Caroline Hall

Health in the Urban Environment: A Qualitative Review of the Brighton and Hove WHO Healthy City Program

Phase IV of the WHO European Region’s Healthy Cities Program ended in December 2008. This article presents the findings from a recently completed review of Brighton and Hove’s Healthy City Program which aimed to scope whether added value had accrued from the city’s role as a WHO Healthy City during phase IV. In contrast to most other evaluations of healthy cities, this review adopted a qualitative approach representing an appraisal of the Brighton and Hove Healthy City Program from the internal viewpoint of its local stakeholders. In addition to documentary analysis and a facilitated workshop, a series of in-depth interviews (N = 27) were conducted with stakeholders from the Brighton and Hove Healthy City Partnership representing each of the sectors reflected in the Local Strategic Partnership (public, statutory, elected, community and voluntary, neighborhood and communities, business). The key findings of the review are presented in a way which reflects the three key areas of the review including (1) the healthy cities approach, (2) participation in phase IV of the WHO Healthy Cities Program, and (3) the Brighton and Hove Healthy City Partnership. These findings are discussed, and recommendations for action at local, national, and European levels are proposed. In particular, we argue that there is an urgent need to develop a suitable monitoring and evaluation system for the WHO Healthy Cities Program with appropriate indicators that are meaningful and relevant to local stakeholders. Moreover, it would be important for any such system to capitalize on the benefits that qualitative methodologies can offer alongside more traditional quantitative indicators.

Is there a need for a European doctorate in health promotion and public health

Objectives: This paper summarises the context and rationale behind developing a European doctorate in health promotion and public health and its relevance to the international context. Since no Pan-European doctorate exists to date, a network of universities and higher education institutions across Europe has been working towards the establishment of a European doctorate in health promotion and public health. This paper describes the consensus-building process among this network of core stakeholders, combining key learning outcomes with the results of a scoping study. We critically examine some of the challenges encountered and discuss the potential need for such a doctoral level qualification. Methods: The consensus-building process included several meetings as well as a qualitative scoping study, consisting of nine qualitative interviews with and two written responses from different stakeholders in the area of doctoral education. Results: We describe the different requirements, benefits and challenges linked to the development of a European doctorate in health promotion and public health that were identified within the consensus-building process and in the qualitative data. Conclusion: Overall, the benefits identified suggest that a European doctorate in health promotion and public health would be a positive and progressive initiative. However, the potential added value and the demand for such a doctorate still need to be examined.