Building leadership capacity to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases: evaluation of an international short-term training program for program managers from low- and middle-income countries

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of a 1-week training seminar jointly developed and conducted by the World Health Organization and the University Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine of Lausanne targeting senior policy-makers in low- and middle-income countries on public health aspects of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). METHODS: A short qualitative questionnaire was emailed to all participants to one of the nine seminars organized between 2010 and 2015. RESULTS: From the 195 participants from 96 different countries, 122 (63%) completed the questionnaire. Among them, 87% reported that the seminar made a positive contribution to their professional development and 48% said it helped strengthening their national NCD program. All respondents remained directly or indirectly involved in NCD work. A frequent suggestion was that similar seminars are developed in their region or country. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation strongly suggests that this short-term seminar had positive impact on both participants’ personal development and the organization they worked for. There is a demand for organizing similar seminars at regional/country levels to support NCD prevention and control programs.