Table 1.

Reconceptualising precision in public health

Move away from…	Move towards…
Biomedical model of health	Social determinants model of health
The functions (eg, surveillance) and methods (eg, big data) of public health	The foundations (eg, social determinants) and core aims (eg, improve population health, reduce health inequities) of public health
Unitary, master categories of objective social position (ie, income, education and occupation)	Social position as a construct that is both objective and perceived through lived experiences
Problematising individuals and their behaviours	Problematising the social contexts that create social stratification
Scaled-up versions of individual level interventions	Interventions that address the root causes of health inequities
Precision medicine for the population	Precision public health