Public Health Local and Global Perspectives

We live in a world in which we are faced with a myriad of health issues. Addressing our most pressing concerns is a complex task that requires action on several levels, from global to local and from prevention through to treatment. At a global level, the World Health Organization (WHO) is a United Nation’s (UN) agency whose primary role is to lead and coordinate global health efforts. This chapter introduces readers to the discipline of health promotion, a core function of the WHO. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (‘Ottawa Charter’) will be used to frame the chapter's discussion. The Ottawa Charter is the guiding framework that health promotion practitioners use to address the multiple determinants of health through multi-sectoral and multi-level approaches. The Ottawa Charter is guided by three main principles: advocate, enable, and mediate. The three guiding principles facilitate implementation of the Ottawa Charter’s five action areas: building healthy public policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing individual skills and re-orienting health services. Each of the action areas is explored in the rest of the chapter.