Stakeholders and institutions involved in implementing public policies, of which health promotion is the main axis, have discussed the need to improve evaluation processes in order to appropriately understand the results of these actions. This issue has been approached with diverse emphasis - seeking elements that demonstrate the effectiveness of the actions, and developing participatory evaluation tools that address the philosophical principles of the health promotion . This article briefly presents the main current perspectives of health promotion assessment based primarily on the following references: a book published by WHO, in 2001, updates the state-of-the art in evaluation of health promotion; an initiative by PAHO implemented in the past years with an emphasis on participatory evaluation methodologies; and a project on evidence and effectiveness carried out by IUHPE, as of 2002. Finally, it addresses a set of values and principles that could guide health promotion assessment. Moreover, the paper discusses three critical variables related to developing a participatory evaluation process in a healthy city project.These perspectives demonstrate the importance of establishing a conceptual landmark for evaluation, and that health promotion assessment is not exempt from values and principles.
Assessment; Health promotion; Healthy city; public policies
