementation and evaluation of interventions (projects) concerning their living conditions and their lifestyles.
    Glossary
  • Measures intended to prevent the initial occurrence of a disorder (primary prevention) e.g. risk factor prevention, to arrest or retard existing disease (secondary prevention) or to reduce the occurrence of relapses and the establishment of chronic conditions (tertiary prevention).
    Glossary
  • In contrast to pathogenesis, salutogenesis refers to the process of creating and maintaining health.
    Glossary
  • Antonovsky's ‘sense of coherence' is an important health resource. It exists if an individual can comprehend and manage the world in which he lives and if the demands of life are seen as challenges that are worthy of investment and engagement. The three dimensions of Antonovsky's ‘sense of coherence' are therefore: comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness.
    Glossary
  • A clearly defined place or social context (e.g. work-place, school, hospital, youth centre, family).
    Glossary
Last modification: 29 January, 2017 16:02