[Gender inequalities and health promotion at the local scale. The case of Gennevilliers (Paris region)].

Social inequalities in health and access to care remain significant in France. Cultural and socioeconomic dimensions of health inequalities are often studied, but gender-specific behaviors and local dynamics are rarely investigated. This article aims to examine the role of municipal representatives, public health policies and local communities in unequal access to prevention for men and women. We analyze the relationship between gender, space and health through the case study of health promotion in the town of Gennevilliers (Paris region). We rely on data from over six months of field work based on semi-structured interviews with elected officials, health professionals, social field and civil society actors as well as archival consultations and field observations. We show that the town of Gennevilliers, by the age of the inclusion of health in local policies, the dynamism of the associative network and local players or the number of innovative actions, is a relevant and inspiring example for analyzing the obstacles and means of health interventions. But, this article also demonstrates that the promotion of preventive health, rooted in long-term and complex territorial dynamics, can also contribute to the strengthening of gender roles and differences between men and women. Finally, this study pinpoints the need for an approach integrating both gender and territorial questions in the analysis as well as the development of health promotion campaigns.