Our identification of the most important factors influencing health is primarily based on a comprehensive analysis of a diverse selection of existing health models (see Huynen et al for more details). This paper primarily focuses on the physical aspects of population health like mortality and physical morbidity. Therefore, it can be seen as an important high-level integrating index that reflects the state-and, in the long term, the sustainability-of our natural and socio-economic environments. The presented framework is developed in the following three steps: 1) defining the concept of population health and identifying its main determinants, 2) defining the concept of globalisation and identifying its main features and 3) constructing the conceptual model for globalisation and population health.Īs the world around us is becoming progressively interconnected and complex, human health is increasingly perceived as the integrated outcome of its ecological, social-cultural, economic and institutional determinants.
Therefore, a conceptual framework for the health effects of the globalisation process requires a more holistic approach and should be rooted in a broad conception of both population health and globalisation. In our view, however, the pathways from globalisation to health are more complex. Labonte and Torgerson primarily focus on the effects of economic globalisation and international governance. as most critical for health are mainly mediated by economic factors. The effects that are identified by Woodward et al. Two recent and comprehensive frameworks concerning globalisation and health are the ones developed by Woodward et al. The framework has two functions: serving as 'think-model', and providing a basis for the development of future scenarios on health. This paper describes a conceptual framework for the effects of globalisation on population health. Nowadays it is increasingly perceived as a more comprehensive phenomenon, which is shaped by a multitude of factors and events that are reshaping our society rapidly. In the past globalisation has often been seen as a more or less economic process. But health inequalities between rich and poor persist, while the prospects for future health depend increasingly on the relative new processes of globalisation. Globalization is defined as a process that, based on international strategies, aims to expand business operations on a worldwide level, and was precipitated by the facilitation of global communications due to technological advancements, and socioeconomic, political and environmental developments.Good health for all populations has become an accepted international goal and we can state that there have been broad gains in life expectancy over the past century. Critics say globalization is detrimental for less wealthy nations, for small companies that can't compete with the bigger firms, and for consumers who face higher production costs and the risks of jobs being outsourced.Some economists argue globalization helps promote economic growth and increased trading between nations yet, other experts, as well as the general public, generally see the negatives of globalization as outweighing the benefits.