Abstract
BackgroundPopulation health measurements are recognised as appropriate tools to support public health monitoring. Yet, there is still a lack of tools that offer a basis for policy appraisal and for foreseeing impacts on health equity. In the context of persistent regional inequalities, it is critical to ascertain which regions are performing best, which factors might shape future health outcomes and where there is room for improvement.MethodsUnder the EURO-HEALTHY project, tools combining the technical elements of multi-criteria value models and the social elements of participatory processes were developed to measure health in multiple dimensions and to inform policies. The flagship tool is the Population Health Index (PHI), a multidimensional measure that evaluates health from the lens of equity in health determinants and health outcomes, further divided into sub-indices. Foresight tools for policy analysis were also developed, namely: (1) scenarios of future patterns of population health in Europe in 2030, combining group elicitation with the Extreme-World method and (2) a multi-criteria evaluation framework informing policy appraisal (case study of Lisbon). Finally, a WebGIS was built to map and communicate the results to wider audiences.ResultsThe Population Health Index was applied to all European Union (EU) regions, indicating which regions are lagging behind and where investments are most needed to close the health gap. Three scenarios for 2030 were produced – (1) the ‘Failing Europe’ scenario (worst case/increasing inequalities), (2) the ‘Sustainable Prosperity’ scenario (best case/decreasing inequalities) and (3) the ‘Being Stuck’ scenario (the EU and Member States maintain the status quo). Finally, the policy appraisal exercise conducted in Lisbon illustrates which policies have higher potential to improve health and how their feasibility can change according to different scenarios.ConclusionsThe article makes a theoretical and practical contribution to the field of population health. Theoretically, it contributes to the conceptualisation of health in a broader sense by advancing a model able to integrate multiple aspects of health, including health outcomes and multisectoral determinants. Empirically, the model and tools are closely tied to what is measurable when using the EU context but offering opportunities to be upscaled to other settings.
Highlights
Population health measurements are recognised as appropriate tools to support public health monitoring
The aim of this paper is to present the ultimate outputs of the EURO-HEALTHY research project – to introduce the tools, demonstrate their capacity to measure and monitor population health across European regions, and present their potential to inform policy-makers and to stimulate and facilitate health equity discussions
The EURO-HEALTHY Population Health Index (PHI) can be read as a ‘composite measure’, ‘composite index’ or ‘composite indicator’ based on a clear conceptual framework, integrating the different elements of population health and capable of considering multiple aspects delivered as an aggregated score
Summary
Population health measurements are recognised as appropriate tools to support public health monitoring. To characterise the health of the population currently living in European Union (EU) regions, it is crucial to consider multiple health dimensions that go beyond the health outcomes and include a range of determinants outside the healthcare sector [14, 15] This can provide an evidence-based perspective of policies, with the potential to reduce inequalities and promote health equity [11]. These measures should be based on sound methods to enhance the potential of monitoring health and of foreseeing the impact of policies on health equity [9, 17, 18]. In our view, ‘health equity’ is understood here as “the principle underlying a commitment to reduce and, eliminate disparities in health and in its determinants, including social determinants” [19]
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