Dr Eero Lahtinen World Health Organization European Office for Investment for Health and Development CONFERENCE ON PROMOTION OF HEALTHY LIFESTYLES, WORK ABILITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION St. Petersburg, December 2007 Multisectoral action on health

Policy coherence for health Health is created in everyday environments where people ”grow, learn, live, work and age” These environments are affected by decisions of other sectors Health system as an advocate in integrating health arguments in other policies Common sense best available evidence

(Dahlgren and Whitehead 1991)

Reduce Risk Factors Reduce Risk Conditions Maximize Salutogenic Assets Managing ‘systems’ not only separated interventions

Principles to inform policy in Europe MAIN POLICY ENTRY POINTS Decrease differential exposure Decrease differential vulnerability Decrease differential access Decrease differential consequences Decrease social stratification Adapted model Diderichsen and Mackenbach

Integrated policy making Cooperation Collaboration Integrated policies New joint policy Adjusted and more efficient sectoral policies More efficient sectoral polices

Challenges Capacity of the health system to identify, advocate and intervene –Dynamic, resource demanding processes –Skills and knowledge –Stable teams –Incentives Complex issues – complex processes –Prioritisation –Understanding context –Respecting the objectives of other sectors

WHO Ministerial Conference on Health Systems

The Venice Office has two main functions: 1. To monitor, review and systematize the policy implications of emerging research findings on the social and economic determinants of health. 2. To provide a set of services to increase the European capacity to promote population health and reduce health inequities.

Social Determinants of Health Determinants of health are factors that influence health positively or negatively and that can be influenced by political, commercial and individual decisions, as opposed to age, sex and genetic factors, which also influence health but are not, on the whole, open to influence by political or other types of policy. Source: Whitehead M, Dahlgren G. Levelling up (part 1): a discussion paper on concepts and principles for tackling social inequities in health. Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2006

Health Inequities “Social inequities in health are systematic differences in health status between different socioeconomic groups. These inequities are socially produced (and therefore modifiable) and unfair.” Source: Whitehead M, Dahlgren G. Levelling up (part 1): a discussion paper on concepts and principles for tackling social inequities in health. Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2006

Further information: To learn more about our work: To download our publications: publications/publications To contact us or subscribe to our newsletter: