Folkhälsopolitisk rapport 2010. Framtidens folkhälsa - Statens ...

health in ongoing work on a national, regional
and local level. The Swedish National Institute of
Public Health therefore proposes greater application
of health impact assessments and more evaluations
of measures conducted with the aim of
promoting public health.
Another important overall measure is to clarify
the roles and tasks of the actors that have
considerable influence on future public health.
The Swedish National Institute of Public Health
therefore proposes that the Government appoint
a national public health management group consisting
of representatives for authorities and Government
ministries. We also propose a national
investigation of the possibility of embodying the
municipalities’ public health tasks in legislation.
Measures for various age groups
The conditions for good health in the rest of life
are established in childhood. The most important
social conditions for child and adolescent health
are created through good living conditions and
measures that promote the environment in the
home, preschool and school.
For those ages 20-64, health is highly affected
by work-related factors, such as potential unemployment.
However, physical activity, eating habits
and alcohol and tobacco use also affect health.
The most important social conditions are created
through measures that provide health-promoting
living environments, both the physical and the
psychosocial.
The elderly are becoming an increasingly larger
proportion of the population, which means that
health-promoting efforts throughout life also
become more important in order to increase the
possibilities of independence and a good quality
of life. Most important is the stake on the four
cornerstones of geriatric health: participation
and social support, meaningfulness, good eating
habits and physical activity.
obstacles in public health work and ways
around them
During the period 2004–2009, few improvements
took place in the three strategic areas. We
have identified obstacles to health-promotion and
illness prevention work that may be important
explanations of why the change work is progressing
slowly. This is particularly true in the strategic
area of Good Living Conditions and the possibilities
of creating social conditions for groups
with special needs. The following are some of
these obstacles:
• The budget systems in the public sector are
often short term and delimited to small organisational
units, which makes it impossible for
decision-makers to see what actionable alternatives
are best for health and for the economy.
This can result in prioritisations that lead
to illness and large and unnecessary costs to
society.
• When municipalities invest in early prevention
measures, other actors in society, such as
authorities, often cut their costs. The municipalities
are important in terms of these measures,
but the economic driving forces are often
missing.
• Today’s organisational structures do not promote
cooperation between various actors in
society.
The Swedish National Institute of Public Health
proposes a Government investigation in order to
carry out and evaluate a number of pilot projects
that promote health and the economy. There are
a few conceivable emphases:
• The actors concerned, such as municipalities
and authorities, may apply for stimulus funding
and try new models for budget systems and
cooperation that promote early intervention
and prevention work.
• The Government establishes funds in order
to promote health and prevent illness from
which, for instance, county councils, regions
and municipalities can borrow money for
measures that create the conditions for longterm
good health and promote the economy.
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