Sustainable societies The European Partnership for improving
health, equity and wellbeing
Caroline Costongs, Managing Director
AUSTRIA Austrian Health Promotion Foundation
BELGIUM Flemish Institute for Health Promotion and Disease
Prevention
BELGIUM Erasmus university Collage, Health Department
BELGIUM Ghent University, Public Health Department
CZECH REPUBLIC National Institute of Public Health
CZECH REPUBLIC Olomouc Region
DENMARK Danish Health and Medicines Authority
ENGLAND Department of Health
Kent & Medway NHS
North of England EU Health Office
FRANCE National Institute for Prevention and Health Education
(INPES)
GERMANY Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA)
GREECE: Institute of Preventive Medicine, Environmental &
Occupational Health Prolepsis
GREECE: Society for the Development of Children
FINLAND: National Institute for Health and Welfare
Finnish Society for Social and Health – SOSTE
HUNGARY Hungarian National Institute for Health Development
(OEFI)
ITALY Veneto Region
ITALY Tuscany Region
LATVIA Riga City Council
IRELAND Institute of Public Health
NETHERLANDS Dutch Institute for Health Care Improvement CBO
RIVM: Netherlands Institute for Public Health and
the Environment
50 members & partners across EU
NORWAY Norwegian Directorate of Health
POLAND National Institute of Hygiene –
Public Health Research Institute
SCOTLAND NHS Health Scotland
SLOVENIA National Institute of Public Health
SPAIN Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo
Universidad de La Laguna
SPAIN Public Health Agency Cataluña
SWEDEN National Public Health Agency
SWEDEN Stockholm County Council
SWITZERLAND Global Health Equity Foundation
WALES Public Health Wales
IRELAND Institute of Public Health
MONTENEGRO Institute of Public Health
ROMANIA Ministry of Health
SWEDEN Swedish Association of Local
Authorities and Regions SALAR
SWEDEN Region Vastra Goteland
EuroHealthNetThe European Partnership for Improving
Health, Equity and Wellbeing
PHASE
The European Platform for Action on Health & Social Equity
HPEHealth Promotion Europe
The European Network
for Health Promotion
CIRI
The European Centre for Innovation,
Research & Implementation in
Health & Well-being
The EuroHealthNet Office, Executive Board and General Council
Social Determinants of Health
Health inequalities are
persistent &
rooted in unfair and
unequal socio-economic
circumstances.
Determinants have a
cumulative impact across
the life-course.
.
Investment for health equity & sustainable societies
• Conditions during early childhood are particularly important in
determining future health.
• Focusing solely on most disadvantaged will not be sufficient. +
Risk of “poor services for poor people”
• Need investment across the social gradient, proportionate to the
levels of disadvantage (proportionate universalism)
• Investments needed on the root causes, such as poverty, long-
term unemployment, and inequalities in access to education.
• Case for cost-effective impacts can be made.
2015 Unsustainable Lifestyle Trends
Average EU lifestyle impacts
Food: Meat & dairy - 24% of all food impacts
(emissions & material use)
Housing: Heating/cooling, water use, appliance
& electronics use - 40% of total energy
Mobility & Tourism: Air travel (9% increase) & car ownership
(35% increase) since „90s.
Health & Well-being: Lifestyle health impacts - obesity
(increased intake of sugars), heart disease
(fatty foods and smoking) & cancers
(exposure hazardous chemicals)
What if current challenges were overcome?
Food: 500 kg/a, mostly vegetarian
Housing: 20 m2/person in zero net energy
Energy: 1000 kWh via wind and solar
Household goods: efficient, different and sufficient
Mobility & Tourism: 10 000 km/a in other means, no car
Health & well-being: improved health, well-being
8 tonne kg lifestyle (total resource use)
Vision of Sustainable Lifestyles in 2050
Bernd, Germany55,1t
Kirsti, Finland38,7t
Iria, Spain24,8t
Understanding citizen diversity
Péter, Hungary
8,8t
18
INHERIT: Health Promotion & Sustainable Societies
Equitable society
Social Inclusion
Environment
Green economy
Technological
Innovation
Health and
wellbeing
INHERIT (2016-2019) - Purpose
• Lifestyle and behaviour affect health as well as the environment
• The lower an individual‟s SES, the more limited is his or her scope for
individual choice, contributing to health inequalities
INHERIT will identify policies and interventions which:
1) adapt living and societal conditions,
2) encourage more healthy and environmentally sustainable
behaviours,
3) catalyse the development of new and innovative policies,
interventions and/or products that can contribute to ensuring that
healthy and sustainable lives become the easy and attractive
‘default’ option for all.
New economic and political realities
• Junckers 10 Political Guidelines (jobs, economic growth)
• European Fund for Strategic Investments (€ 315 billion for 2015-2017)
"Bigger on big things & smaller on small things”
• Reduce administrative burden to business development (REFIT)
• Health influence is weaker in EU Institutions
• Council Trio: inclusive, smart and sustainable growth, jobs and competitiveness
remain the top priority over the next eighteen months
Rethink our strategies, adapt and innovate
The EU Semester
Annual Growth Survey
End of Year
National Reform
Programmes
April
Country Specific Recommendations
JuneNational Action
Rest of the Year
Analysis of 2015 CSRs: focus on austerity
HEALTH • Strong focus on financial sustainability and cost-effectiveness • Primary care strengthening, accessibility and quality in few CSRs (5)• No CSRs on investing in preventative services or in health promotion
SOCIAL• Only 6 CSRs on poverty. CSRs from 11 countries mention some investment in
children and families• 7 countries received CSRs to increase retirement age, even though healthy
life expectancy in that country is lower
ENVIRONMENT• Environmental sustainability CSRs are lacking
Investing in Children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage
Active Inclusion of people excluded from the labour market
Strengthening Social Services of General Interest
Long-Term Care in ageing societies
Confronting Homelessness
Investing in Health
Making good use of Structural Funds –
The European Social Fund
The Social Investment Package (2013)
EU & SDGs
EU2020 review
New Migration
policy
LabourMobility Package
Social Pillar
AAA
TTIP
Work-Life Balance
• Sub-national role for EU advocacy (inform realities) & SDG implementation is vital
• “Beyond GDP debate” - redefine the current economic paradigm to take into consideration the
environment, quality of life, health and well-being and to balance growth, profits and
consumption
• Linking health, wellbeing, social equity and environmental sustainability as aims for whole-of-
governance (i.e. Wales Act!!)
• Multifaceted approaches from behavioural campaigns to legal frameworks including taxation,
subsidies and other financial incentives. - beware of “green-washing” and confusing high
number of eco-labels & health-labels
• Technical innovation to achieve 8 tonnes & social innovation (m-health) – beware of (1) equity
impacts and (2) rebound effect.
• Green economy & jobs / new business models (shift from ownership to services),
complementary currencies (time bank)
• Emerging small-scale initiatives are important signposts and test-beds for large-scale
sustainable solutions. - up-scaling and mainstreaming is not always easy.
Promising trends for implementing SDGs
Thank you!
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