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8 - Improving Population Health

from Part 1 - The Public Health Toolkit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2023

By
Peter Bradley  and
Jan Yates
Edited by
Kirsteen Watson ,
Jan Yates  and
Stephen Gillam
Kirsteen Watson
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Jan Yates
Affiliation:
NHS England and NHS Improvement
Stephen Gillam
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

The causes of ill health and death are changing and, as we live longer, new health-preventable problems emerge, bringing new challenges. Improving health (physical, mental or both) and promoting general well-being remain major priorities.

Just as important, the difference in health status between rich and poor continues to grow. At a global level, the picture is even more complex. Although there is some evidence that life expectancy is beginning to plateau in developed countries such as the UK, the biggest potential to improve health still lies in addressing inequality between or within countries.

Therefore, this chapter:

  • summarizes the models of health improvement that are prevalent today;

  • introduces a combined conceptual model to describe the factors affecting health in modern times; and

  • presents some case studies of interventions designed to improve health which offer important insight and learning.

Keywords

preventionwell-beingprimarysecondarytertiarywider determinantssocioeconomiceducationemploymentcommunityindividuallifestylebehaviourhealth promotiondiseasepopulation paradoxdigitalinequalitiespandemicobesitytobacco
Type
Chapter
Information
Essential Public Health
Theory and Practice
 , pp. 145 - 162
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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