In 2015 the United Nations adopted the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), which have also implicitly been declared as health policy goals since they address the political, economic and social determinants of health – and are thus leading goals for prevention and the promotion of healthy living in the global, international, national, regional and local contexts.
Even today, overcoming the prevention paradox is still a major challenge. People in high need of preventive healthcare due to their social and economic backgrounds still only rarely make use of opportunities for healthcare, health advice and support measures. The aim of our project is to find out how regional and local services for preventive care should be designed to reach target groups, promote healthy living and reduce health inequalities among the population.

Duration:
01 August 2021 - 30 June 2026

Research Team:
Prof. Dr. Eva Quante-Brandt (Head of project)
Lisa Kühne
Hanna Richter

Focussing on regional and local services it becomes apparent that the health and wellbeing of the population forms a central dimension of inequality and has a tangible impact from the perspective of the social and political sciences.

This can be seen:

• on the individual level – in individual health competencies, for instance in the use of healthcare services
• on the level of the vitality of individuals – especially with regard to mental stability, chronic disease, and the correlation between poverty and health
• on the level of the structures of the healthcare system – e.g. in terms of healthcare provision and information given to patients, particularly to those living in precarious circumstances or vulnerable groups (such as people of advanced age or with a migration background etc.)
• on the health policy level – particularly by ensuring sufficient workforce is available to deliver preventive programmes by providing for extensive qualified vocational and further training at all levels of medical care and therapy

Based on the 2015 prevention legislation our focus will be on the elaboration of structural developments in areas of practical relevance to health policy. Local healthcare units have been set up in Bremen, inter alia, with healthcare professionals (“Gesundheitsfachkräfte”) at schools and in districts. We aim to investigate whether this setting and target group approach, as laid out in the Prevention Act, works in practice and whether the health workers are adequately trained.

Further work plans:

• Under the umbrella of the Integrated Health Campus Bremen, PhD students working in the Research Cluster “Gesunde Stadt” (Healthy Cities) will be be given support in an academic mentoring programme.
• As part of the health policy colloquium (“Gesundheitspolitisches Kolloquium”), we invite experts from science and the health professions to discuss current developments and problems together with the public. The focus is on health policy debates and topics of community health promotion and prevention, taking gender- and migration-sensitive perspectives into account.

Duration:
01 August 2021 - 30 June 2026

Research Team:
Prof. Dr. Eva Quante-Brandt (Head of project)
Lisa Kühne
Hanna Richter

Project Type:
Personal project