Towards a relational health promotion

Area of Science:

• Health Promotion Theory
• Sociology of Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion often uses a substantialist view of agency-structure.
• This view separates individual choices from social structures, creating a dichotomy.
• This separation may limit understanding of health-related behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critique the substantialist approach to the agency-structure dichotomy in health promotion.
• To advocate for a relational perspective on agency and structure.
• To explore how relational theories can explain health-related behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of the agency-structure dichotomy.
• Critique of substantialist viewpoints.
• Application of relational theory, specifically Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice (field, capital, habitus).

Main Results:

• A substantialist approach views agency and structure as preformed entities.
• A relational approach prioritizes the connections between elements over the elements themselves.
• Relational theories, like Bourdieu's, offer a framework to understand how social relations shape health choices.

Conclusions:

• A relational approach dissolves the stark distinction between agency and structure.
• Locating agency and structure within social relations provides deeper insights.
• This perspective enhances our understanding of why individuals engage in specific health behaviors.