Discussion Piece?

In Canada, population health has become official federal policy
while health promotion has been delegated to the sidelines.
Nonetheless, as pointed in the recent CPRN review by Legowski
and McKay (Health beyond health care: 25 years of federal health
policy development - http://www.cprn.org), health promotion
continues to be the choice of approach for most nations, and in
academia, health promotion continues to have a strong presence.

The review by Legowski and McKay is fascinating and important for
any health promoter to read as it traces the shift from health
promotion to population health. Does population health represent
a retreat from the welfare state and a lack of concern with
citizen voice as argued by critics?  Or does it pose a brave new
way to have governments improve the health of Canadians?

My personal opinion?  During the ascendence of population health
in Canada, poverty levels and homelessness have doubled. There
has been an explosion of inequality and a weakening of democratic
institutions. Not a great endorsement for the role of population
health as a means of having governments address the determinants
of health!  Will population end up being as suggested by
Shakespare "All sound and fury signifying nothing"? or a lot more
research money to demonstrate the obvious with no parallell
change in government policies that weaken population health?

DR

References
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Promotion.  Ottawa:  Health Promotion Development Division,
Health Canada, 1996. On-line at
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/main/hppb/phdd/resource.htm
        Health Canada (1998). Taking Action on Population Health:
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        Labonte, R. (1995).  Population health and health
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publication.
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        Wong, D. (1997).  Paradigms Lost: Examining the Impact of
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