Latvia

Health systems in transition
Latvia
The leading governmental organization in the area of health promotion up to
the year 2007 was the State Agency of Health Promotion. This Agency supported
the Ministry of Health in its efforts to implement health promotion policy.
It participated in the development of health promotion programmes and led their
implementation at national and regional levels. At the time of writing the State
Health Promotion Agency is incorporated into the Public Health Agency, which
is responsible, for example, for conducting the following programmes:
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Family Health Promotion
Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases
Prevention of Psychoactive Drug and Gambling Dependence.
Programme implementation includes activities for the enactment of
appropriate legislation, campaigning to inform and educate the population,
preparing and distributing materials for professional education, and undertaking
surveys. All such programmes are financed from the government budget.
The Family Health Promotion programme is concerned with:
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maternal and child health promotion
breastfeeding promotion
promotion of women’s reproductive health
promotion of men’s reproductive health
promotion of teenage reproductive health.
The Cardiovascular Disease Prevention programme is concerned with:
reduction of cigarette smoking
reduction of the number of people with increased body weight
reduction of cholesterol levels
increase of physical activity
control of blood pressure
reduction of alcohol abuse.
The programme on Prevention of Psychoactive Drug and Gambling
Dependence is related to the National Drug Dependence Reduction Strategy,
and the Health Promotion Agency coordinates its activities with the State
Narcology Centre. All the above programmes and activities are coordinated
with different corresponding international programmes of WHO, the EU and
other international organizations.
The State Agency of Health Promotion has also been involved in a number
of health education programmes. The Ministry of Education and Science has
delegated responsibility to the Agency for educational work in kindergartens,
schools and universities. Examples of educational programmes for teachers
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