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Health promotion is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “a process of enabling people to increase control over their health.” This idea is put into practice using participatory approaches; individuals, organizations, communities, and institutions working together to create conditions that assure health and well-being for all. In its simplest terms, health promotion fosters changes in the environment that help promote and protect health. These include changes in communities and systems—for instance, programs that assure access to health services or policies that arrange for public parks for physical activity and spending time with others. Health promotion involves a particular way of working together. It is population-based, participatory, intersectoral, sensitive to context, and multi-level.

Documents and publications

1. Guide to Economic Evaluation in Health Promotion (2007)
     - English
     - Spanish
     - French
     - Portuguese
2. Global Conferences on Health Promotion
3. Participatory Evaluation Guide for Healthy Municipalities, Cities, and Communities (2007)
4. Road Map to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in the context of Healthy Municipalities, Cities and Communities (2006)
5. Trends and Achievement in Promoting Health and Equity in the Americas: Developments 2003-2011
6. Advancing Health Promotion in the Americas: Lessons from 15 Case Studies [Also available in Spanish, French, and Portuguese] 

Methodologies

1. Guide to Economic Evaluation in Health Promotion (2007)
     - English
     - Spanish
     - French
     - Portuguese
2. Guidelines: Guide to Document Health Promotion Initiatives

Related links (Collaborating Centers)

• Centre on the Development of Healthy Cities and Towns
• CEDETES
• Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases Policy Center
• IARCH
• U. of LAVAL
• U. of TORONTO
• U. of Kansas – Community Tool Box
• Escuela de Salud Publica, Recinto de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad de Puerto Rico
• CIUEPS (Consorcio Interamericano de Universidades y Centros de Formacion de Personal en Educacion para la Salud y Promocion de la Salud)

Areas of Work

• Public Policies in Health Promotion
• Intersectoral Collaboration/Health in all Policies
• Documentation and Analysis of Experiences
• Capacity Building and Training
• Community Mobilization and Empowerment
• Reorientation of Health Systems and Link to Primary Health Care