Reducing social inequities in health in Norway: concerted action at state and local levels?
Health Policy
; 113(3): 228-35, 2013 Dec.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24168889
Norwegian national policies have been distinguished by their focus on equity, contributing to comprehensive policies to reduce the social inequities in health (SIH). The newly adopted Public health act, which aims at reducing the SIH, endorses these acknowledgements while highlighting the importance of municipalities as the key actors in public health. Municipal obligations include inter-sectoral policies for health, health impact assessments (HIA), and the development of local health overviews. Against the background of a system of local autonomy in Norway, this article illuminates whether, and how, municipal public health policies reflect national priorities. Our data are based on one qualitative study, combining document content analysis and expert interviews conducted in 2011, and one quantitative questionnaire sent to municipal chief administrative officers in 2011. Our findings indicate a divide between national and municipal public health strategies. Many municipalities focus on life-style and health-care related measures. Only few municipalities acknowledge the social determinants of health and have implemented HIA and health overviews. Arguing for the importance of concerted multi-level action to reduce the SIH, we need to better understand the gap between national and municipal approaches. We thus suggest further research to illuminate the challenges and success factors faced at local levels.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Factores Socioeconómicos
/
Salud Pública
/
Gobierno Federal
/
Disparidades en el Estado de Salud
/
Promoción de la Salud
/
Gobierno Local
Tipo de estudio:
Qualitative_research
Aspecto:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
/
Equity_inequality
/
Patient_preference
Límite:
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Health Policy
Asunto de la revista:
PESQUISA EM SERVICOS DE SAUDE
/
SAUDE PUBLICA
Año:
2013
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Irlanda