'We're not just talking about healthcare itself, but also the broader social environment'

How do you ensure a healthy society? It's a broad question that requires a comprehensive approach. In South Holland, both the issues and the knowledge exist. The Healthy Society program aims to consolidate this knowledge; the organizations involved recently launched a strategic plan for it.

Universities and colleges are increasingly collaborating on this theme. Dr. Suzan van der Pas, professor of Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Leiden University of Applied Sciences, is a member of the executive board of the Healthy Society program and explains that the strategy is built around five overarching themes that are interconnected. These pillars form the main drivers for a healthy society, namely:

• Healthy aging from an integrated perspective. This theme focuses on finding integrated solutions for age-related transitions and health problems for different age groups.
• Sustainable healthcare for health promotion with advanced data technology. This theme emphasizes the use of data technology to give patients more control over their healthcare and improve the efficiency of the healthcare sector.
• Personalized solutions for healthy behavior. Knowledge and expertise from various disciplines are bundled to develop inclusive and sustainable interventions.
• A healthy physical and social environment for everyone. Thoughtful urban planning can promote stronger social cohesion and healthier habits.
• Design and organization of a healthy society. This theme focuses on the governance and organization of healthcare. Combining knowledge from various disciplines and involving citizens is crucial.

Within these five themes, representatives from various scientific institutions and colleges, such as Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University, and Leiden University, independently organize activities and events.

Transdisciplinary Approach

Van der Pas emphasizes the great potential of knowledge institutions in South Holland and the importance of transdisciplinary collaborations. "You can't solve it alone; the issues have become too complex. We call them wicked problems. Integrating scientific knowledge with practical, professional knowledge from colleges and experiential knowledge from involved citizens is necessary to make progress. These collaborations connect theory with practice and contribute to the success of healthcare initiatives."

Combining perspectives from different disciplines is crucial for addressing complex problems in public healthcare. For example, the reduced physical activity of many young people is known to have significant consequences later in life. But how can we ensure that young people exercise more? "This should not only be considered from the medical field but also from the behavioral sciences, from a socio-economic perspective, and even from urban planners. This interdisciplinarity is a key principle of the Healthy Society program," says Van der Pas. "The five themes of the strategy cover broad topics; they address the life course and the environment but also innovation, and the organization of healthcare."

It is important to better organize informal forms of care and support.

Governance and steering of a healthy society are also addressed in this strategy. What does that mean? Van der Pas explains, "The fact is that the healthcare sector is under increasing pressure due to a shortage of personnel, among other things. Therefore, it is important to better organize informal forms of care and support. So, we are not just talking about healthcare itself but also the broader social environment. A senior-friendly environment, for example, can help people live at home for longer. The Knowledge Platform for Longer Independent Living aims to make the voice of Leiden's seniors heard, for example by involving seniors in Leiden in neighborhood-focused improvements. Such changes in the organization of care and welfare require cooperation with municipalities, housing corporations, citizens, and other local stakeholders. It also requires the use of expertise in spatial design, people's living environment, and new technology."

Healthy Society in Brief

The Healthy Society program aims to consolidate knowledge between universities, academic medical centers, colleges, and societal stakeholders in South Holland. The program is led by Prof. Dr. Andrea Evers of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Leiden University and is a collaboration between Medical Delta and Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities. Regular meetings are organized, and a white paper called "Towards a Healthy Society for Everyone" has recently been released. You can download it here.

Text: Renske Krijt
This article was originally published in the LDE Magazine of October.