Alyson Taub

The Galway Consensus Conference: international collaboration on the development of core competencies for health promotion and health education

Developing a competent health promotion workforce is a key component of capacity building for the future and is critical to delivering on the vision, values and commitments of global health promotion. This paper reports on an international consensus meeting to identify core competencies, jointly organized by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE), the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with participation from international leaders in the field, that took place at the National University of Ireland, Galway, in June 2008. The purpose of the meeting is outlined and the outcomes in terms of strengthening global exchange, collaboration and common approaches to capacity building and workforce development are discussed. The Consensus Statement, based on the proceedings of the meeting, outlines core values and principles, a common definition and eight domains of core competency that are required to engage in effective health promotion practice. The core domains of competency agreed to at the meeting are: catalysing change, leadership, assessment, planning, impementation, evaluation, advocacy and partnerships. A summary of the Consensus Statement is presented and further dialogue and discussion are invited in order to continue the process of building international consensus with regard to health promotion core competencies. (Global Health Promotion, 2009; 16 (2): pp. 5—11)

A review of the international literature on health promotion competencies: identifying frameworks and core competencies

Building a competent health promotion workforce with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop, implement and evaluate health promotion policies and practice is fundamental to mainstreaming and sustaining health promotion action. This paper reviews the international literature on competencies in health promotion, examines the competencies developed to date, identifies the methods used in their development and considers what can be learned from the experience of others when establishing international core competencies. The paper considers the advantages and disadvantages of employing a competency approach and the extent to which the competencies identified to date can enhance the quality of practice and update the skill set required to work within changing social, cultural and political contexts.

Toward International Collaboration on Credentialing in Health Promotion and Health Education: The Galway Consensus Conference

The interest in competencies, standards, and quality assurance in the professional preparation of public health professionals whose work involves health promotion and health education dates back several decades. In Australia, Europe, and North America, where the interest in credentialing has gained momentum, there have been rapidly evolving efforts to codify competencies and standards of practice as well as the processes by which quality and accountability can be ensured in academic professional preparation programs. The Galway Consensus Conference was conceived as a first step in an effort to explore the development of an international consensus regarding the core competencies of health education specialists and professionals in health promotion and the commonalities and differences in establishing uniform standards for the accreditation of academic professional preparation programs around the world. This article describes the purposes, objectives, and process of the Galway Consensus Conference and the background to the meeting that was convened.

Strengthening Quality Assurance in Health Education: Recent Milestones and Future Directions

The health education profession has a lengthy history of efforts to assure the quality of health education professional preparation and practice. These initiatives to improve the value and accountability of health education are not only beneficial to current practitioners and faculty but also to consumers, students, employers, other professional colleagues, and numerous other stakeholders. This article describes the movement during the last decade to further strengthen quality assurance in health education, including current credentialing mechanisms for individuals and academic programs, the efforts of three national accreditation task forces, and the 2006 Third National Congress for Institutions Preparing Health Educators (Dallas II). Post—Dallas II activities related to program accreditation and approval and individual certification are presented as well as future directions for the health education workforce.

Perspectives on Terminology and Conceptual and Professional Issues in Health Education and Health Promotion Credentialing

This article was prepared to inform the deliberations of the Galway Consensus Conference by providing a common and global reference point for the discussion of terminology and key conceptual and professional issues in the credentialing of health education and health promotion specialists. The article provides a review of the terminology that is currently employed across different countries in defining health education and health promotion as well as health educator and health promotion specialist. The terminology used to describe concepts in professional credentialing of health education and health promotion specialists and the scope of professional responsibilities of such specialists, including the terms professional competencies, professional standards, and accreditation, are also reviewed. Finally, key unresolved issues are identified and discussed from a global perspective. The article concludes that despite differences in terminology in the definitions of roles and responsibilities, health education and health promotion are conceptually more similar than different across countries.

Progress and Directions in Professional Credentialing for Health Education in the United States

This article provides an update on initiatives in individual certification and accreditation of academic programs in public/community health education and school health education in the United States. Although we provide some historical context, the focus primarily addresses credentialing efforts that have evolved since the Galway Consensus Conference was convened in 2008 and publication of the Galway Consensus and related manuscripts in 2009. Significant progress has been achieved in updating the health education competencies for entry and advanced levels of practice, as well as in establishing a Master Certified Health Education Specialist designation. Also discussed are contemporary initiatives to expand and improve the accreditation process of academic programs and the evolving higher education contexts in which such systems operate. We conclude by presenting lessons learned from the U.S. experience with credentialing efforts and by offering recommendations that may be applicable to future quality assurance efforts, both in the United States and abroad.

A role delineation study of health educators in the United States: methodological innovations

This paper focuses on methodological innovations used in the National Health Educator Competencies Update Project (CUP) in the United States. The CUP was a six-year research study designed to delineate the role of the health educator in the USA. Individuals who self-identified as health educators were included in the study. To provide context, the background for the research is presented, followed by a brief overview of the research process. Some of the key methodological innovations discussed are: selecting a representative sample when the total population of those working as health educators was not easily identified or readily accessible; assessing response methodology preferences through pilot studies; enhancing the response rate through accurate, up-to-date mailing lists and incentives; and exploring new approaches to large-scale data analyses. Insights gained are included for other researchers who may wish to undertake similar studies or draw from the CUP dataset for secondary analyses. (Promot Educ, 2008; 15 (4): 38-43)

Report from the AAHE/SOPHE Joint Committee on Ethics

In 1984, the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and the Association for the Advancement of Health Education (AAHE) convened a joint committee to de velop a profession wide code of ethics for health education. The following article is a compilation of the Committees work over two years. The Committees report appears first. It presents the Committees position on how a code of ethics is developed and constitutes guidelines for future refinements in the code. Appendix A is the SOPHE code of ethics produced in 1976. It is included to show the evolution of the code into its current form as presented in Appendix B. Appendix B is the Code of Ethics devel oped by a SOPHE Committee in 1983. SOPHE and AAHE through a joint committee are continuing efforts to develop a code of ethics for the profession of health educa tion. We invite readers reactions to the Code. Comments and questions can be di rected to the AAHE/SOPHE Ethics Committee, c/o the Editors of Health Education Quarterly.

Accreditation of Professional Preparation Programs for School Health Educators The Changing Landscape

The health education profession is committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality assurance, including accreditation of professional preparation programs in both school and community/public health education. Since 2001, the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) has increased attention to strengthening accreditation processes for preservice programs. This article focuses on the preparation of school health educators and the evolving philosophies and approaches concerning quality assurance, with particular attention to recent changes in teacher education and national professional accreditation entities. The unification of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) to form the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) as the single voice for teacher accreditation presents an opportunity to create a model unified accreditation system. Such a system can improve and enhance the stature of the teaching profession, raise expectations and the performance standards for teacher education candidates, and strengthen the standards for the evidence used to support claims of quality. During this transition period from NCATE and TEAC to CAEP, a School Health Education Accreditation Working Group convened by SOPHE recommended to the SOPHE Board of Trustees that SOPHE urge health education professionals to monitor and provide input into the emerging standards and processes for school health educator program accreditation. The Working Group also recommended that both health education professionals and the stakeholder professional organizations advocate for strong quality assurance standards for school health educator professional preparation programs. The Working Group anticipates future changes in quality assurance processes and curricula to keep pace with new accreditation requirements and the results from the latest role delineation research for health education specialists.

Overview of the National Health Educator Competencies Update Project, 1998-2004

Abstract This research was supported in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHSP233200400186P);Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Purchase Order 00-257(P)); New York University Research Challenge Fund Programs; American Association for Health Education; National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.; and Society for Public Health Education, Inc. The National Health Educator Competencies Update Project (CUP), conducted during 1998-2004, addressed what health educators currently do in practice, the degree to which the role definition of the entry-level health educator is still up-to-date, and the validation of advanced-level competencies. A 19-page questionnaire was sent to a representative sample of health educators in recognized practice settings in all states and the District of Columbia. A total of 4,030 health educators participated in the research (70.6% adjusted response rate) resulting in the largest national data set of its kind, with 1.6 million data points. The model derived from the research was hierarchical (7 areas of responsibility, 35 competencies, and 163 subcompetencies), with three levels of practice (Entry, Advanced 1, and Advanced 2) differentiated by degrees earned and years of experience. The findings affect professional preparation, credentialing, and professional development.