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Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion

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ThefirstInternationalConferenceonHealthPromotionwasheldinOttawa,CanadainNovember,
1986.Theconferencewasprimarilyaresponsetogrowingexpectationsforanewpublichealth
movementaroundtheworld.Discussionsfocusedonneedswithinindustrialisedcountries,buttook
intoaccountsimilarconcernsinallotherregions.
TheaimoftheconferencewastocontinuetoidentifyactiontoachievetheobjectivesoftheWorld
HealthOrganization(WHO)Health for allby the year2000initiative,launchedin1981.
TheOttawaConferencewasprecededbytheAlmaAtaPrimaryHealthCareConferencein1978,
andfollowedbyfurtherinternationalhealthpromotionconferencesinAdelaide(1988),Sundsvall
(1991),Jakarta(1997),Mexico(2000),Bangkok(2005)andNairobi(2009).
Eachconferencecontinuestostrengthenhealthpromotionprinciplesandpractice,suchashealthy
publicpolicy,supportiveenvironments,buildinghealthyalliancesandbridgingtheequitygap.
ThefollowinginformationistakenfromtheOttawaCharterforHealthPromotion.

Health promotion
Healthpromotionistheprocessofenablingpeopletoincreasecontroloverandimprovetheir
health.Healthisseenasaresourceforeverydaylife,nottheobjectiveofliving.Healthpromotion
isnotjusttheresponsibilityofthehealthsector,butgoesbeyondhealthylifestylestowellbeing.
Thefundamentalconditionsandresourcesneededforgoodhealthare:

Peace
Shelter
Education
Food
Income
Astableecosystem
Sustainableresources
Socialjusticeandequity.

Three basic strategies for health promotion

TheOttawaCharteridentifiesthreebasicstrategiesforhealthpromotion:

Advocate goodhealthisamajorresourceforsocial,economicandpersonal
development,andanimportantdimensionofqualityoflife.Political,economic,social,
cultural,environmental,behaviouralandbiologicalfactorscanallfavourorharmhealth.
Healthpromotionaimstomaketheseconditionsfavourable,throughadvocacyforhealth.
Enable healthpromotionfocusesonachievingequityinhealth.Healthpromotionaction
aimstoreducedifferencesincurrenthealthstatusandtoensuretheavailabilityofequal
opportunitiesandresourcestoenableallpeopletoachievetheirfullhealthpotential.This
includesasecurefoundationinasupportiveenvironment,accesstoinformation,lifeskills
andopportunitiestomakehealthychoices.Peoplecannotachievetheirfullesthealth
potentialunlesstheyareabletocontrolthosethingsthatdeterminetheirhealth.Thismust
applyequallytowomenandmen.
Mediate theprerequisitesandprospectsforhealthcannotbeensuredbythehealth
sectoralone.Healthpromotiondemandscoordinatedactionbyallconcerned,including
governments,healthandothersocialandeconomicsectors,non-governmentand
voluntaryorganisations,localauthorities,industryandthemedia.

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Local needs and possibilities

Peoplefromallwalksoflifeareinvolvedasindividualsandasmembersoffamiliesand
communities.Professionalandsocialgroups,andhealthpersonnel,haveamajorresponsibilityto
mediatebetweendifferinginterestsinsocietyforthepursuitofhealth.Healthpromotionstrategies
andprogramsshouldbeadaptedtothelocalneedsandpossibilitiesofindividualcountriesand
regionstotakeintoaccountdifferingsocial,culturalandeconomicsystems.

Areas for priority action

HealthpromotionpriorityactionareasidentifiedintheOttawaCharterare:

Build healthy public policyhealthpromotionpolicycombinesdiversebut

complementaryapproaches,includinglegislation,fiscalmeasures,taxationand
organisationchange.Healthpromotionpolicyrequirestheidentificationofobstaclestothe
adoptionofhealthypublicpoliciesinnon-healthsectorsandthedevelopmentofwaysto
removethem.
Create supportive environmentstheprotectionofthenaturalandbuiltenvironments,
andtheconservationofnaturalresourcesmustbeaddressedinanyhealthpromotion
strategy.
Strengthen community actionscommunitydevelopmentdrawsonexistinghumanand
materialresourcestoenhanceself-helpandsocialsupport,andtodevelopflexiblesystems
forstrengtheningpublicparticipationin,anddirectionof,healthmatters.Thisrequiresfull
andcontinuousaccesstoinformationandlearningopportunitiesforhealth,aswellas
fundingsupport.
Develop personal skillsenablingpeopletolearn(throughoutlife)toprepare
themselvesforallofitsstagesandtocopewithchronicillnessandinjuriesisessential.
Thishastobefacilitatedinschool,home,workandcommunitysettings.
Reorient health servicestheroleofthehealthsectormustmoveincreasinglyina
healthpromotiondirection,beyonditsresponsibilityforprovidingclinicalandcurative
services.Reorientinghealthservicesalsorequiresstrongerattentiontohealthresearch,as
wellaschangesinprofessionaleducationandtraining.
Moving into the futurecaring,holismandecologyareessentialissuesindeveloping
strategiesforhealthpromotion.Aguidingprincipleshouldbethatwomenandmenshould
becomeequalpartnersineachphaseofplanning,implementationandevaluationofhealth
promotionactivities.

Commitment to health promotion

Theparticipantsattheconferencepledgedto:

Moveintothearenaofhealthypublicpolicyandadvocateaclearpoliticalcommitmentto
healthandequityinallsectors
Counteractthepressurestowardsharmfulproducts,resourcedepletion,unhealthyliving
conditionsandenvironments,andbadnutrition,andfocusattentiononpublichealthissues
suchaspollution,occupationalhazards,housingandsettlements
Respondtothehealthgapwithinandbetweensocieties,andtackletheinequitiesinhealth
producedbytherulesandpracticesofthesesocieties
Acknowledgepeopleasthemainhealthresourcetosupportandenablethemtokeep
themselves,theirfamiliesandfriendshealthythroughfinancialandothermeansand
acceptthecommunityastheessentialvoiceinmattersofitshealth,livingconditionsand
wellbeing
Reorienthealthservicesandtheirresourcestowardsthepromotionofhealth,andshare
powerwithothersectors,disciplinesandwithpeople.
Recognisehealthanditsmaintenanceasamajorsocialinvestmentandchallenge,and
addresstheoverallecologicalissuesofourwaysofliving.

Organisations operating within the principles of the charter

Organisationsthatoperateinaccordancewiththeprinciplesofthecharterinclude:

Communityhealthservices
Primarycarepartnerships
Somehospitals

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Somelocalgovernments
Somesocialwelfareagencies
Somenon-governmentorganisations
Somepeakorganisations.

Where to get help

Yourdoctor
Communityhealthcentres
HealthPromotion,DepartmentofHealth,VictoriaTel.(03)90965753

Things to remember

ThefirstInternationalConferenceonHealthPromotionwasheldinOttawa,Canadain
November1986.
TheaimoftheconferencewasactiontoachieveHealth for allbytheyear2000and
beyond.
TheOttawaConferenceisoneoffiveInternationalHealthPromotionConferences,
exploringkeyhealthpromotionstrategiesorissues.

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DH-MHW&A-PreventionandPopulationHealth-PreventionSystemandPolicy
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