D6.2: A final proposal for a European community health worker survey (ECHOES)

This report was prepared as part of the ESTICOM (European Surveys and Training to Improve MSM Community Health) Project, which is a three year project from September 2016 to August 2019 funded by the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (Chafea) of the European Commission. The ESTICOM Project involves nine European organisations under a consortium led by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin, Germany. The purpose of the ESTICOM project is to strengthen the community response and raise awareness about the persisting legal, structural, political and social barriers hindering a more effective response to the syndemics of HIV, hepatitis viruses B and C, and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) among gay, bisexual and other men having sex with men (MSM). To achieve this purpose, the consortium will deliver on three inter-linked projects or objectives over the next three years: * Objective 1: A European online survey of gay, bisexual and other MSM (EMIS 2017); * Objective 2: A European online survey of community health workers (CHW) who provide sexual health support in a community setting directly to gay, bisexual and other MSM (ECHOES); * Objective 3: Development and piloting of a training programme for MSM-focused CHW to be adaptable for all EU countries. This report falls under Objective 2 which is built on four Work Packages (WP): a review of CHW knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to the sexual health of gay, bisexual and other MSM, including existing surveys and training materials (WP5); a CHW online survey design (WP6); promotion and execution of the survey (WP7) and; an analysis and survey report (WP8). The tender specification for this report (Work Package 6) was outlined as follows: Work Package 6: To develop a questionnaire that will assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of community-based health workers (CHW) providing sexual health services to gay men, bisexual men and other MSM

Levelling the social gradient in health at the local level: applying the Gradient Equity Lens to Norwegian local public health policy

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Developing public health competencies through building a problem-based learning project

Aim: In order to tackle the major challenges faced by public health over recent decades, there is a pressing need for an appropriately competent work force. Therefore, investment is required in the development of the necessary pedagogical strategies to deliver such competencies and thereby enable public health professionals to effectively perform their core functions. Drawing primarily upon on the work and experiences of the EC-funded PHETICE (Public Health Education and Training in the Context of an Enlarging Europe) and EUMAHP (European Masters in Health Promotion) projects, in this article an appropriate training method that integrates several public health models is introduced and discussed in order to deliver key public health competencies. Methods: A student-centred learning (SCL) approach is recommended, from both theoretical and practical perspectives, as a more effective way of delivering training to achieve these competencies than traditional pedagogical methods. An ecological and educational approach to planning in public health is demonstrated by using a problem-based Learning (PBL) approach to the acquisition of basic public health competencies. Conclusions: In outlining the PBL approach, the authors go on to explain how it can enable learners to gain systematically the necessary competencies to carry out comprehensive planning and decision making based on a comprehensive assessment, using the practical skills of compromise, negotiation, teamwork, and leadership