Kommunal autonomi og statlig styring av folkehelsearbeidet : Hvilke kommunale og statlige faktorer anser folkehelsekoordinatorer som viktige for gjennomslag i kommunalt folkehelsearbeid?

Abstract

Background: In 2012, the Public Health Act was introduced, with one of the foremost objectives of equalizing social inequalities in health. For this work to be efficient, it must be systematic. The systematic public health work starts with a thorough preparation of municipal challenges in the so-called "overview document". Through previous parliamentary reports, it is recommended that a public health coordinator should lead such a municipal public health work and at the same time establish a cross-sectoral approach to public health work. However, research has shown that this work is insufficient, which is linked to the coordinators' working and organizational conditions. Low percentage rates and organizational placement at a subordinate level are reasons for the lack of impact of several coordinators. This will have consequences for the implementation ofthe guidelines set for public health work through the Public Health Act and thus the quality of public health work. This may be the reason why social health inequalities (in Norway) persist rather than being minimized. Therefore, it is interesting to discover what public health coordinators themselves perceive as important for impact in public health work and find possible explanations for this.