Goals and Targets for Health: Their Limitations as an Approach to Promoting Health

Abstract

Setting goals and targets for health has become a popular activity with health promoters around the world. In this paper, it is argued that this approach to planning for health has a tendency to focus on a medical and behavioural definition of health to the detriment of more holistic approaches that focus on communities and their participation in improving health. Goals and targets are generally associated with the illness care sector and not well suited to health promotion that seeks to tackle underlying social or environmental causes of ill-health. The paper concludes with suggestions for alternative approaches to health promotion that draw on the more holistic view of health promoted by Healthy Cities and like projects. Approaches that enhance the capacities of organisations and communities to take action to plan for their own health are advocated. National governments have an important role in supporting and legitimising local and regional action through policy and resource provision.