TY - JOUR
T1 - What is a national health policy?
AU - Navarro, Vicente
PY - 2007/8/20
Y1 - 2007/8/20
N2 - Unfortunately, most nation states have taken "health policy" to mean "medical care policy." Medical care, however, is only one variable in a nation's health equation. The article describes what the main components of a national health policy should be, including (1) the political, economic, social, and cultural determinants of health, the most important determinants of health in any country; (2) the lifestyle determinants, which have been the most visible types of public interventions; and (3) the socializing and empowering determinants, which link the first and second components of a national health policy: the individual interventions and the collective interventions. The author discusses the indicators that should be used for each component and for each intervention. The feasibility of this approach depends to a large degree on the political will of the national authorities and the broad understanding of the actual determinants of health. A good first step is the National Health Policy plan developed by the Swedish social democratic government. This article builds on and expands on that model.
AB - Unfortunately, most nation states have taken "health policy" to mean "medical care policy." Medical care, however, is only one variable in a nation's health equation. The article describes what the main components of a national health policy should be, including (1) the political, economic, social, and cultural determinants of health, the most important determinants of health in any country; (2) the lifestyle determinants, which have been the most visible types of public interventions; and (3) the socializing and empowering determinants, which link the first and second components of a national health policy: the individual interventions and the collective interventions. The author discusses the indicators that should be used for each component and for each intervention. The feasibility of this approach depends to a large degree on the political will of the national authorities and the broad understanding of the actual determinants of health. A good first step is the National Health Policy plan developed by the Swedish social democratic government. This article builds on and expands on that model.
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U2 - 10.2190/H454-7326-6034-1T25
DO - 10.2190/H454-7326-6034-1T25
M3 - Article
C2 - 17436983
AN - SCOPUS:34248576258
SN - 0020-7314
VL - 37
SP - 1
EP - 14
JO - International Journal of Health Services
JF - International Journal of Health Services
IS - 1
ER -