Health promotion at the university setting: The development of health-promoting universities

Academic institutions worldwide are increasingly taking the leadership for the development of comprehensive health programs in the university setting. As such, the implementation of Health-Promoting Universities (HPUs) continues to advance steadily. Mechanisms for advocacy, implementation, and evaluation of pertinent Health Promotion strategies are being studied, considered, implemented, and evaluated. At the same time, international and national events are being conducted worldwide to exchange experiences and to gain insights on how best and most effectively proceed with this integrated approach to achieve and maintain health, as well as well-being and quality of life within the academic setting. 

The next international event to address the importance and significance of HPUs is the planned Fourth International Conference on Health-Promoting Universities, to be carried out in Pamplona, Spain, 7-9 October 2009. This event follows three previous conferences.

 Health-Promoting Universities constitute an ambitious strategy for academic settings and a mechanism for multisectoral and multidisciplinary efforts. Further, the promotion of effective mechanisms for sustainable growth and development of young adults, in optimal conditions of physical and mental health and with social responsibility awareness is fundamental to be able to contribute to the creation and maintenance of a better quality of life and a better world, and as such to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a global commitment and responsibility to tackle poverty and inequity within and among countries worldwide, in line with the pertinent International Declarations to better people’s health and quality of life, starting with the Alma-Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care (1978), and from the Ottawa (1986) to the Bangkok (2005) Charters.

This presentation will address the scientific bases for the development of HPUs and the status and trends of on-going activities, as well its importance to strengthen inter-social networks to better the health and wellbeing of people worldwide.