Can transdisciplinary approaches contribute to the COVID-19 fight?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Promotion
• Transdisciplinary Studies

Background:

• Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) presents complex global health, social, economic, and cultural challenges.
• Uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 exacerbates its multifaceted burden.
• Traditional health promotion strategies, while valuable, may be insufficient due to time-critical determinants of the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss the significance of transdisciplinary approaches in health promotion for combating COVID-19.
• To highlight the limitations of interdisciplinary methods in addressing the pandemic's complexities.
• To advocate for a broader, transdisciplinary framework for effective COVID-19 mitigation.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and conceptual analysis.
• Exploration of health promotion principles within the context of a global pandemic.
• Examination of the evolution from interdisciplinary to transdisciplinary models.

Main Results:

• Interdisciplinary approaches, while beneficial, face limitations in tackling the multifaceted and time-sensitive nature of COVID-19.
• Transdisciplinary approaches offer a more integrated and comprehensive framework by synthesizing diverse inputs.
• The synthesis of knowledge across disciplines is vital for developing robust health promotion strategies.

Conclusions:

• Transdisciplinary approaches are essential for developing innovative and effective health promotion strategies against COVID-19.
• A broader integration of knowledge and expertise is necessary to overcome the pandemic's complex challenges.
• Future health promotion efforts should embrace transdisciplinary methodologies for enhanced global health security.