The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #64173

Katia S. Mohindra, PhD Candidate¹, Béatrice Nikiema, MD, PhD Candidate¹, Eric Breton, PhD candidate², Anne Guichard, PhD Candidate², and Pascale Mantoura, PhD Student¹. (1) Unité de santé internationale, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128 Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada, (514)343-6111 #1281, katia.mohindra@umontreal.ca, (2) GRIS - Faculté de médicine, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada

Improving population health from a social justice perspective is a challenge in low and high income countries. Integrating public health goals within a larger social project requires a firm theoretical framework. Amartya Sen's work is widely discussed in the field of development economics, but has wider implications. This poster aims to reflect on Sen's potential contributions to public health, particularly his capability approach.

This approach considers those factors which improve the capacity of a person to achieve sufficient well-being, especially through the ability to transform goods and resources to do and to be what is intrinsically valuable.

Building on this approach, we argue that public health interventions should 1) enlarge individual and collective health capabilities (or freedoms in achieving good health), and 2) reduce gaps between these capabilities.

We begin with an overview of Sen's work, detailing his capability approach. Then we discuss the implications for public health practitioners and planners, from an interventionist stand point. We conclude by discussing the limits of Sen's theory in relation to public health.

Learning Objectives:

• The participant will learn the value of the work of the nobel laureate economist, Amartya Sen, with respect to public health. He will acquire an understanding of the theoretical basis of his work, including key concepts (e.g. commodity, functioning, capability, agency, liberty). This understanding will be reinforced by demonstrating how the capability approach may be concretely applied to public health interventions.

Keywords: Social Justice, Ethics

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.