Making Decisions on Public Health: a Review of Eight Countries

This 99-page study looks at public health policies from eight industrialised countries as a way to better understand the underlying societal response to public health issues. The authors suggest that in many cases policies are poorly documented and are little known outside their respective countries of origin and that much can be learned by looking at other situations.

The book looks at some of the underlying health conditions described as "smoking, drinking, driving too fast, unhealthy eating, unsafe sex, all of which contribute to the threat of populations worldwide. The authors suggest that while these conditions are under the control of individuals (to a certain extent), the decisions that people make are shaped by societal, commercial and other forces. Therefore, these threats to health should be looked at from the perspective of "an effective societal response, involving governments at all levels, civil society and international agencies."

Content:

• Section 1 Introduction
• Section 2 Methodology
• Section 3 The organisation, financing and decision-making processes in public health in eight countries
• Section 4 Case studies of public health interventions
• 4.1 Altering individual behaviours and lifestyles
• 4.2 Controlling and preventing infectious disease
• 4.3 Tackling the broader determinants of health
• 4.4 Secondary prevention
• 4.5 Key findings
• Section 5 Conclusions