Women and men are different as regards their biology, the roles and responsibilities that society assigns to them and their position in the family and community. These factors have a great influence on causes, consequences and management of diseases and ill-health and on the efficacy of health promotion policies and programmes. This is confirmed by evidence on male-female differences in cause-specific mortality and morbidity and exposure to risk factors. Health promoting interventions aimed at ensuring safe and supportive environments, healthy living conditions and lifestyles, community involvement and participation, access to essential facilities and to social and health services need to address these differences between women and men, boys and girls in an equitable manner in order to be effective. The aim of this paper is to (i) demonstrate that health promotion policies that take women's and men's differential biological and social vulnerability to health risks and the unequal power relationships between the sexes into account are more likely to be successful and effective compared to policies that are not concerned with such differences, and (ii) discuss what is required to build a multisectoral policy response to gender inequities in health through health promotion and disease prevention. The requirements discussed in the paper include i) the establishment of joint commitment for policy within society through setting objectives related to gender equality and equity in health as well as health promotion, ii) an assessment and analysis of gender inequalities affecting health and determinants of health, iii) the actions needed to tackle the main determinants of those inequalities and iv) documentation and dissemination of effective and gender sensitive policy interventions to promote health. In the discussion of these key policy elements, we use illustrative examples of good practices from different countries around the world.
This paper presents the findings of baseline assessments on psychoactive substance use that were conducted in selected sites in South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia between December 2000 and September 2001. The assessments focused on the status of substance use and prevention resources. They showed that a wide range of substances were used—especially alcohol, tobacco and painkillers—and included substances taken by injection. Usage was particularly widespread in settings where trade in substances offered a means of survival. Institutional resources for prevention of substance use were limited. The social circles within which young people lived set an example and directly encouraged substance use, particularly the use of alcohol, tobacco, and, to a lesser extent, cannabis. These findings suggest the need for policy and programs that give balanced weight to demand and supply reduction, target young people, improve young people's living conditions, and ensure youths' participation in prevention activities.
This article presents core findings of a pre-intervention survey of psychoactive substance use in two communities in the Republic of Belarus and three communities in the Russian Federation between December 2000 and March 2001. The survey was part of the Global Initiative for the primary prevention of psychoactive substance use among young people in eight countries, initiated by the United Nations International Drug Control Program and the World Health Organization. The survey found that young people (10–21 year olds) fairly commonly reported the use of psychoactive substances, especially the use of malt beer and cigarettes. The young people also tended to report such use among significant others (e.g. (step)fathers, (step)mothers, older siblings, and close friends) in their lives. The young people in the Russian Federation sites tended to approve of various forms of psychoactive substance use among their peers.
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