From PAHO/EQUIDAD
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Making decisions on public health: a review of eight countries

Sara Allin, Elias Mossialos, Martin McKee and Walter Holland

ISBN 92 890 1066 5 – 2004

The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies is a partnership
between the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, the
Government

of Belgium, the Government of Finland, the Government of Greece, the
Government of Norway, the Government of Spain, the Government of Sweden,
the European Investment Bank, the Open Society Institute, the World Bank,
the London School of Economics and Political Science and the London School
of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.



Available online as PDF file [99p.] at:
http://www.euro.who.int/document/E84884.pdf



“….Smoking, hazardous drinking, fast driving, unhealthy eating, unsafe sex.
These are just some of the things that pose a threat to the health of
populations everywhere. Although they are to some extent under the control
of individuals, the decisions that people make are powerfully shaped by
societal, commercial and other forces. If these threats to health are to be
tackled effectively, then there must be an effective societal response,
involving governments at all levels, civil society and international
agencies.



The diversity of policies that have been adopted by different countries
provides enormous scope for mutual learning. However, too many of these
policies are poorly documented and many are little known outside their
countries of origin. This book begins to tackle this situation by bringing
together accounts of public health policies from eight industrialized
countries. Originally assembled to inform the UK Treasury's Wanless report,
it provides much information that will be of value to health policy-makers
elsewhere….”



Content:

Section 1 Introduction

Section 2 Methodology

Section 3 The organization, 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