Ethics of health promotion

Attempts by states and other organisations to promote people’s health make use of a number of different tools and target various different groups and behaviours. These activities raise ethical questions about what kinds of approaches to promoting health are justified and on what basis. This article summarises what health promotion typically involves, some of the tools that are often used, and how considerations of responsibility and the impact of social position on health can influence the permissibility of different approaches to health promotion.