How Intersectoral Health Promotion Changes Professional Practices: A Case Study From Denmark.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Promotion
• Interprofessional Education

Background:

• Intersectoral health promotion (IHP) necessitates new professional roles and collaborative work.
• Understanding the impact of IHP on professional practices is crucial for effective implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how care assistants and school teachers implemented an IHP cookery project for children.
• To analyze the impact of this intersectoral health promotion project on professional practices.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative case study of a "Cool Beans" cookery project in Denmark.
• Data collection included documents, observations, informal and semi-structured interviews.
• Sociological institutional framework used for analyzing professional practices.

Main Results:

• Three themes of new professional activities emerged: "interplay" (intergenerational collaboration), "care" (caregiving), and "learning" (healthy food education).
• Professional practice changes occurred informally, driven by the project's practical tasks.
• The cookery project served as a catalyst for interprofessional collaboration.

Conclusions:

• Concrete, practical tasks within IHP projects are effective in inducing changes in professional practices.
• IHP projects can foster new ways of working and enhance interprofessional collaboration.
• The "Cool Beans" project demonstrated the potential of practical activities to drive professional development in health promotion.