Rowing Against the Tide: Building Healthier Societies Is Difficult: Comment on "How to Build Healthy Societies: A Thematic Analysis of Relevant Conceptual Frameworks"

TL;DR

The paper discusses challenges in building healthier societies by analyzing policies and strategies that support health beyond the health sector.

Contribution

It emphasizes the need for better governance alignment and defensive strategies in politically challenging environments.

Findings

Policy levers like regulatory and fiscal measures are crucial but need better governance alignment.

Intersectoral action is essential but complex to implement effectively.

Measuring social well-being should go beyond the health sector's scope.

Abstract

The article by Nambiar et al reviews the literature on the influence of policies from outside the health sector, proposing Policy Levers and Enablers to enhance their positive contribution. The regulatory and fiscal lever has a central role, but it should be better articulated with the set of vectors of good governance. Intersectoral action is a complex but necessary axis of work. And it is necessary to change the way of measuring progress and social well-being, but the purpose exceeds the scope and legitimacy of the health sector. In a hostile political environment, it would be advisable to draw up more defensive strategies to defend achievements and avoid setbacks.