folkehelsebegrep

folkehelsebegrep is the Norwegian term for the concept of public health. It refers to the idea of health as a population-level outcome and to the processes by which health is produced and distributed across a society. It emphasizes not only individual health status but also the social, economic, and environmental conditions shaping health, and it places priority on preventing disease and promoting well-being at the community level.

Core components include determinants of health (biological, social, economic, environmental), health equity, prevention and health promotion, surveillance and data, governance, and health systems. It recognizes that health outcomes are influenced by factors such as income, education, housing, work, social support, lifestyle, and access to care.

Approaches associated with folkehelsebegrep draw on social determinants of health, life-course perspectives, and the principle of health in all policies. It supports multidisciplinary collaboration across sectors (health, education, housing, transport, labor) and uses public health surveillance to monitor indicators such as life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, mortality rates, and burden of disease.

Purpose and use: folkehelsebegrep guides policy and practice in public health by defining aims, informing priorities, and evaluating interventions. It serves as a common language for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to address health inequalities and to design programs that improve population health while considering resource use and ethics.