Primære forskningsområder

Bjarne Bruun Jensen’s research has contributed to international health promotion through the development of an innovative intervention approach building on four coherent principles. The approach, which has been used as a guiding framework for health promotion research at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, has been implemented in a number of interventions in primary, seconday s well as tertiary prevention. The approach, which also informed the basic methodology of the current project, consist of the four following principles: (1) A positive and a broad concept of health; including physical, mental and social dimensions of health, (2) A participatory principle, generating ownership and sustainable change among the target group, (3) Empowerment, health literacy and action competence as key objectives and (4) A ‘settings’ perspective taking into account that health is influenced by the individual as well as by social and structural factors.

A number of specific research projects and themes have recently contributed to the development of comprehensive intervention approach described above:

• Participatory and action-oriented learning methodologies in health promotion and prevention;

• The supersetting approach, developed at Steno, as a framework for community health promotion, involving cross-sectorial collaboration among different  stakeholders;

• Conceptual development in the areas of patient education, prevention and health promotion in relation to Diabetes and other NCDs;
• Intercultural development of key concepts in health education (e.g. empowerment, action competence, health literacy and participation);
• The interplay between natural science, social science and the humanities in a holistic health education;
• Social inequality and the adequate challenges for health promotion;
• Collaboration between school and society on an action-oriented health promotion;
• Using ICT as vehicle for cross-cultural teaching and learning in health promotion