Synergistic Partnerships & Multisectoral in Health Promotion

Synergistic Partnerships &
Multisectoral Collaboration

in Health Promotion

Contents

Definitions

Health issues and goals

Key initiatives and Collaborative strategies

Collaborations in schools, workplace, and community

Learnings and Challenges

Key success

Conclusion

Definitions

Synergistic partnerships

Synergistic partnerships combine the strengths of diverse organizations, leading to innovative and effective strategies that surpass what a single entity could achieve.

This collaboration allows for efficient resource sharing, optimizing the use of limited funds, personnel, and technology while avoiding duplication of efforts.

Synergistic partnerships are crucial in health promotion as they combine the strengths of diverse organizations, leading to innovative and effective strategies that surpass what a single entity could achieve. By pooling resources and expertise, these partnerships enhance the reach and impact of health initiatives, ensuring that health promotion messages and interventions affect a broader population.

Efficient

This collaboration allows for efficient resource sharing, optimizing the use of limited funds, personnel, and technology while avoiding duplication of efforts (World Health Organization, 2010).

Holistic approach

Moreover, synergistic partnerships facilitate comprehensive approaches to health issues by addressing multiple determinants of health, such as social, economic, and environmental factors. This holistic approach often results in more sustainable health promotion efforts, with a higher prospect of initiatives continuing and evolving, beyond the lifespan of initial projects (Roussos & Fawcett, 2000).

Multisectoral collaboration

Multisectoral collaboration involves stakeholders from various sectors, such as healthcare, education, government, and private industries, bringing diverse expertise and perspectives to the table.

Pushed with United voice

Such collaboration strengthens advocacy efforts, as the united voice of multiple sectors can more effectively push for policy reforms that support health promotion (Stoto, Davis, & Atkins, 2013).

Aligned with community needs and values

Engaging different community groups through multisectoral collaboration ensures that health promotion efforts are culturally sensitive and aligned with community needs and values, fostering an environment of continuous learning and innovation through sharing knowledge and experiences.

Both aim to

Both synergistic partnerships and multisectoral collaboration aim to enhance the effectiveness of health promotion through collaboration and resource sharing, but the scope has little difference on specific goals. Synergistic partnerships focus on creating added value through the integration of similar or complementary entities, whereas multisectoral collaboration involves diverse sectors working together to address broad determinants of health through comprehensive strategies.

Both synergistic partnerships and multisectoral collaboration aim to enhance the effectiveness of health promotion through collaboration and resource sharing

Health issues and goals

NCDs situation in each country/state

Very large amount are at risk for NCDs

Tonga

Tonga, a small island nation with about 100,000 people, faces a severe health challenge with 80% of adults being obese or overweight, putting nearly everyone at risk for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and heart problems.

Singapore

Similarly, Singapore is grappling with major health issues from NCDs, which account for 80% of the country’s disease burden. The rapid aging of Singapore’s population adds to the healthcare challenges, driving up costs and necessitating robust preventive healthcare strategies. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) in Singapore, established over 20 years ago, spearheads efforts to promote healthy lifestyles, focusing on nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, mental health, and early disease detection.

Vast area and dispersed population

Queensland, Australia

In Queensland, Australia, two-thirds of adults and one-fourth of children are being overweight or obese.

Health and Wellbeing Queensland focuses on preventive healthcare and relies heavily on partnerships to extend its reach and effectiveness.

Queensland, Australia, with over 5 million residents, faces unique health promotion challenges due to its vast area and dispersed population. The state has a significant obesity problem, with two-thirds of adults and one-fourth of children being overweight or obese, costing the public health system up to $1 billion annually. Health and Wellbeing Queensland, a small agency with about 65 employees, focuses on preventive healthcare and relies heavily on partnerships to extend its reach and effectiveness.

Successful models

VicHealth in Australia and ThaiHealth Foundation serve as successful models for health promotion. VicHealth, funded by a tax on tobacco, and ThaiHealth, operating independently from the government and emphasizing community involvement, demonstrate the importance of innovative funding and strong community partnerships in health promotion.

Health promotion goals

The focus of each health promotion foundation/agency

The health promotion goals across these regions aim to reduce obesity rates, prevent or delay the onset of NCDs, and manage healthcare costs.

In Tonga, the focus is on community programs promoting healthy eating and exercise.

In Singapore, the goal is to encourage healthy lifestyle through comprehensive programs targeting key health factors.

In Queensland, the emphasis is on leveraging partnerships to deliver effective health initiatives across diverse and widespread populations.

VicHealth, Australia and ThaiHealth, Thailand, Learning from the successful models of VicHealth and ThaiHealth, these regions strive to create sustainable, community-driven health promotion efforts that involve innovative funding and strong community engagement.

Key initiatives
and
Collaborative strategies

Tonga uses Holistic strategy.

Tonga Health’s governance structure is a prime example of effective multisectoral collaboration.

Tonga Health’s governance structure is a prime example of effective multisectoral collaboration. The Board of Directors comprises members from various fields including business, law, Parliament, health, and the church, ensuring a diverse and comprehensive approach to health promotion. The Board reports to the National Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) committee, chaired by the CEO of Health, and includes CEOs from key ministries such as Finance, Education, Agriculture, and Trade.

Holistic strategy

This integration fosters a holistic strategy to address NCDs as outlined in the Tonga National NCD Strategy 2021-2025. The strategy emphasizes the importance of partnerships across sectors for effective implementation and monitoring.

Works closely with the Prime Minister’s office

Tonga Health works closely with the Prime Minister’s office to incorporate NCD prevention activities into the business plans of various ministries, ensuring accountability and regular performance evaluations.

HPB, Singapore

Encourages lifestyle changes through two main approaches:

Directed Interventions

Environmental Changes

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) encourages lifestyle changes through two main approaches: Directed Interventions and Environmental Changes.

Directed Interventions

Directed Interventions include programs, campaigns, and educational messages to foster healthy habits.

Environmental changes

Environmental Changes involve modifying physical and operational environments, such as creating parks and offering healthier food options in supermarkets and school canteens.

Partnerships

HPB leverages social connections to spread the message of healthy living and builds mutual accountability among participants to help them achieve their health goals.

These efforts are greatly enhanced through partnerships with public and private sector entities that control the environments where residents live, work, and play. HPB leverages social connections to spread the message of healthy living and builds mutual accountability among participants to help them achieve their health goals.

HWQld, Queensland

Health and Wellbeing Queensland (HWQld) focuses on improving the environments where people live, work, learn, and play to reduce healthcare burdens.

Health and Wellbeing Queensland (HWQld) focuses on improving the environments where people live, work, learn, and play to reduce healthcare burdens. The HWQld Act mandates partnerships and collaboration across the federal government, non-profits, academia, and local communities.

HWQld oversees programs like

“10,000 Steps“
Initiatives targeting First Nations communities
Children in remote areas.

These programs now benefit from collective governance^*, unified communication, and a single evaluation point. HWQld engages heavily with universities to leverage funds and resources, securing around $50 million through grants. By going to where communities need them most, HWQld ensures their programs are effective and well-received.

The 10,000 Steps Program is a free, evidence-based multi-strategy behaviour change program that supports people to increase their awareness and participation in physical activity by tracking steps, setting goals, and finding ways to be active as a part of their everyday lives.

Via an interactive web and mobile apps (iOS and Android) with email and phone support. Their website is here.

Collective Governance is an innovative model where multiple governmental entities or levels collaborate and coordinate their efforts to achieve common goals, sharing resources, information, and decision-making processes to address complex issues more effectively.

VicHealth, Australia

VicHealth conducts deep listening tours to understand the needs of these councils and involves senior leaders and peak bodies to ensure comprehensive participation.

VicHealth’s strategy involves collaborating with local councils across Victoria through the VicHealth Local Government Partnership (VLGP). This initiative includes 79 local councils, each creating 4-year Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plans.

Deep listening tours

VicHealth conducts deep listening tours to understand the needs of these councils and involves senior leaders and peak bodies to ensure comprehensive participation.

Peak bodies : A national peak body is a non-government organisation whose membership consists of individuals and/or smaller organisations united with a shared purpose.

Peak bodies generally have external functions such as lobbying government, providing feedback on government policy and regulations, conducting research and raising the image and profile of its membership through the media and/or promotion. ^{Peak body}

Collaborative and Not duplicated

By working alongside the government and including the Department of Health in discussions, VicHealth ensures roles are clear and efforts are not duplicated. The Advisory Board, comprising representatives from all levels of local government, oversees the creation of health promotion modules across nine areas with input from 45 expert partners, primarily from academia. This collaborative framework provides ongoing funding, capacity-building support, and shared learning opportunities.

ThaiHealth, Thailand

In brief

Address large health issues through collaboration.
Acknowledges the diverse cultural norms and tailors its strategies to local contexts.
Fosters innovation and responsiveness to political and public scrutiny

Tri-Power strategy

to address large health issues through collaboration.

The ThaiHealth employs the Triangle that Move the Mountain or Tri-Power Strategy to address large health issues through collaboration. This model involves various sectors working together to change behavior and environments, particularly in alcohol policy.

Tri-power strategy integrates 3 powers to create a positive change, which includes:

Wisdom power
Policy power
Social power

Diverse cultural norms

ThaiHealth acknowledges the diverse cultural norms across Thailand and tailors its strategies to local contexts.

Political dynamics

The foundation balances political dynamics by presenting annual reports to the Prime Minister and incorporating feedback, which fosters innovation and responsiveness to political and public scrutiny. This approach ensures that ThaiHealth’s initiatives are not only effective but also sustainable and widely accepted.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Findings from our members

School Collaborations
In the Workplace
Community Engagements

School Collaborations

Tonga Health : encourages healthy habits early in life
HPB, Singapore : reviews strategies and policies based on research and data
HWQld, Queensland, Australia : promotes kids to eat more vegetables and fruit.

School collaborations are presented as an example by Tonga Health, the Health Promotion Board (HPB), and Health and Wellbeing Queensland.

Tonga Health

Targeting younger populations to prevent future obesity and NCD issues

Encouraging healthy habits early in life.

Tonga Health also focuses on health promotion in schools, awarding schools based on health criteria. This program targets younger populations to prevent future obesity and NCD issues, encouraging healthy habits early in life.

Very interesting videos of zumba at schools

School Funshake zumba classes at Tonga High School
The competition 2024 : A throw back to our TongaHealth Secondary Schools Athletic Sports Competition 2024 and our School’s Zumba Competition.

HPB, Singapore

HPB utilizes the latest scientific insights to inform its health promotion strategies and assess the effectiveness of various programs.

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) enhances the impact of school health programs by partnering with the School of Public Health to review strategies and policies based on research and data. HPB utilizes the latest scientific insights to inform its health promotion strategies and assess the effectiveness of various programs.

HWQld, Australia

Focuses on health literacy and nutrition in schools.

Parternerships with local farmers, public hospitals, health services, and the Department of Education.

Encourage healthy eating habits from a young age.

Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s “Pick of the Crop” program, promoting kids to eat more vegetables and fruit, focuses on health literacy and nutrition in schools. This initiative involves partnerships with local farmers, public hospitals, health services, and the Department of Education. By connecting schools with local resources, the program aims to improve students’ understanding of nutrition and encourage healthy eating habits from a young age.