Mapping the key issues shaping the landscape of global public health

Abstract

A survey of global health experts attending an invited meeting provided a means to map key issues perceived to be shaping emerging global public health agendas. Eighty-five participants proposed three major issues likely to have the most significant impact on the field of global health in the coming years. Six raters grouped the resultant items, with multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analysis producing a composite two-dimensional map depicting the overall patterning of items. Thematic clusters were incorporated within four major domains: changing health and prevention needs (15% of items), globalisation and global health governance (33% of items), transforming health systems (30% of items) and innovations in science and technology (7% of items). The remaining 15% of items addressed forms of environmental change. The distribution of items across domains was not significantly influenced by the current professional role of participants, their current location in the 'global north' or 'global south' or their region of focus (although the latter approached threshold significance). The constraints on interpretation imposed by the biases influencing participation in the survey are noted. However, the exercise suggests the potential for coherently defining shared agendas for diverse stakeholders to address emerging priorities. The closer integration of environmental concerns with other global public issues is clearly warranted.

Developing country

“…This is contrasted by issues developed nations tend to address, such as innovations in science and technology. [56] Most developing countries have these criteria in common: [57] [58] ▪ High levels of poverty -measured based on GNI per capita averaged over three years. For example, if the GNI per capita is less than US$1,025 (as of 2018) the country is regarded as a least developed country.…”

Global Public Health: A Review and Discussion of the Concepts, Principles and Roles of Global Public Health in Today's Society

“…Ager and colleagues report (Ager, Yu & Hermosilla, ) results of a meeting involving 120 global health experts in October 2010 where key issues that were perceived to shape emerging global health agendas were mapped. This mapping exercise is unique in that it tried to include participants from the global South and the global North in a balanced way, in how it used a multi‐dimensional scaling analysis (MDS) as a method, and in that it tried to see if the role of the participants as professionals and their current location in either the global North or South influenced the outcome of the agenda setting exercise.…”

Global public health today: connecting the dots

“…Several aspects of global public health today need debate and discussion ( 15 ). These questions include, who shall lead global public health today?…”