Health Promotion & Primary Prevention: Exchange of Good Practices

This report summarises the presentations and discussions of a workshop on health promotion and primary prevention, held at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday 29 November 2016. The aim of the workshop was to provide background and technical information and advice to the members of the ENVI Committee on the latest findings and trends in the field of preventive health, specifically concerning health promotion and the primary prevention of diseases and disabilities. The state of primary prevention and health promotion in Europe was highlighted during the first part of the workshop. Presentations focused on joining forces in the context of chronic diseases, the importance of primary care professionals’ clusters, health promotion from citizens’ perspective, and the role schools play in prevention. The second part of the workshop focused on examples of good practices. Various ongoing initiatives, coordinated by the European institutions, in the EU were presented. The activities of insurance industries were also highlighted, as well as the views of employers and trade unions on promoting healthy behaviours and creating healthy working environments. This workshop and the respective document were prepared by the Policy Department A at the request of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.