Ottawa Charter Essay

Public policy profoundly influences health status. The Ottawa Charter calls for policy makers to become cognizant of the impact their various actions have on health. The action area “Build Healthy Public Policy” foists responsibility for health away from the microsystems of the individual onto the macrosystems of Government and regulation (WHO, 1986). Addressing issues in population health requires intersectoral collaboration through policy, legislation, taxes, and environmental changes to reduce the inequalities in health status. The early noughties saw the creation of the National Taskforce on Obesity. The taskforce was created in response to concerns that childhood obesity was rampantly becoming the most ubiquitous childhood disease in Europe.

The group is comprised of representatives from the HSE, safefood, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, and the Departments of Health, Education and Skills, and Children and Youth Affairs; as well as other stakeholders. SAGO in conjunction with Healthy Ireland, the Government’s framework for action to improve population health and wellbeing, form the strategic basis for the recent ‘Let’s Take on Childhood Obesity, One Step at a Time’ campaign; which aims to facilitate parents in adopting practical skills that will challenge the daily routines and behaviours that are associated with excessive weight gain. This three year campaign, which will continue through 2015, hopes to educate parents on the negative impact and health challenges that childhood obesity can pose and instil the importance of promoting long-term solutions (Ireland. Department of Health, 2013; Safefood, 2012). Along with the aforementioned campaign, the Healthy Ireland framework, and its complementary children’s policy - Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures – all have a strong focus on developing resilience and building personal responsibility. Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures clearly

As previously mentioned, the current discourse within Ireland’s health sector centres on the biomedical model. It has been argued that, historically, the sector’s health promotion infrastructure is weak and the focus has typically been on treatment of disease rather than prevention (Baum et al., 2009). Consequently, obesity’s categorisation as an illness in the traditional medical paradigm, leaves individuals vulnerable to the paternalistic approaches of health professionals, who may fail to consider the wider sociological determinants of the condition (Bacon & Aphramor, 2011). The formation of the HSE Health and Wellbeing Division and the publication Future Health – A Strategic Framework for Reform of the Health Service 2012–2015 represents a shift from the traditional model and marks a move towards a health sector that contributes to the pursuit of health. Fundamental changes in the provision of services, funding, and structures are some of the planned reforms. This is underpinned by a commitment to reorient the HSE towards the realisation and maintenance of equitable population health and wellbeing (Ireland. Department of Health, 2012). This reorientations coupled with critical and reflective engagement from health providers is essential if the Ottawa Charter is to realise its