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Tools and insights for improving health

Public health practice is both an art and science and uses a number of approaches drawn from medicine, the behavioural and social sciences and management sciences.

Systems thinking in public health

Systems thinking is a core skill in public health and health promotion and helps professionals develop policies and initiatives that are aware of and prepared for unintended consequences. Although there is no universal definition of a system it can generally be regarded as a group of interacting, interrelated and interdependent components that form a complex and unified whole (The Systems Thinker, 2018). All systems have elements or components that make up the system, a relationship between the elements or components and a pattern of the system as whole.

Systems thinking is way to make sense of a complex system that gives attention to exploring the relationships, boundaries and perspectives in a system. Systems approaches are the specific tools and methods that can be used to better understand the system and the complex problems within it. By combining systems thinking and approaches this enables professionals to see the big picture and give consideration to how changing one part of the system may influence other parts.

System thinking is particularly in public health when looking at:

  • Long-term issues such as tackling obesity or increasing physical activity in a population
  • There are multiple stakeholders (populations and organisations) and multiple causes that influence and interact with each other
  • There are differencing or conflicting perspectives on an issue such as the use of electronic cigarettes
  • There is no single explanation for what is causing the issue and no single solution that will fit all situations – for example reducing health inequalities. Systems series: Why use a systems approach? (Adapted from The Australian Partnership Prevention Centre, 2021)

View a series of videos related to systems thinking in public health:

 

Building a healthier Wales

The Building a Healthier Wales Co-ordination Group is a non-statutory coalition of strategic leaders representing organisations and strategic perspectives from across sectors with a diversity of representation from across Wales.

It aims to maximise the impact of collective efforts of agencies in Wales to improve health, well-being and equity.

It does this by:

  • Creating space for strategic leaders to come together at an all-Wales level
  • Focusing on prevention, equity and system drivers in a health in all policies approach
  • Horizon scanning, identifying common problems and solutions
  • Sharing intelligence, evidence and learning between members
  • Supporting inter-sectoral collaboration, identifying co-benefits from collaborative action
  • Providing coordinated advice to Welsh Government on potential impacts of policy on health and health inequalities
  • Providing coordinated intelligence and advice to local and regional partnerships, including Public Services Boards

The Well-being of Future Generations Act five ways of working together with a health in all policies approach is at the heart of the Building a Healthier Wales Coordination Group, recognising the benefits of a healthier population to multiple sectors and to delivery in other policy areas.

Resources