Abstract

Governments across the WHO European Region need to take urgent action to address the growing public health, inequality, economic and environmental challenges in order to achieve sustainable development (meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs) and to ensure health and well-being for present and future generations. Based on a scoping review, this report concludes that current investment policies and practices (doing business as usual) are unsustainable, with high costs to individuals, families, communities, societies, the economy and the planet. Investment in public health policies that are based on values and evidence provides effective and efficient, inclusive and innovative solutions that can drive social, economic and environmental sustainability. Investing for health and well-being is a driver and an enabler of sustainable development, and vice versa, and it empowers people to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for all.

Contents

• ABBREVIATIONS
• CONTRIBUTORS
• SUMMARY
• 1. INTRODUCTION
  • 1.1. Background
  • 1.2. A framework for investment for health and well-being
  • 1.3. Policy question and approach
  • 1.4. Methodology
• 2. RESULTS
  • 2.1. Improving health for all and reducing health inequalities
  • 2.2. Supporting health through a life-course approach and empowering citizens
  • 2.3. Tackling Europe's major burdens of NCDs and communicable diseases
  • 2.4. Strengthening people-centred health systems and public health capacity, including preparedness and response capacity for dealing with emergencies
  • 2.5. Creating supportive environments and resilient communities
• 3. DISCUSSION
  • 3.1. Strengths and limitations of the review
  • 3.2. Policy options and implications
• 4. CONCLUSIONS
• REFERENCES
• ANNEX 1. SEARCH STRATEGY
• ANNEX 2. GLOSSARY
• ANNEX 3. PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF APPLYING EVIDENCE FOR ADVOCACY

Suggested citation:

Dyakova M, Hamelmann C, Bellis MA, Besnier E, Grey CNB, Ashton K et al. Investment for health and well-being: a review of the social return on investment from public health policies to support implementing the Sustainable Development Goals by building on Health 2020. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2017 (Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis report 51).

The Health Evidence Network

HEN – the Health Evidence Network – is an information service for public health decision-makers in the WHO European Region, in action since 2003 and initiated and coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Europe under the umbrella of the European Health Information Initiative (a multipartner network coordinating all health information activities in the WHO European Region).

HEN supports public health decision-makers to use the best available evidence in their own decision-making and aims to ensure links between evidence, health policies and improvements in public health. The HEN synthesis report series provides summaries of what is known about the policy issue, the gaps in the evidence and the areas of debate. Based on the synthesized evidence, HEN proposes policy options, not recommendations, for further consideration of policy-makers to formulate their own recommendations and policies within their national context.

Office for Investment for Health and Development

The Office for Investment for Health and Development in Venice, Italy, is the centre of excellence of the WHO Regional Office for Europe in the thematic areas of social and economic determinants of health, health equity and investment for health in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also coordinates the WHO Regional Office's Regions for Health Network and the Small Countries Initiative. It aims to generate and disseminate cutting-edge knowledge and to assist the Member States of the WHO European Region by building strong partnerships and networks with governments, public and private sector, academia and think-tanks, and a broad range of civil society stakeholders. The Office was established in 2003 through a Memorandum of Agreement between the Government of Italy, the Veneto Region and the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

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ISSN 2227-4316

ISBN 978 92 890 5259 7

© World Health Organization 2017

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