Towards optimal maternity care and child birth - the advantage of being salutogenic!

Prof Bengt Lindström

Professor of Salutogenesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Bengt Lindström MD (Pediatrics), PhD, DrPH, Finland now the first Professor on Salutogenesis in the World at NTNU, Norway. The journey started by trying to understand how young people described life in the face of death ending with a thesis in Public Health (the Essence of Existence) describing a contextual model of quality of life for children and families in the Scandinavian welfare societies. Later in interaction with Aron Antonovsky this was applied to health promotion through the salutogenic approach. Presently chairing the IUHPE Global Working Group on Salutogenesis he initiated a continuous world wide systematic review on salutogenic research (now in open access on www.saluogenesis.hv.se). The salutogenic approach to health has proved to be one of the most effective and cost effective ways to produce wellbeing and quality of life on both individual and community level. A systematic investment in salutogenesis in health care, public health and beyond would lead to an improved health on a population level and, in addition, contribute to wellbeing and prosperity for the global society. Email: bengt.lindstrom@svt.ntnu.no