Monday, February 16, 2009

[EQ] Global Learning Device on Social Determinants of Health and Public Policy Formulation - English and Spanish

Global Learning Device on Social Determinants of Health and Public Policy Formulation 

Mark Akerman
Pan American Health Organization PAHO/WHO - February 2009

English and Spanish at:  http://dds-dispositivoglobal.ops.org.ar/curso/ 

The purpose of the Introductory Module is to raise awareness of and provide insight into the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) in order to reduce health inequities, encourage changes in the political agenda and contribute to a better administration of social justice and enforcement of human rights. Based on this attitude, we wish to inspire a critical vision of SDH by facilitating both the dissemination of the approach and the understanding of the intervention criteria, drawing on validated scientific papers on SDH, public policies based on the SDH approach, and documents produced by the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, established by WHO.

This Introductory Module intends to stress the need for and importance of encouraging global learning processes as collective contexts for reflecting upon public policy-making and implementation, so that the Social Determinants of Health SDH approach is not only a well-structured set of scientific evidence and country-based “case studies,” but also a political and educational instrument to encourage reflection on and changes in usual public policy practices.

General objectives of the online Introductory Module

Understand Health Equity as a value that reflects social justice theory and constitutes a basic factor for the right to health.
Recognize the potential of identifying health inequities as a strategic element in designing more equitable public policies.
Recognize intersectoral policies and concerted action strategies from the SDH perspective.
Analyze the recommendations drawn from the reports drafted by the Commission on Social Determinants of Health and its nine Knowledge Networks,
   as well as foster their discussion and adoption, taking into account both the conditions and priorities in each country.

The Introductory Module is basically targeted at WHO/PAHO staff members as well as Health Ministries’ officials in all countries who are engaged in designing action programs, policies and plans for SDH.

Furthermore, in joining other country initiatives and academic center networks that have organized educational processes with their own public agents and university lecturers, we aim at reaching a broad audience (not only academic and scholars) to lay down the foundations of our process in an attempt to generate, disseminate and increase knowledge as well as facilitate the development of professional qualifications for applying SDH approach to public policies and other strategies via personal and institutional capacity-building processes.

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This course has been organized by Marco Akerman (Health and Local Development Regional Advisor – PAHO/SDE – Sustainable Development and Environmental Health Area – PAHO Argentina) and Cristina Davini (educational project consultant of PAHO) with the contribution of Alcira Castillo (Network on Social Determinants of Health, REDET) and Hernán Sandoval (WHO CSDH) as temporary consultants to the project and the cooperation of Rosa María Borrel (PAHO/Health Systems and Services Area). Earlier versions of the manuscript were reviewed by Daniel Ernesto Albretch Alba (WHO), Eugenio Raúl Montesinos Villar (WHO), Orielle Solar (Ministry of Health, Chile), and Marcelo Amable (Argentina). Important to recognize the CETI - Translation and Interpretation Center for the English version, and Diego Rendón and Juan Damelio for the work of system engineering and Rosario Salinas for the revision of the text in Spanish.

Jeannette Vega (Ministry of Health, Chile), Paulo Buss (Fiocruz, Brazil) and Luiz Augusto Cassanha Galvao (PAHO SDE Area Manager) conceptualized the project and gave their support to the preparatory meetings and the process of drafting this module. Kumanan Rasanathan (WHO) elucidated the relationship between PHC and SHD. Diego González (Regional Advisor on Toxicology, PAHO/SDE —Sustainable Development and Environmental Health Area— PAHO Brazil), given his long-standing experience in self-learning courses contributed valuable methodological approaches, while Andrés Venturino (PAHO Argentina) designed both the structure and graphics of the module.

 

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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Equity List - Archives - Join/remove
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    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.  

[EQ] Politics is nothing but medicine at a larger scale: reflections on public health's biggest idea

Politics is nothing but medicine at a larger scale:
reflections on public health’s biggest idea

Prof. Johan P. Mackenbach, Department of Public Health
Erasmus MC - University Medical Center Rotterdam - The Netherlands
J Epidemiol Community Health 2009;63:181–184. doi:10.1136/jech.2008.077032

Abstract  Website: http://jech.bmj.com/current.dtl 

".......This essay retraces the historical origins and contemporary resonances of Rudolf Virchow's famous statement
"Medicine is a social science, and politics nothing but medicine at a larger scale".
Virchow was convinced that social inequality was a root cause of ill-health, and that medicine therefore had to be a social science.
Because of their intimate knowledge of the problems of society, doctors according to Virchow also were better statesmen.

Although Virchow's analogies between biology and sociology are out-of-date, some of his core ideas still resonate in public health.
This applies particularly to the notion that whole populations can be sick, and that political action may be needed to cure them.
Aggregate population health may well be different from the sum (or average) of the health statuses of all individual members:
populations sometimes operate as malfunctioning systems, and positive feedback loops will let population health diverge from t
he aggregate of individual health statuses.

There is considerable controversy among epidemiologists and public health professionals about how far one should go in influencing
political processes. A "ladder of political activism" is proposed to help clarifying this issue, and examples of recent public health
successes are given which show that some political action has often been required before effective public health policies and
interventions could be implemented........"

Commentaries

Virchow, a model for epidemiologists
Rodolfo Saracci
J Epidemiol Community Health 2009; 63: 185. doi:10.1136/jech.2008.083204 [Extract]
Why is epidemiology necessary to policy-making?
Paolo Vineis and Paul Elliott
J Epidemiol Community Health 2009; 63: 186-187. doi:10.1136/jech.2008.082941 [Extract] 
Is epidemiology nothing but politics at a different level?
Alfredo Morabia
J Epidemiol Community Health 2009; 63: 188-190. doi:10.1136/jech.2008.083162 [Extract] 
 *      *     *

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 PAHO/WHO Website: http://66.101.212.219/equity/
Equity List - Archives - Join/remove
: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html

 


    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.