What are the commercial determinants of health?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the commercial determinants of health as 'private sector activities that affect people’s health, directly or indirectly, positively or negatively'.
The commercial determinants of health can have a significant impact on an individual's health outcomes and can contribute to the development of non-communicable diseases, such as, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
These commercial determinants relate to the production, marketing, distribution, and sale of goods and services and can include:
- Advertising: This includes the marketing and promotion of unhealthy products, such as, tobacco, alcohol, sugary drinks, and unhealthy foods.
- Product formulation: This includes the use of harmful ingredients or additives in products, such as, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives.
- Pricing and availability: This includes the affordability and accessibility of healthy and unhealthy products, which can influence consumer choices and behaviours.
- Industry influence on policy and regulation: This includes the efforts of industries to influence public policies and regulations that can impact their products and services, such as, lobbying for weaker regulations or opposing public health measures.
- Trade agreements: This includes international trade agreements that can impact the availability and affordability of health-promoting products and services, such as, medicines or healthy foods.
The full model of the commercial determinants of health is available at: thelancet.com/series/commercial-determinants-health
Further information and resources
WHO: Commercial determinants of health (who.int)
The Lancet: Defining and conceptualising the commercial determinants of health - The Lancet
Spectrum Consortium UK: SPECTRUM Consortium (ed.ac.uk)
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