What is Ottawa Charter?

The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1986 at the First International Conference on Health Promotion. It is a landmark document that sets out the key principles and strategies for promoting health and well-being. The charter articulates the definition of health which the WHO still use to this day: A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

The Five Key Areas of Action

The Ottawa Charter identifies five key action areas for health promotion:

1. Build healthy public policies. This means creating policies that support and protect health, such as clean air and water, healthy food, safe housing, and access to education and healthcare.

2. Create supportive environments. This means creating settings that promote health, such as schools, workplaces, and communities that are safe, healthy, and supportive of physical and mental well-being.

3. Strengthen community action. This means empowering individuals and communities to take control of their own health and well-being.

4. Develop personal skills. This means equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge they need to make healthy choices and manage their own health.

5. Reorient health services. This means shifting the focus of health services from treating illness to promoting health and preventing disease.

The Ottawa Charter has been widely adopted as a framework for health promotion around the world. It has inspired the development of national and local health promotion policies and programs, and it has contributed to the global understanding of health and health promotion. It calls for action by governments, businesses, communities, and individuals to promote health and well-being.

The Ottawa Charter is based on the following principles:

* Health is a positive concept, emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities.

* The fundamental conditions and resources for health are peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable ecosystem, sustainable resources, justice, and equity.

* Health promotion is a social and political process requiring action from all sectors.

* Health promotion focuses on enabling people to increase control over their health and its determinants, and to improve their health literacy.

* Health promotion is a key strategy for reducing health disparities and achieving health equity.

The Ottawa Charter has been a guiding document for health promotion efforts around the world for over 30 years. It continues to be relevant today, as we face new challenges to health, such as climate change, obesity, and chronic diseases.