National and Public Cultures as Determinants of Health Policy and Production

2019 ◽  
pp. 345-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinga Zdunek ◽  
Mitch Blair ◽  
Denise Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Public Cultures

scholarly journals Workshop: Everything you always wanted to know about EU health policy but were afraid to ask

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
European Union ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Health In All Policies ◽  
Border Regions ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Objective The EU is often criticized for being ‘market-driven’ and practicing a form of ‘cold integration’. Any attempt, however, to strengthen solidarity and social integration in the EU is met by stakeholders in the member states with reservation and often outright refusal, arguing that health systems are national competence subject to the subsidiary principle. This conundrum of asking for more but allowing for less has blocked a scientifically informed public debate about the EU and health policy. The overall objective of this workshop is to discuss how health research can contribute to resolve this conundrum making the EU more conducive to the needs of health systems, public health (PH) and Health in All Policies (HiAP). To this end we will review the following 4 specific topics What are is EU-health policy and what other policies are affecting health and health systems?What tells us the projected Brexit-impact on the UK health system and PH about the value of EU health policy?Are EU-trade policies shaping healthier commercial determinants of health?What is the added value of cross-border care at and beyond border regions? This workshop is based on the update of the seminal volume “Everything you always wanted to know about European Union health policies but were afraid to ask” (2019, 2nd edition). Key note Scott Greer: In health and health systems the European Union is ubiquitous. Health systems in Europe are hard to figure without the cross border mobility of health professions. Patients going cross-borders. We have a European Medicines Agency that is regulating key aspects of the pharmaceutical market. Health systems have become part of the economic governance of the EU. In PH we have the ECDC, a PH programme and policies on health related consumer protection and may mechanism that should protect European citizens from scourges that know no borders. With health in all policies, the EU legislates literally on all known agents and, when in doubt, is using the pre-cautionary principle to protect citizens from health hazards. All this is supported by a large EU research programme. Panellist 1 N Fahy, the projected impact of Brexit on health system functions of the United Kingdom demonstrates how deep the integration goes and how beneficial it is for both health systems and public health. Panellist 2 H Jarman: The discussion around the Transatlantic Trade an Investment Partnership (TTIP) have risen worries about privatization of health services and lowering of food standards. But TTIP is only the tip of the Iceberg given that the EU has several types of trade agreements with many countries and groups of countries, shaping the commercial determinants of health. Panellist 3 W Palm: Cross-border collaboration is already taking place in many border regions. The European reference networks demonstrate the value of the cross-border collaboration beyond border regions, as does collaboration for joint purchasing and health workforce development. Key messages Health is important at the EU level and the EU level is important for health. Not shaping health and health systems at EU level will limit the perspectives of EU integration, health system development public health and HiAP. Panelists Scott Greer Holly Jarman Contact: [email protected] Nick Fahy Contact: [email protected] Willy Palm Contact: [email protected] Contact: [email protected]

scholarly journals Social Determinants of Health and Epigenetics: A New Tool for Health Policy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hitakshi Sehgal ◽  
William Toscano
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Health Initiatives

Globally, humans are struggling with the double threat of communicable and non-communicable diseases, which are presenting new challenges to public health. Public health problems are generally studied and addressed at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Most effective results are seen with primary interventions. Public health is becoming more aware of the importance of environment-gene interactions in the ontology of health and disease using epigenetics. Epigenetics is the study of altered gene expression without change in base pairs. Be it physical, social, behavioral, or economic factors; they all influence quality of life and health of individuals and populations. That environments are changing the human health phenotype and these changed phenotypes are heritable is of concern for the future of the human race. Knowing the causes of non-communicable human diseases using epigenetics will contribute to the development of new policies to encourage prevention using primary public health initiatives. Research and application of epigenetics shows great promise for improving population health. Continued advances in epigenetics will enhance how we understand and address the way environments are affecting the human health phenotype. For some time, health systems have been and continue to be tertiary in nature. Epigenetic changes can provide information necessary to better understand how social determinants of health can be used to build societies focused on equitable health for all people, rather than continuing to focus on treatment of diseases in the tertiary phase that leads to health disparities. Understanding mechanisms of social determinants of disease, will allow society to evolve in a health-oriented rather than a disease-oriented world. For this reason, we must enhance and apply epigenetics (physical, social, behavioral, economic) research to policy development. We will discuss how bringing social determinants together with biology can be used as new tools for public health policy.

To what Extent do Australian Health Policy Documents address Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity?

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW FISHER ◽  
FRANCES E. BAUM ◽  
COLIN MACDOUGALL ◽  
LAREEN NEWMAN ◽  
DENNIS MCDERMOTT
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Health Equity ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Australian Health

AbstractEvidence on social determinants of health and health equity (SDH/HE) is abundant but often not translated into effective policy action by governments. Governments’ health policies have continued to privilege medical care and individualised behaviour-change strategies. In the light of these limitations, the 2008 Commission on the Social Determinants of Health called on health agencies to adopt a stewardship role; to take action themselves and engage other government sectors in addressing SDH/HE. This article reports on research using analysis of health policy documents – published by nine Australian national or regional governments – to examine the extent to which the Australian health sector has taken up such a role.We found policies across all jurisdictions commonly recognised evidence on SDH/HE and expressed goals to improve health equity. However, these goals were predominantly operationalised in health care and other individualised strategies. Relatively few strategies addressed SDH/HE outside of access to health care, and often they were limited in scope. National policies on Aboriginal health did most to systemically address SDH/HE.We used Kingdon's (2011) multiple streams theory to examine how problems, policies and politics combine to enable, partially allow, or prevent action on SDH/HE in Australian health policy.

Health inequalities - Breaking down silos

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
N Lindqvist ◽  
K Engström
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Public Health Policy ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Health Work ◽  
The Public ◽  
National Responsibility ◽  
New Public Health ◽  
New Public

Abstract The Public Health Agency of Sweden has a national responsibility to ensure good public health. The agency's mission is to develop and support society's work to promote health, prevent illness and protect against various forms of health threats. The vision is to strengthen the development of society through good population health. The agency has a national responsibility to halt avoidable health gaps within a generation, through creation of favourable societal conditions designed to impact good and equal health for the population. Public health monitoring and reporting aims at providing a broader description of the state and trends of public health in Sweden through data linkages and data on self-reported health. In 2018, the Swedish Government decided on a new public health goal and 8 target areas. The 8 areas reflect on various social determinants to achieve equitable health in Sweden within one generation. These determinants of health are influenced by political decisions as well as individual choices. The Public Health Policy is therefore a cross-sectoral target structure for the overall public health work and points out the need to focus on bridging inequality gaps in health and the social determinants of health. It is important to reflect upon how the advancement in monitoring tools and the new Public Health Policy goal can contribute to halting inequities. How do we know if we are reaching the goal? The focus of the presentation is therefore to highlight Sweden's public health reporting today, the ongoing work to improve the reporting of health and its determinants, with regard to inequities in health. The presentation will also give examples of in-depth reports of different public health challenges, web-based indicator systems used for monitoring health trends in Sweden and public health reports. Examples of the Agency's coordination and support for regional and local public health work will also be discussed.

The determinants of policy for population health

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL M. FOX
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Clinical Services ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Scant Attention

Many advocates of policy to implement the findings of research on the multiple determinants of health accord scant attention to the determinants of health policy in democratic countries. The principle determinants of the allocation of scarce resources to improving health include: the priorities of voters; the diffusion of responsibility for improving health; the absence of evidence about matters of consequence to policy makers; the arraying of some evidence in ways that frustrate policy making; resistance to addressing determinants other than clinical services and traditional public health practices among many professionals in these fields, as well as by industries that supply the health sector; and the special political influence of persons who suffer serious chronic disease and of members of their families.

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