SDGs and public health policies: implementing the S2D grid in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) and public health are often considered as separate policy fields, whereas there is a considerable potential in better coordinating their objectives and measures. Using an analytical grid (S2D grid) linking SDGs and public health objectives and comprising 6 thematic issues and 56 categories, the research team conducted an assessment of health promotion programs in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland. Their objective was to determine whether SDGs and public health concerns can translate into complementary policy objectives, and what was the level of achievement of Lausanne in terms of implementation, intersectoral collaboration and avoidance of redundancy, regarding the vast array of measures potentially dealing with SDGs and health promotion. Results show that measures implemented by Lausanne deal with 80% of categories included in the S2D grid, with a high level of intersectorality and a low level of redundancy. These results also emphasize the fact that linkages between SDGs and health promotion go well beyond the SDG 3 dedicated to 'good health and well-being', and that the S2D grid could be used as a tool in favor of organizational change, promoting the collaboration between stakeholders often reluctant to engage in public health policies.

2022 French Report Card on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors in Children and Youth: From Continuous Alarming Conclusions to Encouraging Initiatives.

BACKGROUND: Scientific evidence and public health reports keep highlighting the continuous and alarming worldwide progression of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors in children and adolescents. The present paper summarizes findings from the 2022 French Report Card (RC) on physical activity for children and youth and compares them to the 2016, 2018, and 2020 RCs. METHODS: The 2022 edition of the French RC follows the standardized methodology established by the Active Healthy Kids Global Matrix. Ten physical activity indicators have been evaluated and graded based on the best available evidence coming from national surveys, peer-reviewed literature, government and nongovernment reports, and online information. The evaluation was also performed in children and adolescents with disabilities. Indicators were graded from A (high level of evidence) to F (very low level of evidence) or INC for incomplete. RESULTS: The evaluated indicators received the following grades: overall physical activity: D-; organized sport participation and physical activity: C; active play: F; active transportation: C; sedentary behaviors: D-; family and peers: D; physical fitness: C; school: C-; community and the built environment: F; government: B. CONCLUSIONS: While this 2022 French RC shows progression for 7 out of the 10 indicators considered, it also underlines the continuous need for actions at the local, regional, and national levels to develop better surveillance systems and favor a long-term improvement of youth movement behaviors.

How to Evaluate Health in All Policies at the Local Level: Methodological Insights Within Municipalities From the WHO French Healthy Cities Network.

BACKGROUND: This article proposes a method for analysing the degree of maturity of Health in All Policies (HiAP) among World Health Organization-French Healthy Cities Network (WHO-FHCN) as part of the GoveRnance for Equity, EnviroNment and Health in the City (GREENH-City) project. We focused on the creation or enhancement of health-promoting environments, and more specifically, public green spaces. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional quantitative study guided by the evaluative framework of the HiAP maturity level developed by Storm et al mixed with a qualitative interpretation. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to elected officials and health department officers in the 85 member cities of the WHO-FHCN in 2017. Subsequently 58 cities were included in the analysis, which was based on a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and a hierarchical ascending classification (HAC). RESULTS: Thirty-two criteria among a total of 100 were identified and were used to organize the cities into 8 groups which was then reduced to three profiles among the cities: a less advanced HiAP profile, an established HiAP profile and an advanced HiAP profile. This process allows us to identify 4 dimensions that make it possible to evaluate the level of maturity of cities in the HiAP process, namely: (1) the consideration of social inequalities in health and/or health issues in the policies/actions of the sector studied, (2) occasional intersectoral collaboration, ie, one-off initiatives between the health department and others sectors, (3) the existence of joint projects, ie, common projects between two or more sectors, (4) the existence of intersectoral bodies, in this case on the theme of urban green spaces including an intersectoral committee and/or working groups. CONCLUSION: Four dimensions which allow to the measurement of the degree of progress in implementing health-all-policies are proposed. With a view to integrating knowledge into public action, this study carried out under real conditions offers a realistic method to evaluate HiAP.

Evaluation of a knowledge translation strategy to improve policymaking and practices in health promotion and disease prevention setting in French regions: TC-REG, a realist study.

OBJECTIVE: This paper presents the results of a realist evaluation of a knowledge translation (KT) intervention implemented in the field of health promotion and disease prevention at the local level in France. DESIGN: Realist evaluation study. SETTING: The target population comprised decision-makers and field professionals working in prevention and public health services operating in regions of France (ie, ARS (Agence Régionale de Santé: regional health agency), IREPS (Instance Régionale d'Education et de Promotion de la Santé pour tous: regional organisation for health promotion and education) and their partners). PARTICIPANTS: This evaluation was based on data collected from 2 seminars, 82 interviews, 18 observations and 4 focus groups over 18 months. INTERVENTION: The TC-REG intervention aimed to increase the use of evidence in cancer prevention, health promotion and disease prevention across four geographical regions in France. The intervention combined various activities: Supporting access to and adaptation of usable evidence, strengthening professionals' skills in analysing, adopting and using policy briefs, and facilitating the use of evidence in organisations and processes. RESULTS: The collected data was used to define favourable/unfavourable contexts for the use of scientific data and mechanisms to be activated to encourage the use of scientific knowledge. From these raw results eight final refined middle-range theories were defined. Organised around the mechanisms to be activated, these middle-range theories illustrate how to activate knowledge and under what conditions. These analyses provided a basis for the production of seven operational and contextualised recommendations to develop KT to inform regional policymaking regarding health promotion and disease prevention. CONCLUSION: The results obtained from the analyses led us to formulate two perspectives of an operational nature for the benefit of those involved in prevention and health promotion.

Relationship between Urban Green Spaces and Cancer: A Scoping Review.

This scoping study aims to explore the relationships between urban green spaces (UGSs) and the onset, remission and recovery of cancer. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews (protocol published in 2018). Eligibility criteria for papers were: (1) to be concerned with UGSs, (2) reporting effects of UGSs on cancer-related outcomes including direct or indirect measures, (3) reporting randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, case studies, observational studies, non-comparative studies, (4) in English or French. The search covered primary studies in the published and unpublished (grey) literatures searching by hand and electronic databases (MEDLINE, Green File, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and ScienceDirect). Among 1703 records screened by two reviewers independently, 29 were included for qualitative synthesis. We classify the cancers concerned and the effects reported i.e., protective effect, risk or without association. The most investigated cancers are bladder, breast and lung cancer. Our study also identified contributing factors and their mediating effects between UGSs and cancer. Even though the strength of the evidence of the associations between UGSs and cancer is still weak due to the low number of studies and their design, results highlight the wide variety of possible mediating factors between the use of green spaces and cancer occurrence, remission and/or prevention. Knowledge gaps and future research perspectives should be oriented to qualitative research on protective factors with an attention to equity in UGS access and use.

Development of a knowledge translation taxonomy in the field of health prevention: a participative study between researchers, decision-makers and field professionals.

OBJECTIVES: The current literature lacks a detailed and standardised description of public health knowledge translation (KT) activities designed to be applied at local levels of health systems. As part of an ongoing research project called the Transfert de connaissances en regions (TC-REG project), we aim to develop a local KT taxonomy in the field of health prevention by means of a participative study between researchers, decision-makers and field professionals. This KT taxonomy provides a comparative description of existing local health prevention KT strategies. METHODS: Two methods were used to design a participative process conducted in France to develop the taxonomy, combining professional meetings (two seminars) and qualitative interviews. The first step involved organising a seminar in Paris, attended by health prevention professionals from health agencies in four regions of France and regional non-profit organisations for health education and promotion. This led to the drafting of regional KT plans to be implemented in the four regions. In a second step, we conducted interviews to obtain a clear understanding of the KT activities implemented in the regions. Based on data from interviews, a KT taxonomy was drawn up and discussed during a second seminar. RESULTS: Our work resulted in a KT taxonomy composed of 35 standardised KT activities, grouped into 11 categories of KT activities, e.g. dissemination of evidence, support for use of evidence through processes and structures, KT advocacy, and so on. CONCLUSIONS: The taxonomy appears to be a promising tool for developing and evaluating KT plans for health prevention in local contexts by providing some concrete examples of potential KT activities (advocacy) and a comparison of the same activities and their outcomes (evaluation).

[At what scale should proportionate universalism be applied to ensure health equity? Towards a contextualised approach to prevention and health promotion actions]. / À quelle échelle appliquer l'approche universelle proportionnée pour lutter contre les inégalités sociales de santé ? Pour une approche contextualisée des actions de prévention et de promotion de la santé

INTRODUCTION: Reduction of social inequalities in health has been one of the main political pillars of Regional Health Agencies in France since their creation in 2009. This paper presents a contextual analysis of the effects on social inequalities in health of a hospital-based health promotion and disease prevention programme in terms of overall health policy and scope. METHODS: Qualitative analysis was used to describe the impact on social inequalities in health according to the classification proposed by Diderichsen et al. Carey's framework was used to apply proportionate universalism in order to analyse its action on these inequalities, adopting a contextualised and holistic approach with regard to regional and national public policy. The results showed that the intervention focused on targeted actions, but may have broader applications. The intervention strategy shifts between closing the inequality gap and levelling up the social gradient. However, analysis of this type of intervention using the proportionate universalism framework may lead to a revised view of the effects of the intervention on social inequalities in health. RESULTS: Implementing health-equity focused interventions remains a challenge for each institution, including Regional Health Agencies. However, research on hospital-based preventive interventions highlights contrasting results in terms of social gradient, depending on whether the intervention is considered in isolation or in its broader context. DISCUSSION: This article advocates a contextualised approach to analysing local interventions and their effects on social inequalities in health.

[Changing modalities of action to address social inequalities in health in international and French policy recommendations]. / Les évolutions des modes d'action pour agir sur les inégalités sociales de santé dans les recommandations politiques à l'international et en France.

This article describes the changing modalities of action designed to address social inequalities in health recommended in France, in the light of WHO and other international guidelines. Content analysis of policy recommendations identified eleven categories of actions and five types of changes as a function of target populations and the resources deployed. Recommendations have evolved from interventions designed to improve access to primary care to interventions on the social determinants of health, from reinforcement of individual capacities to global empowerment, from interventions on target populations to social inclusion of everyone, from promotion of health investments to increased financial regulation, from a favourable public health policies approach to a health approach in all policies.Multiple modalities of action have been proposed in France, but have remained poorly implemented. They have evolved over time, usually in response to international reference texts with a certain time gap. Internationally recommended interventions differ considerably from interventions focussing on individual capacities, while the new public health law in France reintroduced targeted behavioural interventions. These findings raise a number of other questions, especially concerning the way in which research into social inequalities in health influence public decisions and the institutional treatment of health in all policies.

Urban green spaces and cancer: a protocol for a scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Green space in the built environment is an important topic on the health agenda today. Studies have shown that access to green spaces is associated with better mental and physical health, yet green spaces can also be detrimental to health if they are not managed appropriately. Despite the increasing interest in urban green spaces, little research has so far been conducted into the links between green spaces and cancer. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this scoping review is therefore to map the literature available on the types of relationship between urban green spaces and cancer. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015 guideline to report the protocol. To conduct this scoping review, we will use a structured search strategy based on controlled vocabulary and relevant key terms related to green space, urban space and cancer. We will search MEDLINE (PubMed), GreenFILE (EBSCOhost), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (EBSCOhost) and ScienceDirect as electronic database as well as hand-search publications for grey literature. This review will therefore provide evidence on this current topic, one which could have practical implications for policy-makers involved in choices which are more conducive to healthy living. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No primary data will be collected since all data that will be presented in this review are based on published articles and publicly available documents, and therefore ethics committee approval is not a requirement. The findings of this review will be presented at workshops and conferences, and will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Correction to: The GREENH-City interventional research protocol on health in all policies.

After publication of the article [1], it has been brought to our attention that in the original publication the third author's name was spelt incorrectly. The correct spelling is "Emmanuelle Faure". This was previously spelt as "Emmannuelle Faure". The original article has been revised to reflect this.

The GREENH-City interventional research protocol on health in all policies.

BACKGROUND: This paper presents the research protocol of the GoveRnance for Equity, EnviroNment and Health in the City (GREENH-City) project funded by the National Institute for Cancer (Subvention N°2017-003-INCA). In France, health inequities have tended to increase since the late 1980s. Numerous studies show the influence of social, economic, geographic and political determinants on health inequities across the life course. Exposure to environmental factors is uneven across the population and may impact on health and health inequities. In cities, green spaces contribute to creating healthy settings which may help tackle health inequities. Health in All Policies (HiAP) represents one of the key strategies for addressing social and environmental determinants of health inequities. The objective of this research is to identify the most promising interventions to operationalize the HiAP approaches at the city level to tackle health inequities through urban green spaces. It is a participatory interventional research to analyze public policy in real life setting (WHO Healthy Cities). METHOD/DESIGN: It is a mixed method systemic study with a quantitative approach for the 80 cities and a comparative qualitative multiple case-studies of 6 cities. The research combines 3 different lens: 1/a political analysis of how municipalities apply HiAP to reduce social inequities of health through green space policies and interventions 2/a geographical and topological characterization of green spaces and 3/ on-site observations of the use of green spaces by the inhabitants. RESULTS: City profiles will be identified regarding their HiAP approaches and the extent to which these cities address social inequities in health as part of their green space policy action. The analysis of the transferability of the results will inform policy recommendations in the rest of the Health City Network and widely for the French municipalities. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The study will help identify factors enabling the implementation of the HiAP approach at a municipal level, promoting the development of green spaces policies in urban areas in order to tackle the social inequities in health.

Evaluation of a knowledge transfer scheme to improve policy making and practices in health promotion and disease prevention setting in French regions: a realist study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based decision-making and practice are pivotal in public health. However, barriers do persist and they relate to evidence properties, organisations and contexts. To address these major knowledge transfer (KT) issues, we need to rethink how knowledge is produced and used, to enhance our understanding of decision-making processes, logics and mechanisms and to examine the ability of public health services to integrate research findings into their decisions and operations. This article presents a realist evaluation protocol to assess a KT scheme in prevention policy and practice at local level in France. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a comparative multiple case study, using a realist approach, to assess a KT scheme in regional health agencies (ARS) and regional non-profit organisations for health education and promotion (IREPS), by analysing the configurations contexts/mechanisms/outcomes of it. The KT scheme assessed is designed for the use of six reviews of systematic reviews concerning the following themes: nutrition, alcohol, tobacco smoking, physical activity, emotional and sexual life and psychosocial skills. It combines the following activities: supporting the access to and the adaptation of scientific and usable evidences; strengthening professionals' skills to analyse, adopt and use the evidences in the course of their practices and their decision-making process; facilitating the use of evidence in the organisations and processes. RAMESE II reporting standards for realist evaluations was used. DISCUSSION: The aims of this study are to experiment and characterise the factors related to the scheme's ability to enable public health stakeholders to address the challenges of KT and to integrate scientific knowledge into policy and practice. We will use the realist approach in order to document the parameters of successful KT strategies in the specific contexts of preventive health services in France, while seeking to determine the transferability of such strategies.

Contribution des acteurs régionaux à la réduction des inégalités sociales de santé : le cas de la France.

Depuis le rapport de la Commission sur les Déterminants Sociaux de la Santé, plusieurs pays ont commencé à intégrer à leurs plans de santé la question des déterminants et de leur impact sur les inégalités de santé. En France, la création des Agences Régionales de Santé en 2009 est considérée comme une opportunité pour agir sur les inégalités sociales de santé (ISS) avec les instances régionales, départementales et locales qui détiennent les leviers appropriés. A la suite d'une analyse thématique des projets régionaux de santé, visant à identifier l'intégration des ISS ainsi que les approches retenues pour les aborder, quatre régions ont été étudiées plus finement. Des entretiens collectifs et individuels ( N = 45 interviewés) ont été menés auprès d'acteurs de terrain et institutionnels, afin de mieux comprendre et identifier les types de programmes et processus pour réduire les ISS. Nos analyses font ressortir une prise en compte généralisée des ISS dans les documents de planification et de programmation des instances régionales, des stratégies régionales qui restent centrées sur les populations vulnérables avec une faible considération du gradient social, l'existence d'instances de concertations intersectorielles dans les quatre régions qui constituent un potentiel de gouvernance important à mieux exploiter, l'existence de modalités de suivi et d'évaluation des ISS qui restent à consolider, et une forte mobilisation de plusieurs secteurs dans les processus régionaux de consultation des publics et des acteurs, mais des résultats variables, souvent reliés au niveau de ressources investies et des approches privilégiées. L'analyse de ces expériences françaises démontre un intérêt croissant pour l'action sur les déterminants sociaux de la santé et les ISS ; mais leur opérationnalisation, toujours en cours, appelle à des analyses plus fines qui permettront de mieux éclairer les politiques publiques.

Higher intakes of energy and grain products at 4 years of age are associated with being overweight at 6 years of age.

This study examined dietary factors associated with overweight in a population-based sample of 6-y-old children. Analyses of data from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD) included a representative sample (n = 1014) of children born in 1998 in the province of Québec, Canada. Dietary intake was measured by using a 24-h dietary recall administered at 4 y of age. Weight and height were measured using a standard protocol at 6 y. Using logistic regression, higher daily energy intake at 4 y was significantly related to overweight at 6 y. After adjustment for confounding and overweight at 4 y, the relationship remained significant among girls (P = 0.04) but became marginally significant among boys (P = 0.07). Additionally, boys who consumed ≥5 servings of grain products/d at 4 y were more likely to be overweight at 6 y compared to those who did not [adjusted OR = 3.20 (95% CI): 1.72-5.97]. The association attenuated somewhat after adjustment for overweight at 4 y [OR = 1.82 (95% CI): 0.894-3.71; P = 0.09]. The findings provide support for the revisions made in the Canadian dietary guidelines for young children, which now recommend 4-7 servings of grain products daily for children aged 4-8 y rather than the excessive 5-12 servings of previous recommendations.

Demographic and socio-economic factors related to food intake and adherence to nutritional recommendations in a cohort of pre-school children.

OBJECTIVE: To examine: (i) children's food intake and adherence to both Canada's Food Guide for Healthy Eating and Dietary Reference Intakes; and (ii) the social and demographic factors related to children's food intake. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Data were obtained through the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development 1998-2010, a representative sample (n 2103) of children born in 1998 in the province of Quebec, Canada. Information on energy, macronutrient and food consumption was derived from responses to a 24 h dietary recall interview addressed to children's mothers and day-care staff when the children were 4 years old. SUBJECTS: A total of 1549 children aged 4 years who participated in a nutritional sub-study. RESULTS: The mean daily total energy intake was 6360 kJ (1520 kcal) for girls and 6916 kJ (1653 kcal) for boys. For boys and girls alike, energy intake was comprised of approximately 54 % carbohydrates, 31 % fats and 15 % proteins. The mean number of servings consumed from each of the four essential food groups closely approached the dietary recommendations made by Canada's Food Guide for Healthy Eating; however, <2 % of the children in the present study actually met the full dietary guidelines. The dietary intake of pre-school children was associated with socio-economic and demographic factors, most notably mother's level of education, mother's immigrant status and sex of the child. CONCLUSIONS: Diet-related disparities associated with socio-economic and demographic factors exist from as early as 4 years of age.

Family food insufficiency is related to overweight among preschoolers.

This paper studies the relationship between family food insufficiency and being overweight in a population-based cohort of preschool children (n=2103) using data from the Longitudinal Study of Child Development in Québec (1998-2002) (LSCDQ). Family food insufficiency status was derived when children were 1.5 years of age (from birth to 1.5 years) and at 4.5 years of age (from 3.5 to 4.5 years). Children's height and weight were measured at home at 4.5 years. Overweight was defined according to the US CDC sex- and age-specific growth charts and Cole's criteria. Statistical analyses were done with SAS (version 8.2). In multivariate analyses, mean body mass index (BMI) was higher for children from food insufficient families compared to children from food sufficient families, even when important factors associated with BMI, such as child's birth weight, parental BMI, maternal education, and family income sufficiency were considered. We did not report any gender effects in the multivariate analyses. The presence of family food insufficiency at some point during preschool years more than tripled (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.5-7.6) the odds for obesity using the Cole criteria, and doubled (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.6) the odds for overweight at 4.5 years using the CDC growth curves indicator. We observed an interaction between birth weight and family food insufficiency in relation to being overweight at 4.5 years. Low-birth-weight children living in a household that experienced food insufficiency during preschool years are at higher risk of overweight at 4.5 years. Given this important finding, supportive interventions targeting low-income and food insufficient families, including pregnant women, are recommended for preventing overweight and obesity among their children.