Background: Health promotion and education (HPE) can be a valuable component of initiatives to promote health and prevent disease in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). Aims: To assess the type and scope of HPE interventions in the EMR and synthesize lessons learned. Methods: A rapid review was conducted with a PICOS (participants, interventions, comparisons, outcomes and study approaches) framework guiding approaches. Results: A growing interest in HPE approaches in the EMR was identified, with the majority of studies published within the past 5 years. Few high-quality studies were identified. Formative research predominated with nearly half of the studies recommending the need for scaling up of HPE interventions. There was also an underemphasis on implementation and evaluation of priority HPE interventions contributing to the major burdens of disease. Conclusion: The findings highlight the need to: (1) up-scale resource-efficient HPE interventions; (2) implement HPE programmes addressing noncommunicable disease priorities; and (3) capacity building to operationalize high-quality interventions and evaluations.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control as a tool for advancing health promotion: perspective from the Eastern Mediterranean Region
