Vänersborg University College of Health Sciences

Abstract

The health discourse of the day bears to an increasing extent the stamp of "a new perspective on health". Especially during the 80´s and 90´s we have seen a considerable growth in health promotion literature as well as health promotion action and activity. The most pronounced advocates of the health promotion perspective speaks of health promotion as a new discipline or a new paradigm in emergence. They thereby suggest that this perspective is under way to become an established institution in the health field. There is, however, reason to question the strong emphasis being put on health promotion as a coherent perspective. Looking at it from some distance it rather appears as a very loosely connected set of ideas while at the same time functioning as an umbrella concept for a diversity of efforts to improve health. The vagueness concerning the actual content and meaning of the concept of health promotion makes it somewhat misleading to use concepts such as "discipline" or "paradigm" as markers of the position of the health promotion perspective. In this paper the argument is put forth that health promotion is at present best understood as a fashion. Looking at health promotion from a fashion perspective means focusing on it as an idea that travels in time and space, an idea that attracts interest and adherents, and which may or may not lead to significant changes in the health sector. The success of the health promotion endeavour is then understood as a question of its attention-getting power on the one hand, and its prospect of getting institutionalised and acted upon on the other.

Keywords

Health promotion, paradigm/discipline, fashion

Contact

Peter Korp

Institution

Vänersborg University College of Health Sciences

Postaddress

Box 236

City

SE-462 23 VÄNERSBORG

Country

Sweden

E-mail

peter.korp@vhv.utb.alvsborg.se

Phone

+ 46 521 275462

Fax

+ 46 521 460570