Specific Resistance Resources in the Salutogenic Model of Health

This chapter discusses conceptual and concrete differences between generalized and specific resistance resources in the salutogenic model of health. It is important to distinguish between the two types of resistance resources to ensure that health promotion pays attention to both types. Specific resistance resources have as much or more relevance to health promotion practice as do generalized resistance resources. By drawing attention to the nature of specific resistance resources, one also draws attention to what should be the main aim of health promotion.

Obesity and Diet Predict Attitudes towards Health Promotion in Pre-Registered Nurses and Midwives

Nurses and midwives are integral to public health promotion; in the UK, they are advised to act as role models by their governing body, but overweight or obesity rates are high. We explored whether obesity and dietary habits are related to attitudes towards healthy role modelling and health promotion practice. A total of 346 pre-registered UK nurses and midwives (92.6% female; 18–53 years) completed an online survey. Items included body composition, dietary habits assessed by the Lifestyle Behaviour Questionnaire (LBQ), attitudes towards being role models for health (RA: role attitudes) and attitudes toward health promotion practice (ATHPP): 33.8% of the sample self-reported as overweight or obese; 67.6% did not consume 5-a-day portions of fruit/veg; 31.5% reported a healthy diet; and 89.6% believed their diet could be healthier. Positive RA was significantly linked to health promotion engagement (HP) (ß = 0.33, p < 0.001). Positive ATHPP was significantly predicted by lower BMI (ß = −0.08, p = 0.078), positive RA (ß = 0.67, p < 0.001), lower HP (ß = −0.25, p < 0.001) and male gender (ß = 0.09, p = 0.02). Greater confidence in patients valuing healthcare professional’s advice was predicted by healthier diet (ß = 0.11, p = 0.03), lower BMI (ß = −0. 16, p < 0.01), more positive RA (ß = 0.14, p < 0.01) as well as HP engagement during training (ß = 0.20, p < 0.01). One’s own motivation to promote health, similarly to ATHPP, was predicted by RA (ß = 0.17, p = 0.001) and previous HP engagement (ß = 0.39, p < 0.001). Findings show that overweight and obesity are prevalent in pre-registered nurses and midwives; the majority did not consume a healthy diet. Individual’s body composition, diet and attitudes towards role modelling are positively associated with their attitudes towards, and confidence in, health promotion practice. Experiences of health promotion practice during training can have either a positive or a negative influence on attitudes. Mentors and educators could actively promote healthy lifestyles for pre-registered nurses and midwives and facilitate more opportunities for health promotion practice during placements, which includes time for reflection.

Critical Narrative Intervention for Health Equity Research and Practice: Editorial Commentary Introducing the Health Promotion Practice Critical Narrative Intervention Special Collection

This special collection of Health Promotion Practice introduces critical narrative intervention (CNI) as a key theoretical framing for an asset-based, narrative, and participatory approach to promoting health and addressing social inequality. Innovative digital and visual methodologies highlighted in this special collection—comics and graphic novels, cellphilms and other participatory film, story booths, digital storytelling, and photovoice—are changing the way critical public health researchers and practitioners forge new knowledge, creating new possibilities for interdisciplinary and activist-based inquiry. Public health research and engagement efforts that critically contend with historically repressive structures and intervene through narrative and participatory processes to enact change with and for disenfranchised communities are long overdue. This special collection showcases six CNI projects that promote equity and justice in the context of LGBTQ, nonbinary, and other gender-diverse young people; people who inject drugs living with hepatitis C virus; young women who trade sex; undocumented and formerly undocumented immigrants; and people living with HIV/AIDS. It is our intent that this collection of exemplars can serve as a guidepost for practitioners and researchers interested in expanding the scope of critical public health praxis. Individually and collectively, the special collection illustrates how CNI can create space for the increased representation of historically silenced populations, redress stigma, and provoke important questions to guide a new era of health equity research.

Health Dialogue Experiences of Students, Teachers and School Nurses in Swedish Health-promoting Schools

According to Swedish law, all students are to be offered health dialogues with a school nurse, which helps to promote students’ health literacy. However, research shows that the health dialogues are not being used to their fullest potential. To explore how health dialogues are experienced by school actors – students, teachers and school nurses. The 93 participants from 14 municipalities in northern Sweden wrote open letters sharing their experiences with health dialogues. Phenomenological analysis resulted in two themes with three sub-themes each that describe well-functioning health-promoting schools in which health promotion was seen as a shared practice among staff. In contrast, the participants expressed frustration or resignation with the challenges connected to health dialogues. When given a voice, school actors paint an informative collective picture of health dialogues. Based on our findings, we argue that health dialogues can \promote students' health literacy and enable collaboration between different actors within educational systems. Furthermore, promoting health in school must be viewed as a common assignment for all school staff, and support from school leadership is needed to systematically use the results from health dialogues to inform effective health promotion practice.

Masteroppgaver som viktige bidrag til kunnskapsbasert helsefremmende arbeid?

I denne kvalitative studien undersøkes hvordan masteroppgavene kan bidra til kunnskapsbasen i helsefremmende arbeid. Studien er basert på en gjennomgang av masteroppgaver i helsefremmende arbeid fra perioden 2008 – 2018 ved ett universitet i Norge, samt et fokusgruppeintervju med den akademiske faggruppen tilknyttet dette masterstudiet. Data er analysert ved hjelp av innholdsanalyse. Analysen viser at masteroppgavene speiler emnet som beskrevet i internasjonale konsensusdokumenter om undervisning og forskning i helsefremmende arbeid, og svarer på forskningsbehov relatert til helsefremmende praksis. For at masteroppgavene skal kunne bidra til fagets forskningsbase, kreves fagfellevurderte publikasjoner. Slike publikasjoner forutsetter innsats fra både studenten og veilederen, noe som kan være en utfordring for begge parter på grunn av mangel på ressurser. Det er behov for organisatorisk tilrettelegging for å skape en kultur for publisering av masteroppgaver i vitenskapelige tidsskrifter. Abstract Master’s theses as important contributions to knowledge-based health promotion? This qualitative study examines how master's theses can contribute to the knowledge base of health promotion. The study is based on a review of master's theses published from 2008 – 2018 in one university in Norway, and a focus group interview with university academics working at the current health promotion program. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The analysis shows that the master's theses mirror the subject matter as described in international consensus documents on teaching and research on health promotion. In addition, they provide new knowledge about local health promotion practice and research needs. For master's theses to be able to contribute to the research base, peer-reviewed publications are required. Such publications require efforts from both the student and the supervisor and can be difficult to achieve due to lack of resources. There is a need for organizational support to create a culture for publishing master’s theses in scientific journals.

Toward a Culture of Health in the United States: Introducing the HPP Arts in Public Health Supplement

The arts—and the arts and culture sector—offer fertile ground for achieving a culture of health in the United States. The arts and artists are agents of change and can help enable this vision and also address the most critical public health issues we are contending with, including COVID-19 and racism. The arts provide means for engaging dialogue, influencing behaviors, disrupting paradigms and fueling social movements. The arts uncover and illuminate issues. They engage us emotionally and intellectually. They challenge assumptions. They call out injustice. They drive collective action. They heal—making arts + public health collaboration very relevant in this historic moment. In this special Health Promotion Practice supplement on arts in public health, you’ll find powerful examples and evidence of how cross-sector collaboration between public health and the arts can advance health promotion goals and impacts, and make health promotion programs not only more accessible to diverse populations but also more equitable and effective in addressing the upstream systems, policies, and structures that create health disparities. You will see how the arts can empower health communication, support health literacy, provide direct and measurable health benefits to individuals and communities, and support coping and resilience in response to COVID-19. This issue itself exemplifies cross-sector collaboration, as it was created through partnership between Health Promotion Practice, the Society for Public Health Education, ArtPlace America, and the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine, and presents voices from across the public health, arts, and community development sectors.

Leveraging Arts for Justice, Equity, and Public Health: The Skywatchers Program and Its Implications for Community-Based Health Promotion Practice and Research

Arts have long addressed the conditions that cause ill health, such as poverty, social inequality, and structural racism, and have recently taken on increased significance for public health. This article illuminates the potential for cross-sector collaboration between community-based health promotion and community-engaged arts to address the social determinants of health and build neighborhood assets at multiple levels of the social-ecological model. It features Skywatchers, a collaborative community arts ensemble of artists and residents of the culturally rich but economically poor Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco, California, and its original values-based “relational, durational, conversational, and structural” methodology focused on process over product and leveraging arts for justice and equity. Now, 10 years into its work, Skywatchers offers lessons about building reciprocal relationships, cocreating artworks, and promoting arts-based advocacy to improve the conditions that foster poor health in the neighborhood. The article discusses implications for community-based health promotion practice that delineate commitments and challenges shared between the two fields, their distinct roles and tools, and the potential for more widespread partnerships. It concludes with implications for policy and advocacy and a vision for expanded community-based participatory research to better understand the impact of arts on community health and well-being.

Oral health academics’ conceptualisation of health promotion and perceived barriers and opportunities in dental practice: a qualitative study

Background Oral diseases place a significant burden on individual and population health. These diseases are largely preventable; health promotion initiatives have been shown to decrease the disease rates. However, there is limited implementation of health promotion in dentistry, this could be due to a number of factors; the ethos and philosophy of dentistry is focused on a curative, individualised approach to oral diseases, confusion around health promotion as a concept. Oral health academics are well placed to implement health promotion, training of these professionals needs to include prevention, as training influences dental practice. However, there is a little understanding about how oral health academics (dental professionals who educate dental and oral health students) view health promotion. The aim of this exploratory study is to understand how oral health academics conceptualise health promotion and perceive the barriers and possible opportunities for health promotion implementation in dental practice. Methods Nominal group technique (NGT), a highly structured face-to-face meeting, was conducted with 24 oral health academics to explore how they conceptualize health promotion and the barriers and opportunities for health promotion in practice. An additional 4 questions were emailed to oral health educators after the NGT meeting to gather additional data, 6 oral health academics were involved. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Three board themes were identified: “Knowledge, ideas and concepts of health promotion”, “Challenges to health promotion”, “Opportunities for health promotion practice”. The oral health academics in this study discussed health promotion in a holistic way, however, health education and behaviour change were mentioned more than other aspects of health promotion. The structure of dental practice specifically the curative approach that underpins dentistry and the lack of funding, and value placed on health promotion could act as a challenge to health promotion being implemented in practice. There has been a shift towards prevention in dentistry, however the participants acknowledge there needs to be a change in the curative culture of the profession. Collaboration with other health professionals and using a common risk factor approach were the identified opportunities for health promotion practice. Conclusions Oral health academics have a holistic understanding of health promotion, but still focus more on behavioural approaches which is common within dentistry. For a change to occur in health promotion practice a change in the structure, curative approach and funding model of dentistry is required. Collaboration with other health professionals is an opportunity to be capitalised on. Training of future dental professionals is the perfect place to start to implement the changes and opportunities for health promotion presented in this paper.