Programmes
Increasing Knowledge and Learning
We provide training and resources to build capacity among individuals and organisations, equipping them with the tools to implement health-promoting practices. Through workshops, seminars, and collaborative projects, we facilitate learning opportunities that share best practices and innovative approaches to public health.
Influencing Public Health
Policies across various sectors, including regional and local governments, profoundly influence public health. To achieve better health outcomes, it is essential to strengthen public health functions and enhance capacity. Despite variations in resources among organisations, prioritising investment in public health capacity-building is crucial for improving policies and actions aimed at boosting health and diminishing inequalities.
As part of strategic leadership for Phase VII, our approach will include comprehensive needs assessments, the development of training programs, and the provision of tools and services. These efforts are designed to advance the capacity of organisations to collaboratively enact policies and practices that not only reduce inequalities but also support the implementation of healthy city initiatives.
The most pressing health challenges – such as non-communicable diseases, health disparities, and climate change – are intricately linked to the determinants of health and require multifaceted strategies to address them. For instance, revising procurement policies for food, transport, and other public tenders can significantly enhance both health outcomes and sustainability, contributing to the protection of our planet’s health.
Belfast Healthy Cities is committed to collaborating with the WHO European Healthy Cities Network and our partners in Belfast, as well as regionally across the UK and Ireland, to expand knowledge and build capacity. Our goal is to systematically reduce health inequalities, creating a healthier, more equitable future for all.
HEALTH INEQUALITIES
People in Northern Ireland are living longer and healthier lives. While there has been general improvement in health, not everyone has been able to benefit fully from this progress. Life expectancy of the population varies and is lower in more deprived areas. The Northern Ireland public health strategy Making Life Better is focused on reducing inequalities.
What are health inequalities and why does it matter?
Health inequalities arise from the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, referred to as social determinants of health. This includes differences in access to good quality housing, education, health services, access to good food, employment opportunities and transport. Inequalities based on race, disability, age, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity can interact with people’s social and economic position in complex ways to shape their health and well-being. This is made visible as differences in education, working conditions, opportunities for employment, income levels and as instances of early death.