Scandinavian Journal of Public Health最新文献

Background: JA PreventNCD represents a collaborative European Union initiative aimed at reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across Europe by targeting common risk factors and addressing health inequalities.

Aims: This article outlines the comprehensive communication and dissemination work developed to enhance the Joint Action on Cancer and other NCDs prevention: Action on Health Determinants (JA PreventNCD) project's visibility, impact and stakeholder engagement.

Methods: The communication and dissemination of the project is designed to be both strategic and inclusive. The approach centres on key objectives: supporting the JA PreventNCD goals of shaping future policies and advancing the prevention of NCDs by addressing communication challenges; increasing awareness; and enhancing stakeholder involvement. Using a mix of traditional and digital platforms, including press releases, newsletters, policy briefs, scientific publications, social media and interactive events, the strategy facilitates targeted engagement with policymakers, healthcare professionals, non-government organisations and the public. A strong emphasis on collaboration while recognising each country's unique challenges and opportunities in communicating NCD prevention.

Conclusions: By adhering to principles of inclusivity and accessibility, the communication work strives to engage diverse audiences effectively, encourage dialogue, support policy change and set the agenda. Ongoing evaluation measures ensure that the approach remains responsive, evidence based and impactful, aligning closely with the overarching goals of JA PreventNCD.

Background: Norwegian youth smoking has, to a larger extent than snus use, been associated with lower socioeconomic strata, and research has pointed at ideas in the youth population about the popularity and normality of snus use that are not found for smoking. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between socioeconomic status and other risk factors with snus use and smoking among people in their late teens.

Methods: Based on data from the longitudinal MyLife school survey, collected in five yearly waves between 2017 and 2021 (N = 1830, age 16.8-20.6 years in 2021, 64% girls), logistic regressions were performed with monthly snus use and smoking as dependents, and parents' education, psychological characteristics and earlier smoking or snus use as independent variables.

Results: High socioeconomic status (parents' education) was associated with less smoking and snus use also after controlling for psychological characteristics and earlier smoking and snus use. Higher age increased the risk of snus use and reduced the risk of smoking.

Conclusions: Youth snus use and smoking are associated with lower socioeconomic background. This supports the idea that snus use may have lost some of its position as a mainstream activity among youth.

Aims: Health literacy is considered a key social determinant of health. It plays an important role in the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), contributing to better health and well-being. Therefore, the overall aim of the health literacy focus (Action) within the European Joint Action to prevent NCDs (JA PreventNCD) is to promote general, digital, mental and organizational health literacy to improve health outcomes and counteract NCD-related health inequities in Europe. This paper presents a rational and methodological approach for strengthening health literacy in Europe.

Methods: The Action will be implemented through collaboration among 13 EU Member States and three non-EU Member States, using both quantitative and qualitative research approaches including questionnaire-based surveys, literature reviews, in-depth interviews, and focus groups, as well as stakeholder and user involvement. The implementation will be guided by a Health Literacy Approach to Theory of Change and carried out in three main phases: 1) project development, 2) data collection, data-analysis and tool development, and 3) recommendations for policy, research, and practice and dissemination.

Conclusions: The project supports participating countries in conducting a comprehensive national-level situation analysis and provides a solid foundation for further developing national health literacy-related policies, strategies or action plans. The project's expected outcome will contribute to promoting general, digital, mental and organizational health literacy in the prevention of NCDs in Europe. A Theory of Change and a coordinated approach facilitate the development of shared platforms, such as the European Health Literacy Arena, which help maintain collaboration and visibility beyond the lifetime of the project.

Aims: The Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach is based on the understanding that much of health and health equity is constructed in society outside the health sector, and that health and health equity are also crucial for achieving many other societal goals. To strengthen the implementation of HiAP in the European Union, we will study the current systems and practices for inclusion of health and health equity perspectives in policies across sectors. We will also examine the opportunities for health in various sectoral policies and the challenges in evidence-informed policymaking, including those posed by commercial actors. This work is done as part of the Joint Action on the Prevention of Cancer and other Non-communicable Diseases (JA PreventNCD).

Methods: We will collect scientific literature, policy documents, grey literature, utilise databases, conduct interviews and organise workshops. For analysis, we will use content, policy and stakeholder analyses, as well as quantitative methods. We will compare results between countries. Results: The final outputs include research articles, policy briefs, reports, toolboxes, policy dialogues and capacity-building activities.

Conclusions: This work aims to strengthen the inclusion of health and health equity perspectives in policymaking by assessing the current landscape, developing tools, providing actionable recommendations and engaging in policy dialogues with decision-makers.

Aims: The growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across Europe highlights the urgent need for robust, high-quality health data. Fragmented monitoring systems and inconsistent standards across Member States hinder coordinated and effective public health action. The European Union-funded Joint Action PreventNCD (JA PreventNCD) work package on monitoring addresses these challenges by promoting harmonised methodologies, exploring innovative technologies and identifying gaps. The work package aims to build capacity at all levels, support evidence-based policymaking and shift the focus towards prevention, contributing to a reduction of the NCD burden and health inequalities throughout Europe.

Methods: The work package strengthens NCD monitoring across Europe through mapping, method harmonisation, knowledge exchange and pilot testing. Activities span clinical and population-level monitoring, healthcare access and costs, and integration of diverse data sources - surveys, registries, biomarkers and citizen-generated data. Innovative tools, including machine learning and risk modelling, support early detection and prevention. Structured into five tasks, the work package promotes cross-border comparability and effective data communication. Pilot actions on pooled surveys, economic modelling and digital tools feed into the development of a Monitoring Assessment Tool long-term interoperable monitoring system.

Conclusion: The JA PreventNCD work on monitoring advances the clinical, individual and populational-level NCD monitoring systems across Europe by identifying gaps in interoperability, sharing protocols and facilitating cross-border learning. By strengthening NCD and risk factor monitoring, the evidence base for prevention policy development improves. Thereby support joint efforts to reduce burden of disease and health inequalities in line with the European Beating Cancer Plan and the Healthier together-initiative.

Aims: The paper presents a novel approach to foster sustained integration of the outcomes of the large-scale JA PreventNCD project into national and European policies.

Methods: We develop an operational definition of sustainability of public health activities that is designed to recognize and analyse the main factors and potential drivers of sustained uptake of the outcomes of public health projects into policies. We use the policy and the accountability cycles as a theoretical basis to conceptualize and develop the sustainability approach for the JA PreventNCD, intended for wider application beyond the end of the project. The accountability cycle is used to analyse how the dynamics of youth engagement as a form of social participation, and of wellbeing economy approaches, could contribute to sustained integration of project outputs into public health practices and policies at national and European levels.

Conclusions: Conceptualized through the policy and the accountability cycles, youth engagement and wellbeing economy should be key principles of the sustainability strand of JA PreventNCD, with the potential to increase the effectiveness and long-term sustainability of public health interventions across Europe. Achieving long-term sustainability of outcomes requires particular attention to be directed toward the latter stages of the accountability cycle - enforcement and improvement - which are often underdeveloped compared with the earlier stages of assessment and communication.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for the majority of mortality and morbidity in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region, largely driven by modifiable commercial determinants. Despite strong evidence supporting cost-effective interventions, implementation has been inconsistent due to industry interference, limited resources and policy inertia. To address this, WHO/Europe has identified a set of 'quick buys' capable of producing measurable health outcomes within 5 years. Experience shows that voluntary measures, pilot projects and the exchange of good practices alone are insufficient to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, making mandatory, well-enforced policies urgently needed to deliver the scale and speed of change required. As the 2030 SDG deadline approaches, accelerating policy action, strengthening surveillance systems and safeguarding public health governance from commercial interests are essential to reducing the NCD burden and achieving regional health targets.

Aims: A significant number of children and adolescents are insufficiently physically active and have a sedentary lifestyle, which is associated with adverse health outcomes, necessitating effective interventions. Using a participatory approach, which engages youth in intervention development, may enhance intervention effectiveness, as such interventions are believed to be more tailored to the needs of the target group. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of the results of process and effect evaluations of studies that developed school-based physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour interventions using a participatory approach among children and adolescents.

Methods: Six databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), Scopus and SPORTDiscus) were searched. Studies were included when they evaluated the participatory process, intervention implementation or health-related intervention effects. A quality assessment was completed using two QualSyst checklists. Extracted data included characteristics of studies, interventions, and participatory processes; characteristics of participants from whom data were collected; outcomes measured and measurement methods used; and key findings.

Results: Twenty-five papers, covering 18 original studies, were included. Studies suggested that participatory processes were generally perceived positively, resulting in pupils feeling empowered, experiencing ownership and gaining certain skills. Participatory developed interventions also seemed to be generally well received, although the intervention dose delivered and intervention reach seemed to vary between studies. Finally, studies generally tended to report no effects on health.

Conclusions: Although a participatory approach could be promising in empowering pupils and promoting intervention acceptance, apparent differences in intervention implementation and limited effectiveness highlight the need to enhance participatory processes and intervention effectiveness.

Aims: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for more than two thirds of the burden of disease in Europe. At the population level, substantial disparities exist based on socioeconomic status, geographical area, age, disability, gender, and ethnicity. A large part of this disease burden is preventable. The aim of the Joint Action PreventNCD is to support strategies, policies, and practices designed to reduce the burden of NCDs and their common risk factors. This is achieved through collaboration between Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Norway, and Ukraine acting on health determinants and increasing protective factors for health and wellbeing, both at a personal and societal level. A critical objective is to contribute to reduced social inequalities associated with NCDs. This paper presents the overall design and rationale behind PreventNCD, highlighting the efforts to provide strategic direction and guidance while fostering consolidated efforts to NCD prevention and health promotion.

Methods: Methods include analyzing opportunities for implementing evidence-informed intersectoral policies for preventing NCDs, pilot-testing innovative practices, and scaling up best practices, including both population-based and targeted prevention efforts. Furthermore, methods include building monitoring capacity in the fields of NCD mortality and morbidity, exposure to risk factors, cost of NCD care, and the impact of health promotion and disease prevention efforts.

Conclusions: This is an ambitious effort to strengthen the European Member States' abilities and efforts related to NCD prevention. Key outputs include the identification and implementation of effective policies and practices, and long-term institutional mechanisms for sustained NCD prevention and health promotion.

Background: The Joint Action Prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (JAPreventNCD) supports strategies and policies to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by addressing health determinants and promoting cross-sectoral collaboration, recognizing the complexity of these challenges; the Healthy Living Environments work stream aims to implement and evaluate interventions targeting NCD determinants at the local level across the life course, and this paper outlines the protocol developed to achieve that goal.

Methods: We will develop a guide with the Community Action for Health (CAH) methodology but it will be tailored for the specific use of implementing interventions targeting health determinants (e.g. urbanism) and NCD risk factors (tobacco, alcohol), and implemented in local settings across various sectors such as cities, education, workplaces and health services in Europe; while some pilots test new activities, others adapt existing best practices to new contexts, with shared experiences informing the identification of strengths and limitations.

Results: Fifty-one interventions are expected to adopt the common methodology, enhancing participants' capacities for positive health outcomes through shared experiences, while identified limitations, opportunities and lessons will inform future health promotion efforts. A web-based platform for capacity building will contain all materials that can be used to expand the current practices and the identification of building blocks of supersetting infrastructures for local-level health promotion will be crucial for maximizing the project's impact.

Conclusions: This joint effort, drawing on collective knowledge from diverse countries and institutions as a 'European laboratory of health promotion experiences', fosters social innovation in health and requires sustained commitment to achieve meaningful health impacts.