Document outlining key aspects of the ottawa charter

http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/ottawa_charter_hp.pdf

 

Ottawa Charter as applied to Cancer.

Ottawa charter - cancer.pdf

 

All information below taken directly from http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/ottawa_charter_hp.pdf

 

Ottawa Charter

 

Health Promotion

"Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve,

their health. To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, an individual

or group must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or

cope with the environment."

 

The 5 action areas of the Ottawa Charter

 

Build Healthy Public Policy

Health promotion goes beyond health care. It puts health on the agenda of policy makers in all

sectors and at all levels, directing them to be aware of the health consequences of their

decisions and to accept their responsibilities for health.

Health promotion policy combines diverse but complementary approaches including

legislation, fiscal measures, taxation and organizational change. It is coordinated action that

leads to health, income and social policies that foster greater equity. Joint action contributes to

ensuring safer and healthier goods and services, healthier public services, and cleaner, more

enjoyable environments.

Health promotion policy requires the identification of obstacles to the adoption of healthy

public policies in non-health sectors, and ways of removing them. The aim must be to make

the healthier choice the easier choice for policy makers as well.

 

Create Supportive Environments

Our societies are complex and interrelated. Health cannot be separated from other goals. The

inextricable links between people and their environment constitutes the basis for a socioecological

approach to health. The overall guiding principle for the world, nations, regions

and communities alike, is the need to encourage reciprocal maintenance - to take care of each

other, our communities and our natural environment. The conservation of natural resources

throughout the world should be emphasized as a global responsibility.

Changing patterns of life, work and leisure have a significant impact on health. Work and

leisure should be a source of health for people. The way society organizes work should help

create a healthy society. Health promotion generates living and working conditions that are

safe, stimulating, satisfying and enjoyable.

Systematic assessment of the health impact of a rapidly changing environment - particularly

in areas of technology, work, energy production and urbanization - is essential and must be

followed by action to ensure positive benefit to the health of the public. The protection of the

natural and built environments and the conservation of natural resources must be addressed in

any health promotion strategy.

 

Strengthen Community Actions

Health promotion works through concrete and effective community action in setting priorities,

making decisions, planning strategies and implementing them to achieve better health. At the

heart of this process is the empowerment of communities - their ownership and control of

their own endeavours and destinies.

Community development draws on existing human and material resources in the community

to enhance self-help and social support, and to develop flexible systems for strengthening

public participation in and direction of health matters. This requires full and continuous

access to information, learning opportunities for health, as well as funding support.

 

Develop Personal Skills

Health promotion supports personal and social development through providing information,

education for health, and enhancing life skills. By so doing, it increases the options available

to people to exercise more control over their own health and over their environments, and to

make choices conducive to health.

Enabling people to learn, throughout life, to prepare themselves for all of its stages and to

cope with chronic illness and injuries is essential. This has to be facilitated in school, home,

work and community settings. Action is required through educational, professional,

commercial and voluntary bodies, and within the institutions themselves.

 

Reorient Health Services

The responsibility for health promotion in health services is shared among individuals,

community groups, health professionals, health service institutions and governments. They

must work together towards a health care system which contributes to the pursuit of health.

The role of the health sector must move increasingly in a health promotion direction, beyond

its responsibility for providing clinical and curative services. Health services need to embrace

an expanded mandate which is sensitive and respects cultural needs. This mandate should

support the needs of individuals and communities for a healthier life, and open channels

between the health sector and broader social, political, economic and physical environmental

components.

Reorienting health services also requires stronger attention to health research as well as

changes in professional education and training. This must lead to a change of attitude and

organization of health services which refocuses on the total needs of the individual as a whole

person.

All information above taken directly from http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/ottawa_charter_hp.pdf