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 socio-ecological 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 ACTION
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.
and create a discussion
