Corporate practices and health: a framework and mechanisms

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Health Policy

Background:

• Approximately one-third of global deaths stem from behavioral risk factors linked to unhealthy products from profit-driven commercial entities.
• Commercial interests employ various practices to promote the consumption of harmful commodities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply Steven Lukes' three-dimensional view of power to understand commercial practices fostering unhealthy consumption.
• To propose a systematic framework for analyzing corporations as a societal factor contributing to disease and injury.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a three-dimensional view of power to analyze corporate strategies.
• Developing a systematic framework to map corporate activities impacting population health.

Main Results:

• Identified practices by commercial interests that promote consumption of unhealthy products.
• Proposed a framework to systematically study corporations as a cause of disease and injury.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework enables systematic mapping of corporate activity to anticipate and prevent adverse population health effects.
• The framework is valuable for public health practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and corporations seeking to improve population health.