Health promotion competencies for the Israeli workforce

Health promotion competencies can help inform health promotion training and practice. Competency sets have been developed in countries with formal educational, professional and policy infrastructures for health promotion, but little action has occurred in countries where such infrastructures are only emerging. This study examines the views of Israeli health promotion practitioners about the competencies relevant for health promotion practice and compares them with the perceptions held by their Australian counterparts. This study builds on a growing body of literature addressing health promotion competencies and workforce planning. It examines the views of Israeli health promotion practitioners about the competencies relevant for health promotion practice in Israel, a country where health promotion is in its infancy and compares them with the perceptions held by their counterparts in Australia, another multi-cultural country, where health promotion practitioners are readily employed, academic teaching is established and discourse regarding health promotion competencies had been studied. Methodology used in a previous Australian study was adapted to suit Israeli requirements. A literature search was conducted and an expert panel recruited to review and amend the list of competencies compiled in Australia. The original questionnaire was modified to suit Israeli requirements. Several new competencies were added. The questionnaire was posted to 97 health promotion professionals. The returned questionnaires were analysed and compared to the Australian results. Differences were found mainly in areas requiring specific health promotion training.