Intersectoral action on health determinants has long been recognized as an important factor in achieving
better population health. Nevertheless, there is no process that provides empirical evidence to policymakers
on the extent of intersectoral collaboration. We aimed to fill this gap by conducting case studies
in two municipalities in Cuba, a country well known for its intersectoral practice and good health
outcomes. We surveyed an intentional sample of key members of Health Councils e virtual intersectoral
spaces in Cuba e about links and related actions they had with other sectors on eleven health determinants.
Using network analysis we were able to produce measures to evaluate and characterize the
network of sectors. Findings show that the two municipalities were similar in reported importance of
health determinants, extent of long-term engagement in intra-sectors actions and level of collaboration
with other sectors for virtually all determinants. Municipalities also showed similar overall levels of
collaboration for most determinants when considered as a network of different sectors (network
density). However municipalities showed differences in the central role played by some sectors
(centrality index). We further used the network analysis blockmodeling technique to typify the
municipal Health Councils. We found that while one Health Council can be typified by a single well
connected network structure, the other has two distinct structures with more sparse connections. We
conclude that intersectoral collaboration can be assessed by the use of network analysis measurements.
This approach is novel and provides evidence to decision-makers about their role and their effort
towards collaboration in achieving better health outcomes.