Kommunale Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention: Elemente, Potentiale und Hemmnisse einer präventiven und gesundheitsförderlichen kommunalen Gesundheitspolitik

In: Zeitschrift für Sozialreform: ZSR = Journal of social policy research, Band 63, Heft 2, S. 275-299

Abstract

AbstractThe article addresses the role of local government in health promotion and prevention in Germany. In a first step, it delineates the goals of health promotion and prevention policies in general and describes how these relate to the definition of prevention given in the editorial. The second part highlights the role of municipalities in health promotion and disease prevention. The third part describes five core elements of local health promotion and prevention policies: local health monitoring, the development of a coherent local health strategy, integration of local (health-related) administration, governance of relevant external actors, and securing participation at all process levels. Each of these five elements is illustrated with examples from North-Rhine Westphalian municipalities. The fourth part describes obstacles that health promoting and preventive policies encounter both in general and at the local level in particular. The author concludes that despite these obstacles, every small step towards more local action should be realized because of its potential to improve the health of the population.