Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2008 Oct 1.
Published in final edited form as: Health Policy. 2007 Mar 30;83(2-3):144–161. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2007.02.008

Figure 2. Societal-ecological health system levels.

Figure 2

A health system is socially and ecologically dynamic and fuller understanding of these dynamics allows for a more comprehensive, multi-level and sustainable health response. Some drivers (e.g. clean technologies) lead to positive health outcomes while others (e.g. polluting technologies) lead to negative ones. Traditional biomedical approaches tend to focus only on health effects (level 6) and specific treatments (e.g. vaccines, drugs). Interactions are shown among levels 1, 2 and 3, and between responses and each level, so the system is non-linear with multiple feedbacks. Participatory assessment and modeling is shown as an enabling part of the societal response. Four types of context are also shown.