Promoción de salud desde la perspectiva de la nueva salud pública

Abstract

A set of evidences, connected by the “New Public Health” research, allows to infer hypothesis about the role of new determinants in population’s health, as powerful as the “classic” health determinants like tobacco, sedentary life, obesity, and poor conditions of living. Low social cohesion, income inequality, or low social capital possibly are strong determinants of health. They could affect the general vulnerability to bad health or death through a variety of different illnesses by altering psychological functioning or neuroendocrine or immune system. These psychobiologic alterations, produced by social conditions could influence coping capacities of people. Low coping abilities are possibly linked to higher risk of bad health or premature death. There are four situations in which people can obtain protection of those alterations, perinatal conditions, child rising styles, social networks and working conditions. The better the experiences of people in those areas the better the health levels. Health care sector can act in all of them, mainly in the first three ones. Activities that can be done in such way are commented.