The Role of Community-Based Men's Sheds in Health Promotion for Older Men: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.

Men's Sheds are a community-based health promotion concept which brings men together to engage in joint activities. Prior research reported beneficial effects on health and well-being of the participants; however, evidence is limited. The main objective of this systematic review is to provide an extensive overview of current research on the effectiveness of Men's Sheds on self-rated health, social isolation, and well-being by applying a mixed-methods approach. In addition, this review aims to identify how to successfully transfer and implement the concept. Eligible for inclusion were all studies published in English, German, or French that specifically referred to the concept of Men's Sheds. Four databases were searched for eligible studies, followed by a hand search on websites and reference lists. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using checklists developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Following the convergent integrated approach, quantitative data were transformed and merged with qualitative data to conduct a thematic analysis. Overall, 35 qualitative, nine quantitative, and eight mixed-methods studies were included. We found evidence regarding benefits of shed participation on self-rated health, social isolation, and well-being. We identified three key characteristics of a successful Men's Shed, including appropriate shed facilities, sufficient funding as well as a participant-driven management and organization of the shed. This mixed-methods systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the evidence base concerning Men's Sheds and highlights the need for longitudinal studies investigating causal relationships and gathering sufficient information on how to successfully transfer and implement the concept of Men's Sheds in other countries.

[Governance - Government Action: Strengthening the Public's Health by more Public Accountability for Health - Results of the Working Group 11 of the Forum Future Public Health, Berlin 2016]. / Governance ­ Staatliches Handeln: Stärkung von Public Health durch mehr öffentliche Verantwortung für Gesundheit.

There is a considerable need for action to systematically strengthen public health in Germany by increasing public responsibility for health. A Good Governance approach for health has not yet been developed. The main areas of action would be the establishment of a health impact assessment for proposed legislation, the expansion of public health services and a new role for structural interventions for disease prevention and health promotion. It is also necessary to focus government action on the provision of public health services and - related to that - on strengthening the municipal level as a relevant decision-making structure for health.

[Fragmented Heterogeneity as Leitmotiv of Public Health Practice in Germany? - Plenary Lecture at the Forum Future Public Health, Berlin 2016]. / Zersplitterte Heterogenität als Leitmotiv der Public-Health-Praxis in Deutschland?

Heterogeneity is a constitutive element of public health practice in Germany. The Public Health Service as a traditional field of public health is - like the currently booming health promotion and disease prevention landscape - faced with major challenges in its attempt to create more health for vulnerable population groups. Additional expenditure on small-scale prevention concepts and interventions and vastly differentiated job profiles are not per se beneficial to achieve this aim. The future of public health practice lies rather in the development of integrated communal concepts of action such as prevention chains.