The Quality Plan’s actions in the area of prevention and health promotion comply with the principles and criteria set forth in the Tallinn Charter, which was signed by the Government of Spain in 2008. This Charter lays down the general principles that must be followed by programmes put in place in order to reduce inequalities in health, which are within the general policies of the Ministry of Health and Social Policy in the area of cohesion and equity and are also in keeping with the National Strategy for Public Health implemented by Spain’s Directorate General of Public Health and Border Health Control.
Activities planned 2009-2010
The amount earmarked for actions aimed at reducing inequalities in health and in determinant health factors in 2009 is 14,750,000 euros. The activities planned include actions related to tobacco use, the prevention of falls by older people, sex education, childhood accident prevention and HIV prevention. Also planned are activities related to nutrition, physical activity and the prevention of obesity.
• Actions to prevent the onset of tobacco use in school-age children and youth will involve prevention programmes and awareness campaigns and the training of educators and youth mediators; programmes to end tobacco addiction aimed at the school population, health professionals and special risk groups; health care personnel will receive specific training and primary care attention in this area will be strengthened.
• Actions to prevent falls in older persons will involve programmes that promote physical exercise and educational programmes aimed at making homes safer.
• Programmes for reproductive and sexual health in teenagers and young people will also be put in place, with increased information, consultation services and the education of parents, and also of teenagers and young people, through schools and health care professionals.
• Early detection of HIV will be facilitated, specifically in vulnerable groups.
• Actions to prevent childhood injuries at home and in recreational and leisure areas, such as falls, drowning and injuries resulting from diving, will take place through educational programmes aimed at both children and their parents.
• Public health surveillance of the socio-economic health determinants will be increased, by integrating sources of epidemiological information and incorporating new components to the public health surveillance system.
The Strategy for Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Prevention (NAOS), which was initiated in 2005, has a budget of 1,170,000 euros for 2009 funding of projects related to the promotion of healthy lifestyles, good eating and exercise habits, and obesity prevention. Some of the activities to be put in place as part of this Strategy are the following:
• Educational programmes in school settings aimed at children and youth, teachers and parents. Co-operation with the country’s autonomous communities and local governments, the National Sports Council and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, to promote physical activity as one of the most important means for preventing obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition, a study will be conducted on the composition of foods, with a view to implementing food reformulation programmes, in order to better adapt food composition to the needs of the population and to make healthier foods more readily available.
- Other studies and programmes include the 2009-2010 WHO-Europe Programme for the compilation and evaluation of actions in Spain in the area of obesity prevention; the Report on Obesity Epidemiology and Prevention Policies; the Action Plan to reduce salt consumption; the Study on the Prevalence of Celiac Disease; the continuation of the PERSEO programme (Pilot Programme in Schools for Health, Physical Exercise and against Obesity) launched in 2006; and the Total Diet Study, which includes a National Survey on Food Consumption.