That brings me to the promised definition of health promotion. The arenas in which policies and programmes can be evaluated for their impact on health include not just agriculture, but also employment, housing, recreation, science and technology, income security, energy, public safety, transport, education, tourism and economic development. The list could go on. Health impact assessment technology holds policy makers accountable, in just the same way that environmental impact assessment does. Indeed, as you are aware, Article 152 of the recently ratified Amsterdam Treaty requires member states to assess all policies for their impact on health.
Health promotion has the technology to do that job.
Second, health promotion includes a technology to strengthen communities' ability to take effective action at the local level. The technology includes methods to map and mobilise local resources, activate citizen, government and corporate participation, plan for and manage positive change, transform neighbourhoods and key institutions such as homes, schools, hospitals and work places into health-promoting environments, evaluate progress and problems, and make required course corrections. The technology builds local capacity for all these actions, so that reliance on uncertain external support is avoided. The technology can be applied in virtually all communities. Experience shows that even the very poorest communities can benefit significantly.