Capacity-building for a strong public health nutrition workforce in low-resource countries

AbstractObjectivesTo describe a conceptual framework to assist in the application of capacity-building principles to public health nutrition practice.DesignA review of the literature and consideration of the determinants of effective public health nutrition practice has been used to inform the development of a conceptual framework for capacity building in the context of public health nutrition practice.ResultThe limited literature supports a greater integration and application of capacity-building strategies and principles in public health nutrition practice, and that this application should be overt and strategic. A framework is proposed that identifies a number of determinants of capacity for effective public health nutrition action. The framework represents the key foundations for building capacity including leadership, resourcing and intelligence. Five key strategic domains supported by these foundation elements, including partnerships, organisational development, project management quality, workforce development and community development, are proposed. This framework can be used to assist the systematic assessment, development and evaluation of capacity-building activity within public health nutrition practice.ConclusionsCapacity building is a strategy within public health nutrition practice that needs to be central to public health nutrition intervention management. The present paper defines, contextualises and outlines a framework for integrating and making explicit the importance of capacity building within public health nutrition practice at many levels.

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Strengthening public health nutrition: findings from a situational assessment to inform system-wide capacity building in Ontario, Canada

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980020001433 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (16) ◽

pp. 3045-3055

Author(s):

Rachel JL Prowse ◽

Sarah A Richmond ◽

Sarah Carsley ◽

Heather Manson ◽

Brent Moloughney

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Extreme Case ◽

Data Generation ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

The Public ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Situational Assessment ◽

Access To Data ◽

Nutrition Practice

AbstractObjective:To assess public health nutrition practice within the public health system in Ontario, Canada to identify provincial-wide needs for scientific and technical support.Design:A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to identify activities, strengths, challenges and opportunities in public health nutrition practice using semi-structured key informant interviews (n 21) and focus groups (n 10). Recorded notes were analysed concurrently with data generation using content analysis. System needs were prioritised through a survey.Setting:Public health units.Participants:Eighty-nine practitioners, managers, directors, medical officers of health, researchers and other stakeholders were purposively recruited through snowball and extreme case sampling.Results:Five themes were generated: (i) current public health nutrition practice was broad, complex, in transition and collaborative; (ii) data/evidence/research relevant to public health needs were insufficiently available and accessible; (iii) the amount and specificity of guidance/leadership was perceived to be mismatched with strong evidence that diet is a risk factor for poor health; (iv) resources/capacity were varied but insufficient and (v) understanding of nutrition expertise in public health among colleagues, leadership and other organisations can be improved. Top ranked needs were increased understanding, visibility and prioritisation of healthy eating and food environments; improved access to data and evidence; improved collaboration and coordination; and increased alignment of activities and goals.Conclusions:Collective capacity in the public health nutrition can be improved through strategic system-wide capacity-building interventions. Research is needed to explore how improvements in data, evidence and local contexts can bridge research and practice to effectively and efficiently improve population diets and health.

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Capacity building in public health nutrition

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665114001736 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 74 (4) ◽

pp. 430-436 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Catherine Geissler

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Health Workforce ◽

Special Focus ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

Web Based ◽

Policy Makers ◽

International Agencies ◽

Main Emphasis ◽

Building Activities

The aim of the present paper is to review capacity building in public health nutrition (PHN), the need for which has been stressed for many years by a range of academics, national and international organisations. Although great strides have been made worldwide in the science of nutrition, there remain many problems of undernutrition and increasingly of obesity and related chronic diseases. The main emphasis in capacity building has been on the nutrition and health workforce, but the causes of these health problems are multifactorial and require collaboration across sectors in their solution. This means that PHN capacity building has to go beyond basic nutrition and beyond the immediate health workforce to policy makers in other sectors. The present paper provides examples of capacity building activities by various organisations, including universities, industry and international agencies. Examples of web-based courses are given including an introduction to the e-Nutrition Academy. The scope is international but with a special focus on Africa. In conclusion, there remains a great need for capacity building in PHN but the advent of the internet has revolutionised the possibilities.

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Practitioner consensus on the determinants of capacity building practice in high-income countries

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s136898001400216x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (10) ◽

pp. 1898-1905 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Elizabeth Swanepoel ◽

Ann Fox ◽

Roger Hughes

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Workforce Development ◽

Content Validity ◽

Delphi Study ◽

High Income ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

The Usa ◽

Nutrition Practice

AbstractObjectiveTo assess and develop consensus among experienced public health nutrition practitioners from high-income countries regarding conceptualisation of capacity building in practice, and to test the content validity of a previously published conceptual framework for capacity building in public health nutrition practice.DesignA Delphi study involving three iterations of email-delivered questionnaires testing a range of capacity determinants derived from the literature. Consensus was set at >50 % of panellists ranking items as ‘very important’ on a five-point Likert scale across three survey rounds.SettingPublic health nutrition practice in Australia, the UK, Canada and the USA.SubjectsPublic health nutrition practitioners and academics.ResultA total of thirty expert panellists (68 % of an initial panel of forty-four participants) completed all three rounds of Delphi questionnaires. Consensus identified determinants of capacity building in practice including partnerships, resourcing, community development, leadership, workforce development, intelligence and quality of project management.ConclusionsThe findings from the study suggest there is broad agreement among public health nutritionists from high-income countries about how they conceptualise capacity building in public health nutrition practice. This agreement suggests considerable content validity for a capacity building conceptual framework proposed by Baillieet al. (Public Health Nutr12, 1031–1038). More research is needed to apply the conceptual framework to the implementation and evaluation of strategies that enhance the practice of capacity building approaches by public health nutrition professionals.

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Public Health and Primary Care Collaboration: Interactional Factors Influencing Capacity Building

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e511192013-001 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Linda O'Mara ◽

Ruta Valaitis ◽

Nancy Murray ◽

Donna Meagher-Stewart ◽

Sabrina Wong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Primary Care ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Factors Influencing

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Public Health Nutrition in Hungary – Facts and Hopes

Hungarian Medical Journal ◽

10.1556/hmj.1.2007.1.2 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 7-12

Author(s):

György Biró

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Public Health Nutrition

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Online canteens: awareness, use, barriers to use, and the acceptability of potential online strategies to improve public health nutrition in primary schools

Health Promotion Journal of Australia ◽

10.1071/he15095 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 67-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Rebecca Wyse ◽

Sze Lin Yoong ◽

Pennie Dodds ◽

Libby Campbell ◽

Tessa Delaney ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

Online Strategies ◽

Barriers To Use

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Who manages health workforce in the States of India: Profile, knowledge and perceptions of the team

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.664 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

S Khurana ◽

S Roy ◽

M Gupta

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Human Resource ◽

Health Workforce ◽

Health Sector ◽

Limited Resource ◽

Role Clarity ◽

Public Health Sector ◽

Hrm Practices ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Problem Human resources in the public health sector is of prime importance in a limited resource setting country, who at times work in a high-pressure, limited resource environment and where skilled staff continue to remain in short supply. The role of Human Resource for Health (HRH) team responsible for managing this health workforce is crucial. They play an important role in improving the human resource practices and creating an enabling organizational culture for optimal resource utilization. The paper explores the profile of the HRH teams of the states of India, their knowledge levels, and perceptions of their role. Methods The participants were HR Managers from 29 states of India who look after HRH in National Health Mission and State Health Departments. Cross-sectional survey tool was used for data collection. Quantitative data analysis included univariate and bivariate analysis. One Way ANOVA test of significance and post-hoc tests using Tukey's method was used to ascertain the groups with significant difference. Results Most of the HRH team members are postgraduates or have management background. Their experience varies from <1year to > 25 years. Mostly of them perceive their role to be limited to implementing bare essential HRM practices, mostly administrative. The educational qualification of the members did not have any significant bearing on their technical knowledge related to HRM practices; but their experience in public health sector showed a significant association. Lessons This study lends evidence to the principle that professionals who have been in the system for long, know about HRH and the associated policies better, and hence may be better equipped to handle HRH and establish good HR Management (HRM) systems. Better role clarity among the HRH teams, expansion of their current scope of work to include advanced practices of HRM and continuous capacity building mechanisms are needed to help strengthen the development and management of HRH. Key messages This study, a first of its kind in the country, lend evidence related to the principle for deciding the profile of team who should be entrusted with managing and development of HRH. The Study gives evidence to focus on the role clarity of HRH to zero down their knowledge and skills gaps and enhance their competencies through better capacity building.

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