Public Health, Neighbourhood Development, and Participation Research and Practice in four Swedish Partnership Cities

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ÖREBRO STUDIES IN CARE SCIENCES 32 2011 issn 1652-1153 isbn 978-91-7668-800-7

Karin Fröding earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Health Sciences at Örebro University in 2003. After-wards, she worked as a coordinator in the Partnership for Sustainable Welfare Development, before starting her doctoral studies in the research program The Healthy City – Social Inclusion, Urban Governance, and Sustai-nable Welfare Development. During the last few years Karin has combined doctoral studies with teaching as a lecturer in the Health Promotion program at the School of Health and Medical Sciences, Örebro University. Her main research interests are public policy and implementation, citizen participa-tion, health inequality, neighbourhood development, and partnerships, with a special focus on community-academic partnerships.

Efforts to combat the widespread health disparities are an important challenge in the field of public health and health promotion. In response to this challenge, four Swedish cities were assembled in a Partnership for Sustainable Welfare Development. It is within the context of this partnership that the present thesis has been written. The thesis concludes that a partnership for local public health work can serve as a connecting link for learning and development among all stakeholders involved. For neighbourhood development to be successful it is important that the local context take into account formal structures as well as national support. It is also necessary to consider all residents as potential participants in neighbourhood development regardless of education, gender, or income. When a project-based partnership ends, structures must be established that can consolidate the gains made during the project period. Finally, it is demonstrated that local-based interaction in which professionals, residents, and researchers participate requires an open, equal dialogue with an accepting attitude toward different levels of participation as well as a large amount of time. One practical implication suggested by the thesis is that public health interventions need to be constantly reconsidered and re-evaluated if positive long-term effects for people’s health and well-being are to occur. Another is that joint commitments in community-academic partnerships have the potential to establish a platform for a solid practice-based evidence towards evidence-based practice.