Programme overview
Introduction:
The Healthy Cities programme course, covering the settings approach, Health in All Policies and local action plans, is a 1-week course for municipal, health authority and community health units, ending with a Healthy City Local Action Plan for a case district. Many Healthy City initiatives stall after launch because steering committees stop meeting, sectors outside health see no role, community health profiles go unused and recognition criteria are left unmet. Nominees already coordinate neighbourhood, school or workplace health activity, learning through case studies on district profiles and committee records. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this Healthy Cities programme course.
Course Objectives:
- Explain the WHO Healthy Cities approach, its principles and recognition criteria and position a municipality or district against them
- Establish a Healthy City coordination office and intersectoral steering committee with terms of reference, membership and meeting cycle
- Compile a community health profile from household, service and environmental data with resident consultation findings
- Apply Health in All Policies and Health Impact Assessment screening to transport, housing, food and planning decisions
- Organise settings-based health promotion in schools, workplaces, mosques and markets using WHO Healthy Settings criteria
- Assemble a Healthy City Local Action Plan with priorities, lead agencies, indicators and a monitoring and evaluation cycle
Target Audience:
- Municipal Healthy City coordination units responsible for running the programme office and steering committee
- Health authority health promotion departments responsible for supporting cities, districts and villages
- Primary care and community health centre units responsible for neighbourhood health activity and outreach
- Urban planning, environment and public services departments responsible for decisions that shape residents' health
- Education, workplace and faith-venue health committees responsible for settings-based initiatives
- Community associations and volunteer networks responsible for resident participation and local projects
Course Outline:
Day 1: Healthy City Concepts, Principles and District Baseline
- Healthy City Definition as a Continuous Improvement Process
- Ottawa Charter Five Action Areas Applied to Urban Settings
- Equity, Participatory Governance and Social Determinants Principles Review
- Healthy Cities Networks and Regional Recognition Pathways Overview
- District Readiness Baseline Using Healthy City Criteria Checklist
Day 2: WHO Healthy Cities Framework, Governance and Recognition Criteria
- Mayoral Endorsement Declaration and Council Resolution Drafting
- Healthy City Coordination Office Staffing and Budget Lines
- Intersectoral Steering Committee Terms of Reference and Membership
- Recognition Self-Assessment Criteria and Evidence Portfolio Assembly
- Site Visit Preparation and Recognition Renewal Cycle Planning
Day 3: Community Health Profiles, Health in All Policies and Healthy Settings
- Community Health Profile Data Sources and Indicator Selection
- Resident Consultation Using Neighbourhood Meetings and Household Surveys
- Health in All Policies Health Lens Analysis for Sector Decisions
- Health Impact Assessment Screening and Scoping for Local Projects
- WHO Healthy Settings Criteria for Schools, Workplaces, Mosques and Markets
Day 4: Settings Delivery, Partnership Risks and Programme Sustainability
- Health-Promoting School Standards and School Health Committee Roles
- Healthy Workplace Model Avenues of Influence and Employer Engagement
- Healthy Marketplace Hygiene, Food Safety and Vendor Training Routines
- Mosque and Community Centre Health Volunteer Network Design
- Committee Fatigue, Sector Disengagement and Funding Gap Remedies
Day 5: Case Study: Healthy City Local Action Plan for a Case District
- Case District Health Profile Review and Priority Ranking
- Intersectoral Lead Agency and Partner Responsibility Matrix
- Local Action Plan Logic Model With Output and Outcome Indicators
- Monitoring Dashboard, Annual Progress Report and Evaluation Cycle
- Healthy City Local Action Plan Completion and Committee Presentation
Skills You Will Gain:
- Healthy City Governance Set-Up
- Intersectoral Committee Facilitation
- Community Health Profiling
- Health Lens Policy Screening
- Health Impact Screening
- Healthy Settings Assessment
- Resident Participation Planning
- Local Action Plan Monitoring
Why Attend This Course:
- Deliver a Healthy City Local Action Plan for a case district to the mayor's office, the steering committee chair and the health authority focal point
- Decide which settings, neighbourhoods and partner sectors receive coordination effort and budget first, based on the community health profile
- Avoid stalled committees, unmet recognition criteria and projects that ignore what residents reported in consultation
- Share committee terms of reference, profile templates, settings checklists and the monitoring dashboard with partner departments and volunteers
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant presents the Healthy City Local Action Plan to the mayor's office, the intersectoral steering committee and partner departments. The committee uses it to agree lead agencies, settings priorities and indicators, and the coordination office uses it to assemble recognition evidence and request budget. After the first annual progress report, the unit should compare indicator results, settings coverage and resident feedback with the profile baseline, then revise priorities and partner roles before the next planning cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before a Healthy Cities programme course?
Participants should already coordinate neighbourhood, school, workplace or municipal health activity, or sit on a committee that does. No epidemiology training is needed. Bringing a district map, recent health or service data and any committee minutes helps apply the case study to their own area.
How does a Healthy Cities programme course differ from a public health epidemiology or awareness campaign course?
It covers running a city or district initiative: governance, intersectoral committees, community health profiles, settings work, Health in All Policies and a local action plan. Epidemiology courses cover disease rates and surveillance, and campaign courses cover message design; both appear here only briefly.
Why does the settings approach matter in a Healthy Cities programme?
People spend their days in schools, workplaces, markets and places of worship, so improving these settings reaches many residents through routines they already follow. The settings approach links environment, policies and participation in each place rather than relying on one-off messages.
What do participants take back from a Healthy Cities programme course?
Participants take back a Healthy City Local Action Plan for a case district, with a profile summary, priority ranking, partner responsibility matrix, logic model, indicators and monitoring dashboard they can adapt to their own municipality.