The original Politics of Health Group (PoHG) existed for
about ten years from the mid-1970s through to the mid-1980s. It was
established as a discussion group to take forward emergent
understandings of the social political and economic determinants of
health which had been highlighted through the earlier work of the Unit
for the Study of Health Policy at Guys Hospital, amongst others. These
issues gained heightened attention following the publication of the
Black Report in 1980 which ‘rediscovered’ the existence and persistence
of inequalities in health within the UK. The Politics of Health Group
affiliated to the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science
at an early stage of its existence. It created a number of working
groups, to look at specific determinants of health and health
inequalities (such as food, the environment and occupation) which worked
closely with other groups affiliated independently to BSSRS.  PoHG produced 'Food and Profit' leaflet in the late seventies raising many of the issues we talk about today. and followed up the SfP on Food Farm & Finance. The complete pamphlet can be downloaded from the files at the bottom of this page. The Politics of Health Group
was recently re-constituted as a web-based discussion group publishing
occasional discussion papers and making regular contributions to
journals such as Health Matters.
Core principles: - The elimination of suffering caused by bad public policy - To build better understanding of the political causes and consequences of health and ill health - The promotion of health to be a central concern of politics so that public policy and social interventions focus on improving health - Health services developed in accordance with the principles set out in the PoHG charter |
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Politics of Health Group 2