Public health: ethical issues

Published 13/11/2007

This report considers what the Government, industry and individuals should do to enable people to lead a healthy life.

To identify and consider ethical, legal and social issues arising when designing measures to improve public health
To consider, by means of case studies:
1. the variety of aims for such measures, such as informing individual choices and protecting the wider community, and their relative priorities
2. the role of autonomy, consent and solidarity
3. issues raised by decisions about, and perceptions of, risk
4. criteria for the allocation of resources in specific areas of public health
5. the special situation of children and those who are poor or socially excluded
To examine the implications of the above for the development of frameworks for policy making in public health

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