Leadership and Health Promotion in Adults: A Literature Review
Abstract
Background The greatest causes of death globally are chronic diseases, which result primarily from behavioral factors such as dietary intake, physical activity, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption. Leadership capacity for health promotion can be developed within individuals with individual/self-leadership (influencing oneself) and at a collective/community level (influencing a group or collective as well as individuals’ health behavior). Research Aim and Questions The research aim was to explore how researchers conceptualize leadership at both the individual/self and collective/community levels of health promotion among adults, as reflected in the scientific literature. Research questions focused on the types of leadership constructs applied in the health promotion literature, theoretical foundations used, study settings, and health outcomes examined in relation to the concept of leadership. Methods A descriptive narrative literature review was conducted using PubMed and Ovid PsychINFO databases. Inclusion criteria were: research published between 2006-2017, must address both concepts of leadership and health, and must be focused on adult populations. Results One hundred and sixty-nine articles were selected for inclusion. Study designs varied, with cross-sectional survey design being the most often used. Primary themes of leadership conceptualization in relation to health outcomes were “leadership developing capacity” and “leadership impacting health”. Theoretical frameworks used in the reviewed literature were widely varied. Study settings included: community, clinical, college-based, workplace, faith-based and miscellaneous. Leadership was most frequently examined at the collective level (n=136 studies), and most commonly conceptualized as an input to health promotion efforts; fewer studies examined leadership at the individual-level (n=18). Leadership and health promotion have been studied in relation to many types of health outcomes. Conclusions Leadership in relation to health promotion has been examined across a range of settings and health outcomes. Many theories are used in the research, but approximately half of studies reviewed had no theoretical frameworks referenced. In conclusion, future research should focus more on developing evidence-based leadership or health promotion by applying the existing theories within health promotion and leadership fields.
Subject Area
Public health|Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
McPherson, Heidi M. Hagen, "Leadership and Health Promotion in Adults: A Literature Review" (2017). Texas Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI10620751.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI10620751