Get ready for dynamic discussions about health and wellbeing at the 12th IUHPE European Conference on Health Promotion held on June 17-18, 2024, immediately followed by the 7th International Conference on Salutogenesis, June 19-20, 2024, in the flourishing city of Lodz, Poland. As a premier event for the global health promotion community, the organizers invite professionals (e.g., researchers, health promotion practitioners in community settings, civil servants working on health-promoting policies and programming) from around the world for in-person participation, fostering direct engagement, networking, and collaboration.
The 12th IUHPE European Conference on Health Promotion, with the theme “Health Promotion: Cultivating Change Through the Lifespan”, is part of IUHPE’s prestigious series of scientific events. These meetings evaluate the current state of knowledge and practice of health promotion, highlighting future challenges and shaping the agenda for progress in the field. The conference will play a significant role in disseminating health promotion research with an emphasis on facilitating health transformations at every stage of life.
Subsequent to this event, Lodz will also host the 7th International Conference on Salutogenesis . focusing on “Everyday life and crises as opportunities for salutogenic transformation”. This event aims at advancing and disseminating the theory and research of Salutogenesis, offering a forum for discussion and sharing of pioneering approaches in salutogenic research, policy and practice.
Join us in Lodz for these significant events as we collectively strive to advance the future of health promotion in Europe and beyond.
Start planning your participation!
Abstract submission is open from 29 July 2023 until 30 November 2023.
Early bird registration is open from until 18 March 2024.
Learn more about the programme, important dates, and the latest news by visiting our website: www.iuhpeconferences24.umed.pl
For further questions, please contact the Administration Office: iuhpeconference@umed.lodz.pl
A special initiative of the WHO Regional Director for Europe
The world currently has the largest generation of young people in history. Half of the people on our planet are aged 30 years or younger. In the WHO European Region, every third person is under 30.
Young people are unafraid to challenge the status quo and raise their voices. To build an inclusive and sustainable future for all, youth engagement in health decision-making is crucial at all levels.
Kickstarted in 2021, Youth4Health is the special initiative of the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P Kluge. It aims to amplify and embed youth voices and perspectives into all areas of the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s work.
Call to join the Youth4Health network
Youth4Health is calling for youth organizations, organizations working in the youth space, Member State youth delegates, youth activists and youth parliamentarians to apply to become part of the now formalised Youth4Health network. You can read more about the application process here!
There is no deadline, with the application process rolling. We look forward to receiving your applications. And if there are any questions, contact euroyouth@who.int
The #ImALifelongLearner campaign mobilizes learners from every corner of the world, urging them to unite, showcase their passion for learning and inspire others to embark on their own lifelong learning journeys. The campaign serves as a reminder that the right to education is a right to lifelong learning that knows no age limits, emphasizing the imperative of providing adequate policy frameworks and programmes and robust funding for inclusive learning opportunities for individuals throughout their lives.
Lifelong Learning for All In today’s world of rapid technological advancement, generative artificial intelligence, labour market volatility, climate change and demographic transition, learning throughout life is more important than ever.
Our vision: A world in which everyone can learn throughout life.
How can countries around the world harness the power of education in the fight against online and offline hate speech? UNESCO and the United Nations’ Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect have jointly developed the first guide for policy-makers and teachers, exploring educational responses to this phenomenon and making practical recommendations to strengthen education systems.
Hate speech is spreading faster and further than ever before as a result of social media user growth and the rise of populism. Both online and offline, hate speech targets people and groups based on who they are. It has the potential to ignite and fuel violence, spawn violent extremist ideologies, including atrocity crimes and genocide. It discriminates and infringes on individual and collective human rights, and undermines social cohesion.
Education can play a central role in countering hateful narratives and the emergence of group-targeted violence. Educational responses to hate speech and all forms of hateful communication include:
Training teachers and learners on the values and practices related to being respectful global and digital citizens;
Adopting pedagogical and whole-school approaches to strengthening social and emotional learning;
Revising and reviewing curricula and educational materials to make them culturally responsive and to include content that identifies hate speech and promotes the right to freedom of expression.
Monash University and VicHealth have collaborated to create “Kids Building Future Healthy,” an educational edition of Minecraft aimed at children between the ages of 9 and 12.
This initiative encourages children to design communities in the game where people are connected, physically active, and have access to healthy food options. Through the Minecraft Education Edition, children will explore the Future Healthy World and gather information on various ways to address health issues within their communities. The ultimate goal is for children to design and construct their ideal Future Healthy World.
Deana Leahy, Associate Professor at Monash University, explains that the project uses citizen science as a way for kids to identify and understand the impact of the commercial and social determinants of health whilst also engaging them in the planning to take action (where they can) on the commercial and social determinants of health in their community. The aim is for kids to have an opportunity to collectively contribute to a better, healthier and fairer community and share their ideas with key decision makers in their school or community.
The impact of high living costs and decreasing income available for essential services and goods – such as healthcare – have been widespread. It is currently the most pressing worry for 93% of Europeans, with 39% saying they are facing difficulties paying their bills. In fact, the cost-of-living crisis may increase poverty in the EU by up to 5% above the already persistent poverty level of 21.7% among the general population, and 24.4% among children. This risks widening health inequalities in Europe.
A New EuroHealthNet Policy Précis sets out policies, good practices and concrete recommendations on how to pursue ‘health equity-centred’ social protection and care in face of the rising cost of living.
The new Policy Précis provides anoverview of EU policies, tools and programmes that can help governments at all levels strengthen measures to mitigate the negative economic, social and health consequences at individual and societal levels. It provides inspirational examples of how public authorities are taking action to implement more health-promoting social protection and care services.
The eight recommendations given by EuroHealthNet include to:
Increase political and public health efforts to raise awareness of the need to tackle the mental and physical health consequences and inequalities associated with the cost-of-living crisis.
Encourage development and implementation of national and sub-national health equity and wellbeing strategies and systematic use of health equity impact assessments.
Protect public spendings in health and social inclusion from cuts.
Speed up implementation of the EU legislative actions on minimum wages and minimum income.
Press release, 11 May 2023, EU scientists and health professionals for Nutri-Score
A group of 316 scientists and health professionals released a comprehensive scientific report explaining “Why the European Commission must choose the Nutri-Score nutrition label – a public health tool based on rigorous scientific evidence – as the harmonized mandatory nutrition label for Europe”.
The European Commission has committed, as part of its “From Farm to Fork” strategy, to propose a mandatory EU-wide harmonized front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme applicable throughout the EU by 2023. However, strong lobbying groups are heavily mobilized to prevent the EU-wide introduction of the Nutri-Score, or to delay its adoption, or to choose a useless alternative.
This opposition stems from the joint pressure of large food companies opposed to Nutri-Score, including Ferrero, Lactalis, Coca-Cola, Mars, Mondelez, Kraft, of certain agricultural sectors, not least the cheese and processed meat sectors and their powerful European representation COPA-COGECA. They are joined by various political parties and politicians close to the lobbies, and the lobbying actions of the Italian government (accelerated since the last Italian elections). Their widespread lobbying and their public use of even the most absurd and dishonest arguments as well as fake news seems to have led the European Commission to pause its efforts to regulate front-of-pack nutrition labelling.
Despite strong and conclusive scientific and societal arguments in favour of the Nutri-Score, recent statements of some Commission officials hinted that the Commission might not retain Nutri-Score because it would be too “polarizing”. There is no scientific or public health argument for this position, but a spurious argument instead: Nutri-Score would not be acceptable because it would be opposed by some economic and political lobbying groups. The Commission has invoked a “complex” situation, whilst we know that its hesitation stems from Italy’s violent opposition, which defends the commercial interests of some of its agri-food industry sectors. They have proposed their own non-interpretive label, Nutrinform, which is very similar to the industrial GDA/RI model launched in the 2000s, whose inefficiency to guide consumer choices has been well established by numerous studies. The Commission is holding a worrying discourse, ignoring current scientific evidence regarding front-of-pack nutrition labels in the EU context and the clear advantages in having one harmonized front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme throughout the European Union that works for consumers.
Considering the risk of postponing the adoption of a mandatory front-of-pack nutrition label at European Union level or the adoption of a nutrition label not based on scientific evidence, 316 scientists and health professionals working in the fields of nutrition, obesity, public health, preventive medicine, endocrinology, oncology, cardiology, paediatrics, psychology, European law and social marketing, gathered in the “Group of European scientists and health professionals supporting Nutri-Score”, have mobilized to make their voices better heard in the current debate.
The numerous scientific studies performed over many years in some 20 countries validate the algorithm underlying the Nutri-Score calculation (including cohort studies involving more than 500,000 subjects with long-term follow-up) and its effectiveness to help consumers make healthier food choices, including studies in virtual supermarkets, experimental stores and real supermarkets. More than a hundred studies have been published since 2014 in international peer-reviewed journals demonstrating its effectiveness, particularly in disadvantaged populations, and its superiority compared to other labels.
The recent update of the Nutri-Score by a scientific committee composed of independent European experts will apply in 2023. This will address certain identified limits of the Nutri-Score and therefore allow a better alignment of the Nutri-Score with public health nutritional recommendations.
The conclusions of the report of the European Joint Research Centre published in September 2022, highlight that consumers, including those with lower incomes, prefer simple, colourful and evaluative summary front-of-pack labels (such as Nutri-Score), which are more easily understood than more complex, non-evaluative, monochrome labels (such as Nutrinform).
The results of the public consultation launched by the European Commission that ran between December 2021 and March 2022 showed that the majority of consumer organizations and other NGOs, citizens, research and educational institutions and public authorities alike support a label providing gradual information on overall nutritional quality of foods (which corresponds totally to the characteristics of the Nutri-Score).
The support it has received from many European scientific associations, not least the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), the European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG), the European Heart Network (EHN), the European Academy of Paediatrics, United European Gastroenterology; consumer associations, including the BEUC composed of 46 independent consumer organisations from 32 European countries) and NGOs such FoodWatch present in different European countries.
Its formal adoption and implementation in 7 European countries to date (France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Luxemburg, Switzerland), which demonstrates the feasibility of its deployment, the fact that it has received strong support from and is extensively used by consumers and has favourable effects on sales of food items in stores.
The scientific report also addresses questions that may be legitimately raised on Nutri-Score but that are often misused and exploited as fake news by lobbying groups:
why it does not take into account ultra-processing;
why it is calculated per 100 g / 100 ml;
why it does not include all food nutrients/components that might be of interest to consumers;
why it is not a substitute for general nutritional public health recommendations;
why it does not amount to an attack on traditional foods and does not penalize good products with PDO and PGI labels;
why Nutri-Score is not a threat to the Mediterranean diet;
why Nutrinform battery system is not a legitimate alternative to Nutri-Score in Europe.
This comprehensive scientific report and the mobilization of the European scientists and health professionals aim to remind European public authorities of the necessity to put science and public health at the forefront of the decision and protect them from the influence from private economic interests! It is why they urge the Commission to propose legislation to adopt an EU-wide mandatory interpretive front-of-pack nutrition label based on science, as Nutri-Score is. Its adoption in Europe could promote healthier food environments and help consumers lower their risk of developing non-communicable diseases, and particularly nutrition-related chronic pathologies, such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, cancers, which represent a major burden on health systems throughout the EU. It is clear that the implementation of a front-of-pack nutrition label such as Nutri-Score on a mandatory basis and on all foods will not, alone, solve all nutrition-related problems: it can only be a contributor (as has been scientifically demonstrated) to improved nutritional outcomes and population health. Even if Nutri-Score is based on solid scientific evidence, it remains one element only of an effective public health nutrition policy, but it is an important tool to help consumers make healthier food choices at the point of purchase and therefore create a healthier food environment.
Contacts for more information (alphabetic order): – Dr Torsten BOHN: Dept of Department of Precision Health, Luxembourg Institute of Health (Luxembourg) Torsten.Bohn@lih.lu – Prof Amandine GARDE: Director of the Law & Non-Communicable Diseases Research Unit Unit, School of Law and Social Justice, University of Liverpool (UK) agarde@liverpool.ac.uk – Prof Serge HERCBERG : Emeritus Professor of Nutrition, Sorbonne Paris North University (France) hercberg@eren.smbh.univ-paris13.fr – Prof BertholdKOLETZKO: Else Kröner-Senior Professor of Paediatrics LMU – Ludwig Maximilians Universität Munich (Germany) Berthold.Koletzko@med.uni-muenchen.de – Prof IgorPRAVST: Nutrition Institute, Ljubljana, (Slovenia) igor.pravst@nutris.org – Prof Mike RAYNER: Professor of Population Health, Nuffield Department of Population Health University of Oxford (UK) mike.rayner@ndph.ox.ac.uk – Prof Jordi SALAS-SALVADO : Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Unitat de Nutrició Humana. Reus, Spain. (Spain) jordi.salas@urv.cat – Prof Sylvain SEBERT : Professor of Life-course Epidemiology, Unit of population Health, University of Oulu (Finland) Sylvain.Sebert@oulu.fi – Dr MathildeTOUVIER: Director of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN) (France) m.touvier@eren.smbh.univ-paris13.fr – Dr Stéphanie VANDEVIDJERE: Public health nutrition/Epidemiology and public health, Sciensano, Brussels (Belgium) Stefanie.Vandevijvere@sciensano.be
Nearly every country around the world is investing in their school-age children and adolescents through school health and nutrition. Good health and nutrition during school years are a prerequisite for children and adolescents to learn and grow, and a crucial investment for more prosperous and inclusive futures.
A joint report, Ready to Learn and Thrive: School Health and Nutrition around the World, developed by UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP, FAO, GPE and WHO, with support from the Research Consortium for School health and Nutrition, UN-Nutrition Secretariat and World Bank, consolidates multiple data sources and case studies to inform advocacy and quality programmes. It encourages efforts to improve, scale up, sustain and monitor progress to address learners’ needs holistically.
The event will highlight the transformative impact of school health and nutrition for learners. Presentations will showcase country good practices and the importance of diverse stakeholders in efforts to ensure that all children and adolescents can learn and thrive.
Speakers are:
Christopher Castle, Director of the Division of Peace and Sustainable Development, UNESCO
Dr. Yinghua Ma, Professor, Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, Peking University, China
Dr.Adesola Olumide, Researcher and Consultant Community Physician at the Institute of Child Health, University of Ibadan and University College Hospital, Nigeria. International Association of Adolescent Health (IAAH) Vice President (2022-2025) – Sub-Sahara Africa Region
Prof. Donald Bundy, Director of the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
The webinar is moderated by Nicola Gray, Co-chair holder UNESCO Chair on Global Health & Education, Senior Lecturer, University of Huddersfield, UK.
During the webinar the experts will explore the following questions:
What is the status of school health and nutrition policies and programmes around the world, and what are the main take aways from your research?
China has extensive experience with school health and nutrition. How are the health and education sectors working together in China to implement an integrated approach to school health at scale and monitor progress?
What is your experience with the implementation of school health and nutrition in schools in Nigeria?
How can the research community help fill evidence gaps and advance more effective approaches to school health and nutrition?
The webinar will take place on 25 April 2023 from 14.00 – 15.30 CEST.
Following the Tiohtià:ke Statement: Catalysing policies for health, well-being and equity, an outcome of IUHPE2022 World Conference, the journal Global Health Promotion is calling for papers on decolonizing knowledge, approaches and methodologies in health promotion to offer a space for critical reflection and sharing experiences from various parts of the world.
We welcome contributions on knowledge systems, approaches, practice, and methodologies that integrate and centre diverse traditional, Indigenous and other local knowledge, values and worldviews in health promotion research and practice. Various approaches and methodologies are welcome.
Contributions can be theoretical papers, case studies, research results, program evaluations, or commentaries.
Papers can be submitted in English, French or Spanish, on the journal’s website.
On 16 March 2023 the UNESCO Chair and WHO Collaborating Centre on Global Health & Education in collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico and the Chair of Health Promotion at the University of Girona will organise the webinar: the curricular experience in school health promotion. The webinar will be held in Spanish.
The questions that will be addressed during this webinar are:
What should be the key competences of School Health Promotion?
How to articulate School Health Promotion curriculum mainstreaming initiatives?
What are the implications of the School Health Promotion curriculum experience for university vocational training programmes?
The speakers are:
Sofialeticia MoralesGarza, Secretary of Education of the State of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
Anna LosteRomero, Health promotion technician, Dipsalut, Spain.
Dolors Juvinyà Canal, Director of the Health Promotion Chair at the University of Girona, Spain.
The webinar will be held in Spanish and take place on 16 March 2023 at:
This webinar is part of series of webinars “Towards a new agenda for School Health Promotion in Latin America and Spain”. The following webinars are planned:
Date
Topic off the webinar
17 November 2022
Towards a regional agenda for School Health Promotion in Latin America.
16 February 2023
Assessment, critical analysis and opportunities to strengthen research in School Health Promotion for children and adolescents in Latin America.
16 March 2023
The curricular experience in School Health Promotion.
11 May 2023
The Promotion and Education of Comprehensive Sexual Health in educational systems.
28 September 2023
The importance of inserting the gender perspective in educational systems and school curricula.
There has been a lot of talk about priorities, and even priorities of priorities. In terms of priorities, I know of only two: public education and public health.
About Didier Jourdan
