Health-Promoting Higher Education

Abstract

Health-promoting universities are a growing global movement and one of the important applications of setting-based health promotion. This chapter contextualizes and provides a brief overview of the development of health-promoting universities and then goes on to review and discuss key conceptual and theoretical considerations, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive whole institution and systemic approaches. It then moves on to look at the translation of theory into practice, presenting three contrasting examples from different regions of the world. It concludes by looking to the future in the context of the International Okanagan Charter for Health Promoting Universities and Colleges—outlining key opportunities and challenges, spotlighting the importance of whole-system working; the need to maximize leverage for transformative change through future-oriented and outward-focused engagement with civic and global challenges; a willingness to advocate and live counter-cultural values such as compassion and respect; and a commitment to positive-focused approaches that integrate salutogenesis and regenerative sustainability.