Measuring local strategies to address the determinants of population health : development and application of the CLoterreS instrument

Background Local governments are well-positioned to promote healthy behaviours and environments. In France, since 2009, this role can be reinforced by signature of a Local Health Contract with the Regional Health Agency. This multi-year scheme includes an action plan which may cover four areas: health promotion, disease prevention, health care and long-term care. Although approximately 400 Local Health Contracts had been signed by 2018, we found only sparse evidence on the context in which they were formulated and the contents of their action plans. Based on the international literature, the CLoterreS study aimed to develop an instrument characterizing the contracts’ action plans, with a specific focus on prevention and health promotion. This paper presents an assessment and application of the CLoterreS instrument. Methods The instrument was developed and applied in five steps: 1) development of the contextual and thematic variables; 2) pre-testing of a coding chart and its coding guide; 3) consultation with practitioners; 4) assessment of inter-rater agreement; and 5) application of the instrument to a nationally-stratified random sample of 53 contracts. Results While inter-rater agreement by type of variables was satisfactory (κ > 0.7), some variables had to be discarded due to lack of information or insufficient agreement. The analysis indicates that most of the 53 contracts studied were signed in urban areas, on the scale of a single town or a syndicate of municipalities. The action plans are clearly focused on life circumstances, health promotion and protection or primary prevention of diseases, insofar as, on average, 73% of the contracts’ action forms address at least one of these topics. The proportion of action forms dealing with at least one topic in secondary or tertiary prevention, long-term care or the organisation of health care and services is nevertheless substantial (43%). Illustrations of actions are presented. Conclusion Building on internationally recognized evidence-based practice, the CLoterreS instrument has proven useful in characterizing health promotion action plans at the local level. Its use by practitioners could foster a broader vision of the scope of actions that can be implemented through a Local Health Contract and in conjunction with other local prevention and access-to-care schemes.