title: Does health promotion need a Code of Ethics? Results from an IUHPE mixed method survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health promotion is an ethically challenging field involving constant reflection of values across multiple cultures of what is regarded as good and bad health promotion practice. While many disciplines are guided by a Code of Ethics (CoE) no such guide is available to health promoters. The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) has been nominated as a suitable candidate for developing such a code. It is within this context that the IUHPE Student and Early Career Network (ISECN), through its Ethics Working Group, has taken up the challenge of preparing the foundations for a CoE for health promotion.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online survey comprising open and closed-answer questions was used to gather the opinions of IUHPE members regarding the need for a CoE for health promotion. The quantitative data were calculated with descriptive analyses. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyze and interpret the qualitative data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IUHPE members (n = 236) from all global regions responded to the survey. The majority (52%) of the respondents had 11 years' experience or more in the field of health promotion. Ethical dilemmas were commonly encountered. The need for a CoE for health promotion was expressed by 83% of respondents. Respondents also offered their views of possibilities, ideas and challenges regarding the development of a CoE for health promotion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering that health promoters encounter ethical dilemmas frequently in their practice, this study reinforces the need to develop a CoE for the field. The recommendations from the survey provide a good basis for future work to develop such a code.
authors.affiliation: Torill Bull, Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Torill
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bull
authors.forename: Elisha
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riggs
authors.forename: Sussy N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Nchogu
mesh_terms: D032781:Codes of Ethics; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D012952:Societies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Code of Ethics; decision-making tools; health promotion