Health and its pursuit are tightly interwoven into the social and economic fabric of all industrialized nations. Health plays a direct and very important role not only in the physical and psychological well-being of people, but in a nation’s economic circumstances as well. Thus, it should be to no one’s surprise that in the United States health and the activities associated with its pursuit receive considerable attention from all levels of government.
The way in which health is conceptualized or defined in any society is important because it reflects the society’s values regarding health and how far the society might be willing to go in aiding or supporting the pursuit of health among its members. A society that defines health in negative and narrow terms might choose to intervene in the pursuit of health only in life-threatening traumas and illnesses (Kingdon, 2000). Conversely, a society in which health is defined broadly and in positive terms might obligate itself to pursue a variety of significant interventions in its efforts to help its members attain desired levels of health. Generally, negative and narrow conceptualizations of health lead to interventions that focus on correcting or reducing an undesirable state. Positive and broad conceptualizations of health, on the other hand, stimulate proactive interventions aimed at many variables in the quest for health.
Armed with an understanding of the policymaking process, politically competent people understand that they can become involved in the process at many points (Kingdon, 2000). For example, they might become involved in setting the policy agenda by helping define the problems that policies might address, by participating in the development of possible solutions to the problems; or by helping to create the political circumstances necessary to turn the ideas for solving problems into actual policies (Kingdon, 1995).
To initiate across-the-board reform, the....
