Possibilities for the promotion of good health

Health promotion seeks to effect change at the level of the population in order to prevent ill health. Some areas needing change, for example in relation to nutrition, exercise, alcohol and tobacco, are well documented. Others, particularly in the area of social processes, require further elucidation. Considerations of both efficacy and ethics are responsible for a current shift in emphasis such that the potential health impacts of public policies are seen as important health promotion tools. Research which specifically guides and supports health promotion activity is urgently needed. Such research goes beyond the provision of epidemiological data and requires an amalgam of disciplinary methods and theoretical approaches, particularly those of the social sciences. A positive commitment to the long term funding of such research is needed in New Zealand if the resources placed into health promotion are to be utilised effectively. In keeping with this symposium on Challenges for Medical Research, a major focus of this paper will be the characteristics of research specifically aimed at the development of health promotion. However, one of the characteristics of research for health promotion which differentiates it from other health-related research is a greater action-orientation and a closer link with programmes and policies. It is necessary, therefore, to consider the characteristics of health promotion itself in order to provide a context for health promotion research.