Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health, School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena, 190 room: 730, 30.130-100, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil,
J Urban Health. 2014 Feb;91(1):1-16. doi: 10.1007/s11524-013-9812-0.
Detailed information on health linked to geographic, sociodemographic, and environmental data are required by city governments to monitor health and the determinants of health. These data are critical for guiding local interventions, resource allocation, and planning decisions, yet they are too often non-existent or scattered. This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework of Urban Health Observatories (UHOs) as an institutional mechanism which can help synthesize evidence and incorporate it into urban policy-making for health and health equity. A survey of a select group of existent UHOs was conducted using an instrument based on an a priori conceptual framework of key structural and functional characteristics of UHOs. A purposive sample of seven UHOs was surveyed, including four governmental, two non-governmental, and one university-based observatory, each from a different country. Descriptive and framework analysis methods were used to analyze the data and to refine the conceptual framework in light of the empirical data. The UHOs were often a product of unique historical circumstances. They were relatively autonomous and capable of developing their own locally sensitive agenda. They often had strong networks for accessing data and were able to synthesize them at the urban level as well as disaggregate them into smaller units. Some UHOs were identified as not only assessing but also responding to local needs. The findings from this study were integrated into a conceptual framework which illustrates how UHOs can play a vital role in monitoring trends in health determinants, outcomes, and equity; optimizing an intersectoral urban information system; incorporating research on health into urban policies and systems; and providing technical guidance on research and evidence-based policy making. In order to be most effective, UHOs should be an integral part of the urban governance system, where multiple sectors of government, the civil society, and businesses can participate in taking the right actions to promote health equity.
城市政府需要详细的健康相关信息，包括地理、社会人口和环境数据，以监测健康状况和健康决定因素。这些数据对于指导地方干预、资源分配和规划决策至关重要，但它们往往要么不存在，要么分散在各处。本研究旨在制定城市健康观测站（UHO）的概念框架，作为一种制度机制，帮助综合证据并将其纳入健康和健康公平的城市决策制定。使用基于 UHO 关键结构和功能特征的预先概念框架的工具，对一组选定的现有 UHO 进行了调查。对来自不同国家的四个政府、两个非政府和一个基于大学的观测站共七个 UHO 进行了调查。采用描述性和框架分析方法对数据进行分析，并根据经验数据对概念框架进行了细化。UHO 通常是独特历史环境的产物。它们相对自主，能够制定自己具有地方敏感性的议程。它们通常拥有强大的获取数据的网络，并能够在城市层面上综合这些数据，并将其分解为更小的单位。一些 UHO 不仅被认为是评估，而且还能满足当地的需求。本研究的结果被纳入一个概念框架中，说明了 UHO 如何在监测健康决定因素、结果和公平性的趋势方面发挥重要作用；优化跨部门城市信息系统；将健康研究纳入城市政策和系统；并为研究和循证政策制定提供技术指导。为了达到最佳效果，UHO 应该成为城市治理系统的一个组成部分，政府的多个部门、民间社会和企业可以参与采取正确的行动，促进健康公平。
