Atlas of population health in European Union regions

Background: Population health measurements are recognised as appropriate tools to support public health monitoring. Yet, there is still a lack of tools that offer a basis for policy appraisal and for foreseeing impacts on health equity. In the context of persistent regional inequalities, it is critical to ascertain which regions are performing best, which factors might shape future health outcomes and where there is room for improvement. Methods: Under the EURO-HEALTHY project, tools combining the technical elements of multi-criteria value models and the social elements of participatory processes were developed to measure health in multiple dimensions and to inform policies. The flagship tool is the Population Health Index (PHI), a multidimensional measure that evaluates health from the lens of equity in health determinants and health outcomes, further divided into sub-indices. Foresight tools for policy analysis were also developed, namely: (1) scenarios of future patterns of population health in Europe in 2030, combining group elicitation with the Extreme-World method and (2) a multi-criteria evaluation framework informing policy appraisal (case study of Lisbon). Finally, a WebGIS was built to map and communicate the results to wider audiences. Results: The Population Health Index was applied to all European Union (EU) regions, indicating which regions are lagging behind and where investments are most needed to close the health gap. Three scenarios for 2030 were produced-(1) the 'Failing Europe' scenario (worst case/increasing inequalities), (2) the 'Sustainable Prosperity' scenario (best case/decreasing inequalities) and (3) the 'Being Stuck' scenario (the EU and Member States maintain the status quo). Finally, the policy appraisal exercise conducted in Lisbon illustrates which policies have higher potential to improve health and how their feasibility can change according to different scenarios. Conclusions: The article makes a theoretical and practical contribution to the field of population health. Theoretically, it contributes to the conceptualisation of health in a broader sense by advancing a model able to integrate multiple aspects of health, including health outcomes and multisectoral determinants. Empirically, the model and tools are closely tied to what is measurable when using the EU context but offering opportunities to be upscaled to other settings.

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“…More details on the methodology applied to build the PHI are given in Bana e Costa et al [39] and Santana et al [40].…”

Section: The Construction Of Euro-healthy Phimentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing tools to promote health equity across European Union regions: the EURO-HEALTHY project

Santana¹,

Freitas²,

Stefanik³

et al. 2020

Health Res Policy Sys

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“…Informed by the EURO-HEALTHY project [3,49,50,53], eight independent intervention axes for appraising health were considered: (i) Economic Conditions, Social Protection and Security, (ii) Education, (iii) Demographic Change, (iv) Lifestyle and Health Behaviours,…”

Section: Methodological Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evidence on health inequities between and within cities has been globally documented across all countries and regions, regardless of the level of economic development and health system organization [1][2][3][4]. The places where people live within a city and how that city is governed can shape individual and population health and create inequities [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The EURO-HEALTHY project (Shaping EUROpean policies to promote HEALTH equity) was a 3-year project (2015–2017) funded by the European Commission to advance knowledge on policies with the highest potential to promote health equity across European regions, with a specific focus on urban areas. At its core is the application of a multidimensional and participatory approach to population health with the goal of understanding the key drivers of health inequities and advancing evidence and methods to better inform policymakers at different decision-making levels, the European Union (EU), national, regional and local [ 3 , 49 , 50 ]. The flagship tool of this project is a Population Health Index (PHI), a measure that characterizes European population health across multiple areas of concern, dimensions and indicators of health determinants and health outcomes [ 50 – 53 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Urban Health Inequities through a Multidimensional and Participatory Framework: Evidence from the EURO-HEALTHY Project

2020

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“…Quizá el buen estado de salud de la población y el relativo buen funcionamiento del Sistema Nacional de Salud puede ser parte de la explicación. El Atlas de la salud poblacional en las regiones de la Unión Europea muestra que España ocupa un lugar muy destacado cuando se describen los resultados en salud tanto si se examinan indicadores compuestos o individuales (Santana et al, 2017). Igualmente, los índices sobre la calidad del funcionamiento de los servicios sanitarios sitúan a España entre los países privilegiados.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Diseño institucional y buen gobierno: avances y reformas pendientes

Aguado

2019

CICE

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España carece de una acción política sostenida y estratégica para mejorar la salud de la población más allá del mantenimiento de los servicios sanitarios. El buen gobierno es un requisito para mejorar la política de salud y el diseño del Sistema Nacional de Salud. En este artículo se seleccionan cinco áreas relacionadas con el buen gobierno: priorización, política de salud integral, liderazgo, agencia nacional de salud y entorno cultural e intelectual. Tras analizar las propuestas de diversos autores e instituciones, se seleccionan las acciones que, de acuerdo al contexto actual, podrían implantarse a fin de avanzar en la agenda del buen gobierno.

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Atlas of population health in European Union regions

Cited by 37 publications

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Advancing tools to promote health equity across European Union regions: the EURO-HEALTHY project

Advancing tools to promote health equity across European Union regions: the EURO-HEALTHY project

Assessing Urban Health Inequities through a Multidimensional and Participatory Framework: Evidence from the EURO-HEALTHY Project

Diseño institucional y buen gobierno: avances y reformas pendientes

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