Empowering universities through the Health Promoting University program for tackling non-communicable diseases

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases are responsible for 71% of the premature deaths worldwide. Unfortunately, 77% of those deaths occurred in the developing countries including Indonesia. In response, universities can provide potentially empowering health promoting programs for tackling the risk factors of non-communicable diseases. This study was aimed to explain the process of how to empower universities for tackling these non-communicable diseases’ risk factors through the Health Promoting University (HPU) program. This study was a descriptive study. The population included Indonesian universities that were involved in the HPU development program in 2019-2021 in collaboration with Universitas Gadjah Mada and The Ministry of Health Republic Indonesia. Sample subjects were the total population of 40 universities. Data were collected through unstructured observations, short interviews, and documents. Observations were performed in 25 universities. Meanwhile, unstructured interviews were conducted with 34 respondents. Data were analyzed descriptively. The process of the HPU development and the focus programs were varied. Many factors contributed to the process of the HPU development, such as the HPU development strategies, the university leaders’ commitment, networking, social capital, and participants’ capacity in the health promotion. According to the HPU development process from 2019-2021, the HPU development strategy performed in 2021 was the most structured and comprehensive. The capacity building, mentoring system, leader commitment, and networking strongly contributed to the success of the HPU development. This study emphasizes the importance of the university leaders’ awareness toward health and the potential resources of the university for tackling the risk factors of the non-communicable diseases.