Advocate Healthy Public Policies
Policies shape how money, power and material resources flow through society and therefore affect the determinants of health. Advocating healthy public policies is the most important strategy we can use to act on the determinants of health. Current policies that emphasize deficit reduction and private sector economic growth can be unhealthy for people. These policies may increase economic inequalities, environmental degradation, social intolerance and violence.
Healthy public policies are required to:
reduce inequalities in income and wealth;
ensure that economic activity contributes to human development and is environmentally and socially sustainable;
protect people and the earth from toxic pollution, resource depletion and systemic global effects;
create safe, secure and meaningful work opportunities;
create opportunities for meaningful activities beyond the workplace (i.e., at home and in the community);
create safe, supportive environments in schools, workplaces and the community;
support the active participation of people significantly affected by a particular policy in discussing, choosing and implementing the best option;
ensure that individuals and families have access to the recreation opportunities and other programs we need to stay healthy; and ensure that individuals and families have access to the resources we need to choose and sustain healthy life-styles.
To date, most policies in the area of health promotion have supported healthy life-styles. Now we need to give more emphasis to policies that create healthy living conditions and work to ensure that the voices of society’s least powerful express their concerns in these policy issues.
Advocating healthy public policy involves:
working with others to identify the most important areas where policy can make a difference;
finding partners with whom to develop policy options;
encouraging public dialogue on policy options;
persuading decision-makers to adopt the healthiest policy option; and
following up to make sure the policy is implemented.