Work

Putting All Our Eggs in One Basket While Dancing Around the Elephant in the Room: How Health and Economy Conversations Need to Better Align

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This commentary examines a critical paradox in contemporary policymaking that hinders effective action for health equity. On one hand, certain policymakers fixate on economic growth measured by GDP as the solution to societal challenges (putting all their eggs in one basket). Simultaneously, other policymakers acknowledge but ultimately avoid addressing how the economic system fundamentally drives health inequalities (dancing around the elephant in the room). This results in perpetuating a focus on downstream interventions rather than disrupting health's structural and economic determinants. While notable exceptions exist, sustained examples of upstream economic intervention remain scarce. Health promotion practitioners are positioned to challenge this paradox through their core competencies in policy influence, systems thinking, partnership building, and community mobilisation. By supporting policymakers to address power and wealth inequalities that underpin health disparities, health promotion practitioners can help move beyond approaches focused primarily on individual behaviour change. This commentary calls for creative collaborations, new language for conceptualising wellbeing economies, and broader public support to expand what is deemed politically possible in addressing economic causes of health inequalities.

Source: Health Promotion Journal of Australia

DOI: 10.1002/hpja.70050

Authors: Gemma Crawford, Katherine Trebeck

Institutions: Curtin University, University of Edinburgh

Language: English

Topic: Public Health Policies and Education

Subfield: General Health Professions

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,150