CFP: ‘Cultural contexts of health in the European Region’, Public Health Panorama

Culture and health

Experiences of health are strongly influenced by their cultural contexts. Culture influences health outcomes by affecting the choices that people make; the beliefs and attitudes of policy-makers, health care professionals and members of the public; and the ways in which health systems operate.

Exploring CCH requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, such as the one outlined in Health 2020. It means empowering people to find their own meanings of disease and health and creating more people-centred, culturally grounded health systems. A CCH approach also focuses on the role of culture in making communities resilient to health challenges, recognizing and engaging with culture as a potentially positive resource for well-being and exploring the extent to which case studies of cultural resilience can be translated elsewhere in the European Region. Last but not least, a CCH focus should also enable more holistic and nuanced health and well-being reporting that takes into account the subjective and diverse perspectives at the individual, community and national levels.

Guidelines for submitting papers

We invite conceptual and methodological papers that examine how culturally informed evidence can be used to advise and deliver effective health policy and intervention within the WHO European Region. Papers that draw on mixed methods and/or multi/interdisciplinary approaches from the health-related humanities and social sciences are particularly welcomed. Submitted papers should fall within the four broad WHO CCH focus areas:

• well-being and mental health
• migration
• environment
• nutrition.

Examples of the kinds of issue that might be covered include:

• the ways that narrative and other types of qualitative methodologies can be applied within a public health setting;
• how concepts of cultural competency and communities of care can be incorporated practically into an applied health setting;
• how culture can be a positive resource for health and well-being;
• how culturally informed evidence can be used to inform a life-course approach to health and health care;
• the mechanisms by which health and well-being reporting can be augmented through the use of cultural narratives;
• the extent to which case studies of cultural resilience can be translated to other contexts and/or social groups within the European Region.

Public Health Panorama welcomes papers that document experience and lessons learned in low-resource and transitional economies. Manuscripts may be submitted in either Russian or English. They should respect the guidelines for contributors and mention this call for papers in a covering letter. All submissions will be peer reviewed. Please contact the Public Health Panorama for further information.