Focusing on solid partnerships across multiple sectors for population health improvement.

Abstract

Partnerships create a way forward when no clear solution exists and no single entity can claim the necessary expertise, authority, or resources to bring about change. Cross-sectoral partnerships are needed to mobilize community action and improve population health. The Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) articles in this issue of Preventing Chronic Disease reveal compelling themes, issues, and recommendations for improving population health. These include many challenges, such as how to scale up successful partnership efforts (1,2), determine if and how partnership activity can be correlated with changing health metrics (1-5), expand the use of incentives for improvement (1,3,4,6), and strengthen groups' distributive leadership and governance (1,2,4-6).