Health for all? A critical analysis of public health policies in eight European countries
Author(s)/Editor(s): Hogstedt C, Moberg H, Lundgren B and Backhans M
Publisher/Journal: Swedish National Institute of Public Health
Publication date: 2008
Number of pages: 358 p
Language: English
Overview
“…..scientific experts from eight different countries to write about the public health policies in their respective countries with a special emphasis on the equity aspect. The countries chosen represented different parts of Europe: from the northern (Denmark, Finland Norway and Sweden) via the western (England and the Netherlands) to the southern parts (Italy and Spain).
A comprehensive template for the country chapters was presented to the authors which not only covered questions concerning whether their countries were taking measures on the classic public health problems – such as smoking, alcohol or physical activity – but also if the policies had considered the wider, social determinants of health and experiences of the potential implementation processes. …”
“….National frameworks to tackle inequalities in health
The way health inequalities are explained is closely related to the way they are dealt with, i.e. to what extent governments try to make people behave differently or attempt to change their living conditions. Crombie et al. (6) conclude that there are four groups of factors which the countries refer to in their policies, or background documents, as the main causes of inequalities:
- general socioeconomic, cultural and environmental conditions (e.g. employment, income and social welfare programmes)
- living and working conditions (e.g. individual’s position in society, occupation, income and education)
- social and community networks available to the individual (e.g. feelings of insecurity and social exclusion)
- lifestyle choices (smoking, lack of physical activity and poor diet…”