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After 30 Years, Is the Ottawa Charter Still Relevant

  • Mary Ann G.
  • Jan 16
  • 2 min read

Updated: 5 days ago


Released in 1986, the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, reshaped how we think about public health. It emphasized that health is shaped by social, political and environmental conditions, not just individual behaviours. Its five action areas such as building healthy public policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills and reorienting health services, remain a foundation for health promotion today (World Health Organization, 1986).


The Ottawa Charter Emblem

The Charter’s influence is evident in contemporary frameworks. The Population Health Promotion Model, builds on its principles by linking interventions to social determinants across multiple levels (Canadian Public Health Association, 2025; Government of Canada, 2001). Also, the Circle of Health framework reflects the Charter’s influence by centring family, community and culture as essential to well-being (Circle of Health, 2022). Together, these tools show how the Charter continues to shape modern health promotion (World Health Organization, 2025).


At the same time, the Charter has limits. It does not explicitly address colonialism, systemic racism or the unique health challenges faced by Indigenous, Black and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Evidence from Canada shows Indigenous and Black parents experience higher mistrust of vaccines linked to racial discrimination, showing that health promotion cannot rely solely on education or individual behaviour change (Dalexis et al., 2025). The COVID-19 pandemic further shows how structural inequities shape health outcomes and public trust (The Atlantic, 2020).



In my professional experience building vaccine confidence, the Charter’s principles are useful but need adaptation. Strengthening community action meant working with local leaders to co-design initiatives. Creating supportive environments required culturally safe and accessible services. Reorienting health services emphasized trust and relationships over efficiency. Advocating for equitable policies helped interventions reach those most affected by structural barriers. These actions align with the Charter’s vision while addressing equity and cultural responsiveness (Government of Canada, 2001; World Health Organization, 1986). The Ottawa Charter remains relevant when applied through an equity-focused lens. Its principles continue to guide health promotion, but they must be complemented with attention to systemic inequities and community priorities (Circle of Health, 2022; Dalexis et al., 2025; World Health Organization, 1986).


Which Ottawa Charter action area do you find hardest to implement in practice when working with communities experiencing mistrust of health systems, and why?


References

Canadian Public Health Association. (2025). What are the social determinants of health? https://www.cpha.ca/what-are-social-determinants-health


Circle of Health. (2022). Circle of Health framework. https://circleofhealth.net/


Dalexis, R. D., Xu, Y., Moshirian Farahi, S. M. M., Beogo, I., Muray, M., & Cénat, J. M. (2025). COVID-19 vaccine mistrust, racial discrimination, and conspiracy beliefs among parents in Canada. Journal of Medical Virology, 97(11), e70673. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.70673



The Atlantic. (2020). Coronavirus and xenophobia: How racism has shaped the pandemic. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/03/coronavirus-covid19-xenophobia-racism/607816/



World Health Organization. (2025). The Geneva Charter for Well-Being. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/the-geneva-charter-for-well-being


 
 
 

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