Work

Capacity-development on equity and diversity in a multinational European project

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background Reducing social inequities in health requires integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion from the start of program and policy development. Integrating these principles require structured capacity-development. The EU co-funded Joint Action on Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes (JACARDI) is an unprecedented collaboration of 21 countries and 142 pilot projects. The workshops were designed based on the specific needs of pilots, which were collected through an Equity and Diversity Maturity Matrix, which was submitted by 87% of the pilots. Objectives The JACARDI project aims to create and implement structured methods for embedding equity and diversity principles in public health initiatives to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. This abstract presents the equity and diversity workshops developed during JACARDI's second year, while answering the questions: 1. How were E&D activities designed to build shared understanding in a multinational context? 2. What lessons emerged for capacity-development in complex public health programs? Results We held a series of interactive workshops. According to the feedback, pilots found our workshops useful, with an average grade of 4 on a 1-5 scale. Furthermore, pilots felt they had learned skills they can integrate into their work. Capacity-development in complex public health programs, while laborious, is feasible. Conclusions JACARDI capacity-development demonstrates that systematically embedding equity and diversity principles in public health initiatives is feasible and well-accepted. These insights offer valuable guidance for countries seeking to integrate equity and diversity into public health policies and practices. Key messages • Tailored capacity-development can help achieve equitable public health initiatives. • When capacity-development is tailored to match the needs, it is well-accepted.

Source: European Journal of Public Health

DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckaf161.1103