Abstract
This paper is part of an excerpt from a study made in eight of the States of the Northeast of Brazil. Its purpose was to map initiatives taken by health organizations of cities, municipalities and communities; to become aware of their mechanisms of operation; and to acquire evidence of their effectiveness, and the characteristics of their key players. Information was collected by internet, telephone, and contact with government and non-government bodies of these Northeastern states. After this collection of data at distance, local visits were made to find out more about each initiative. During the visit a timeline of the activity was recorded, working with local participants. After recording of key information sources, semi-structured interviews were held, and documents analyzed. Under the name of ‘healthy municipality, city or community’, specific initiatives were highlighted in the State of Pernambuco, part of a network that has existed since 2006 and which has been maintained in spite of political and/or administrative changes at both local and State level. Key factors indicated for the effectiveness of the actions in the 23 municipalities were: support of the university; strong engagement of local leaderships; and participation of social movements.
Health promotion; Healthy cities; Networks; Sustainability of programs
Source: Authors.
