Addressing individual behaviours and living conditions: Four Nordic public health policies

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Standard

Addressing individual behaviours and living conditions: Four Nordic public health policies. / Vallgårda, Signild.

In: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 39, No. 6 Suppl., 2011, p. 6-10.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Vallgårda, S 2011, 'Addressing individual behaviours and living conditions: Four Nordic public health policies', Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, vol. 39, no. 6 Suppl., pp. 6-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1403494810378922

APA

Vallgårda, S. (2011). Addressing individual behaviours and living conditions: Four Nordic public health policies. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 39( 6 Suppl.), 6-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1403494810378922

Vancouver

Vallgårda S. Addressing individual behaviours and living conditions: Four Nordic public health policies. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 2011;39( 6 Suppl.):6-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1403494810378922

Author

Vallgårda, Signild. / Addressing individual behaviours and living conditions: Four Nordic public health policies. In: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 2011 ; Vol. 39, No. 6 Suppl. pp. 6-10.

Bibtex

@article{b27c8168ba374e5ea3ece3dc09e97da2,
title = "Addressing individual behaviours and living conditions: Four Nordic public health policies",
abstract = "Aims: To identify characteristics of the public health policies of four Nordic countries concerning how they present the causesof ill health, the best ways to deal with these causes, and where to place responsibility; additionally, to investigate whetherthere is a common Nordic policy. Methods: Analyses of recent public health programmes in Denmark, Finland, Norway, andSweden. Results: Focus is on either, or both, individual behaviour and living conditions as causes of ill health; the remedies areclassical liberal as well as social democratic policies. None of the programmes is consistent with either ideological strand; eachhas its peculiar combination of interpretations and policies. The Danish programme is the most liberal focusing onbehaviours and individual{\textquoteright}s choices; the Norwegian programme is the most social democratic or social liberal focusing mostlyon the social and physical environment and the politicians{\textquoteright} responsibility to improve the population{\textquoteright}s health. The Swedishand the Finnish programmes lie between those of Denmark and Norway. The Finnish and Norwegian governments stresstheir responsibility for the health of the population. Conclusions: No common Nordic political approach to publichealth exists. All programmes contain contradictory policies and ideological statements with differencesregarding the emphasis on individual behaviour versus choice and living conditions and political responsibility.The policies are not entirely predictable from the political stance of the government; national differences seem toplay a role.",
keywords = "Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, folkesundhedspolitik, Norden",
author = "Signild Vallg{\aa}rda",
year = "2011",
doi = "10.1177/1403494810378922",
language = "English",
volume = "39",
pages = "6--10",
journal = "Acta socio-medica Scandinavica",
issn = "1403-4948",
publisher = "SAGE Publications",
number = " 6 Suppl.",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Addressing individual behaviours and living conditions: Four Nordic public health policies

AU - Vallgårda, Signild

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - Aims: To identify characteristics of the public health policies of four Nordic countries concerning how they present the causesof ill health, the best ways to deal with these causes, and where to place responsibility; additionally, to investigate whetherthere is a common Nordic policy. Methods: Analyses of recent public health programmes in Denmark, Finland, Norway, andSweden. Results: Focus is on either, or both, individual behaviour and living conditions as causes of ill health; the remedies areclassical liberal as well as social democratic policies. None of the programmes is consistent with either ideological strand; eachhas its peculiar combination of interpretations and policies. The Danish programme is the most liberal focusing onbehaviours and individual’s choices; the Norwegian programme is the most social democratic or social liberal focusing mostlyon the social and physical environment and the politicians’ responsibility to improve the population’s health. The Swedishand the Finnish programmes lie between those of Denmark and Norway. The Finnish and Norwegian governments stresstheir responsibility for the health of the population. Conclusions: No common Nordic political approach to publichealth exists. All programmes contain contradictory policies and ideological statements with differencesregarding the emphasis on individual behaviour versus choice and living conditions and political responsibility.The policies are not entirely predictable from the political stance of the government; national differences seem toplay a role.

AB - Aims: To identify characteristics of the public health policies of four Nordic countries concerning how they present the causesof ill health, the best ways to deal with these causes, and where to place responsibility; additionally, to investigate whetherthere is a common Nordic policy. Methods: Analyses of recent public health programmes in Denmark, Finland, Norway, andSweden. Results: Focus is on either, or both, individual behaviour and living conditions as causes of ill health; the remedies areclassical liberal as well as social democratic policies. None of the programmes is consistent with either ideological strand; eachhas its peculiar combination of interpretations and policies. The Danish programme is the most liberal focusing onbehaviours and individual’s choices; the Norwegian programme is the most social democratic or social liberal focusing mostlyon the social and physical environment and the politicians’ responsibility to improve the population’s health. The Swedishand the Finnish programmes lie between those of Denmark and Norway. The Finnish and Norwegian governments stresstheir responsibility for the health of the population. Conclusions: No common Nordic political approach to publichealth exists. All programmes contain contradictory policies and ideological statements with differencesregarding the emphasis on individual behaviour versus choice and living conditions and political responsibility.The policies are not entirely predictable from the political stance of the government; national differences seem toplay a role.

KW - Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

KW - folkesundhedspolitik

KW - Norden

U2 - 10.1177/1403494810378922

DO - 10.1177/1403494810378922

M3 - Journal article

VL - 39

SP - 6

EP - 10

JO - Acta socio-medica Scandinavica

JF - Acta socio-medica Scandinavica

SN - 1403-4948

IS - 6 Suppl.

ER -

ID: 33233138