Developing a health promoting university initiative within the context of inter-sectoral action for sustainable public health: reflections from the University of Central Lancashire

Abstract

During the past few years, a number of universities have sought to apply the settings-based approach to health promotion within the context of higher education. The University of Central Lancashire became one of the first universities in Europe to establish a strategic Health Promoting University initiative when it appointed a Coordinator in 1995. With the overall aims of integrating within the organisation an understanding of and commitment to holistic health and to developing its health promoting potential, the initiative has developed its work programme across a breadth of health-related issues. Operating within the broader context of inter-sectoral working, the Health Promoting University has sought to maximise integrative and synergistic action for sustainable public health. The first paper presented will briefly outline the context of higher education in the UK, before providing an overview of the health promoting university approach, using the University of Central Lancashire's initiative as a case study and describing some of the key processes involved in moving from idea to implementation. The second paper that follows will discuss the theoretical basis for the health promoting university initiative, describe its work programme in more detail and critically discuss the key opportunities and challenges faced, both within the organisation and in the context of inter-sectoral working. It will go on to outline the work of the newly established Settings Development Unit and explore its potential to support collaborative working and contribute to sustainable public health.

Theorizing healthy settings: a critical discussion with reference to Healthy Universities

“…26 references -relating to the UK, China, Germany, Hong Kong and the USA -conformed to the inclusion criteria. Of these, 15 were authored or co-authored by Dooris or Dooris et al [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] and a further seven cited Dooris or Dooris et al [24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. This reflects the relative youth of Healthy Universities as a movement and there was, not surprisingly, a high degree of congruence amongst the papers with regard to the theories and conceptual frameworks deployed.…”

“…As systems, they are understood to be made up of multiple interconnected parts -which can be considered in terms of components; micro-environments; sub-populations or stakeholder groups; and health issues and their determinants [5,15]. Systems theory has proved to be a powerful influence in the field of healthy settings, particularly in terms of how health can be embedded within a context oriented to non-health goals.…”

Applying the whole-system settings approach to food within universities

“…12,20,21,23,25 Some universities may begin with a focus on project-based work, such as healthy eating campaigns and cooking workshops, which can help to win hearts and minds and provide concrete examples of the range of work and positive outcomes that are possible. Project-based work can also secure stakeholder buy-in and serve as a catalyst to start working towards wider organizational change that might have felt too challenging to address at the start.…”

Health Promotion in Israeli Colleges of Higher Education—The Example of Oranim College of Education

“…Educational institutions shape the personalities and decisions of individuals as they grow. Teachers in training and service exert substantial influence on the development and lifechoices of their students, as well as being impacted themselves, by a healthier workplace (6,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25).…”