Mapping the capacity of health promotion interventions for non-communicable diseases in Oman

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are medical conditions or diseases that are, by definition, non-infectious and non-transmissible between people (Kim & Oh, 2013). The four main types of NCDs that form the focus of this research are cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. These four groups of diseases alone account for over 85% of all NCD-related deaths and NCDs (WHO, 2018). In Oman, 72% of deaths are caused by NCDs (WHO, 2018). The development of Health Promotion (HP) capacity is fundamental to strengthen and sustain action. This study aimed to map the existing capacity for HP in the context of NCDs. The study employed mixed-methods approach to achieve the objectives. HP capacity in Oman was mapped with an adapted version of the capacity-mapping tool for HP developed by the World Health Organization (WHO EMRO, 2010). This tool is based on eight HP capacity domains: policies and plans, core of expertise, collaboration, programme delivery, partnership, professional development, information systems and financing. The experts for the mapping tool were purposively selected government, non-government and private employees involved in HP-related actions in Oman. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten national and regional experts who have the power to implement HP policies. Thematic template analysis was used to find the experts’ knowledge, perceptions and views of the HP capacity map and the gaps in capacity identified in the mapping study. The quantitative analyses revealed low scores in four of the HP capacity domains—policies and plans, collaboration, partnership and professional development—and even lower scores in the domains of programme delivery, information systems and financing. Recommendations of analyses included that there should be sectoral government-mandated partnerships, and that the NCD-related HP policies and plans should be overseen by a higher government entity. These two actions will help improve the remaining six NCD-related HP capacity domains