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Health Assets in a Global Context pp 339–351Cite as

Bringing It All Together: The Salutogenic Response to Some of the Most Pertinent Public Health Dilemmas

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the salutogenic approach to public health challenges. The origin of the theory of salutogenises stems from the ­narratives of the survivors of the Holocaust. It was further developed into a life-­orientation theory and a model. Based on interviews with people who had survived this ­horror, a valid and reliable instrument was constructed, the “Sense of Coherence” scale. The complex concept of resilience is also introduced. The lack of a generally accepted definition or a common specific theory for resilience is ­discussed. Concepts of hardiness, self-efficacy and empowerment are also reviewed. The use of more asset based approaches to measure population health indicators is suggested in the chapter. This includes the introduction of the Resource Adjusted Life Year (RALY), to measure the assets and abilities of the general population.

Keywords

  • Ottawa charter
  • Salutogenic theory
  • Sense of coherence
  • Empowerment
  • Antonovsky
  • Resource adjusted life year

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Fig. 18.1

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Folkhälsan Research Centre, Helsinki, Finland

    Monica Eriksson

Authors
  1. Monica Eriksson
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  2. Bengt Lindström
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Correspondence to Monica Eriksson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Health & Clinical, 71 High Holborn St, London, WC1V 6NA, United Kingdom

    Antony Morgan

  2. Health Action Partnership International, Tavistock House (Entrance D), London, WC1H 9LG, United Kingdom

    Maggie Davies

  3. WHO Regional Office for Europe, WHO European Office for Investment for H, Campo S. Stefano, Venice, 2847I-3012, Italy

    Erio Ziglio

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Eriksson, M., Lindström, B. (2010). Bringing It All Together: The Salutogenic Response to Some of the Most Pertinent Public Health Dilemmas. In: Morgan, A., Davies, M., Ziglio, E. (eds) Health Assets in a Global Context. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5921-8_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5921-8_18

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