Improving lifestyles, like changing dietary habits and quitting smoking, are seen as important ways to improve population health. Local circumstances such as the community, culture, legislation, green space, sporting facilities, and access to healthy nutrition and healthcare all influence lifestyle and thus are recognized determinants of the health of a local population.
Different lifestyles per region may require different choices when it comes to preventive measures for chronic disease. Making substantiated choices in this respect requires insight in the regional health situation and potential future benefits of improving lifestyle in a region.
In this PhD thesis of Koen Füssenich data on lifestyles and several health factors was collected and analyzed for both a comparison of European countries, and for a comparison of municipalities within the Netherlands. Public sources typically lack detail on the prevalent diseases and conditions among the population. As such, this information will have to be estimates based on indirect yetavailable sources.
Results show that there is some variation in health outcomes between regions due to lifestyle factors, showing potential for reducing health inequalities. There are applications where a region might elect to perform a regional health impact assessment to support policy interventions. However, the most cost-effective interventions for improving lifestyle (such a taxation) are generally cost-effective in all regions and are best implemented at a national or international level.
Koen Füssenich is part of Health in Context.
