Healthy Cities Phase V evaluation: further synthesizing realism

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) European Healthy Cities Network aims to improve urban health.
• Phase V of the network focused on evaluating its impact and the methodologies employed.
• Realist synthesis is a complex evaluation approach requiring careful application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reflect on the quality and application of realist synthesis in evaluating the WHO European Healthy Cities Network Phase V.
• To assess the effectiveness of realist synthesis in capturing the network's progress.
• To identify limitations and provide recommendations for future use of realist synthesis.

Main Methods:

• The study applied a realist synthesis paradigm to evaluate Phase V of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network.
• Data collection involved assessing programmatic applications and response rates.
• Analysis focused on the integration of policies and governance shifts within participating cities.

Main Results:

• The realist synthesis approach achieved high response rates and generated substantial data.
• Participating cities demonstrated a transition from lifestyle-focused projects to systemic health governance.
• The evaluation team identified limitations in fully exploiting realist synthesis due to resource constraints.

Conclusions:

• Realist synthesis is a valuable tool for evaluating complex public health initiatives like the Healthy Cities Network.
• Time and resource limitations can hinder the comprehensive application of realist synthesis.
• Sustained integration of realist synthesis is recommended for future phases of the Healthy Cities Network to maximize its potential.