title: Intersectoral action for health at a municipal level in Cuba.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To consider how Cuba's acknowledged achievement of excellent health outcomes may relate to how health determinants are addressed intersectorally.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our team of Canadian and Cuban researchers and health policy practitioners undertook a study to consider the organization and practices involved in addressing health determinants in 2 municipalities (1 urban and 1 rural). The study included a questionnaire of municipal Health Council members and others involved in health and non-health sectors, key informant interviews of policy makers, focus groups in each municipality and examination of three common case scenarios.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regular engagement of different sectors and other agencies in addressing health determinants was quite systematic and comparable in both municipalities. Specific policies and organizational structures in support of intersectoral actions were frequently cited and illustrated in case scenarios that demonstrate how maintenance of regular linkages facilitates regular pursuit of intersectoral approaches.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrates the feasibility of examining processes of intersectoral action for health processes and suggests that further examination in evaluating factors such as training, particular practices, etc., can be a fruitful direction to pursue comparatively and with analytical designs.
authors.affiliation: School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Jerry.Spiegel@ubc.ca
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spiegel
authors.forename: Milagros
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alegret
authors.forename: Veronic
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Clair
authors.forename: Nino
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pagliccia
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonet
authors.forename: Annalee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yassi
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities; D003256:Community Participation; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003462:Cuba; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011634:Public Health; D012106:Research; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population