Economic estimations and evaluations in public health
Kansanterveys
The Nordic Welfare Centre is launching a project focusing on knowledge development in economic calculations and evaluations in public health. The aim is to gather a knowledge base and share good examples of how economic calculations are carried out in the Nordic countries in the field of public health. The project will also highlight preventive public health measures that have been implemented in the Nordic countries and analyse the collective knowledge and experience gained from these.
The goal is to support Nordic authorities in their work to develop and prioritise preventive measures in public health. The project also aims to lay the foundations for Nordic cooperation in this area in order to support decision-making and policy work.
Background
In order to strengthen public health in the Nordic region, we need to be able to prioritise the initiatives that provide the greatest societal benefit in relation to their costs. For this, we need to share experiences and develop the knowledge base on how economic calculations are performed in the field of public health and fact-based evaluations of implemented initiatives. This knowledge is particularly useful for the authorities responsible for public health work. It can facilitate prioritisation and lead to better decision-making that supports both the social and economic sustainability perspectives in public health work.
By gathering a knowledge base on how economic calculations in the field of public health are carried out in the Nordic countries and developing examples of effective preventive measures, the project contributes to a socially sustainable Nordic region. Knowledge of how public health policy can be developed and managed to effectively promote public health also contributes to a competitive Nordic region.
Results
The project comprises two reports written in collaboration with the Swedish Institute for Health Economics (IHE), which is conducting the surveys and associated analysis. The first report surveys and analyses methods and models used in the Nordic countries for economic calculations of modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The second report surveys health economic evaluations of preventive and health-promoting initiatives carried out in the Nordic countries in recent years and analyses the overall knowledge base from these.
The reports will be published in spring 2027 and the results will be disseminated through webinars aimed at authorities, researchers and experts in the field of public health in the Nordic region.
Expert group
- Lau Caspar Thygesen, National Institute of Public Health, Denmark
- Trine Kjaer, Danish Centre for Health Economics (DaCHE), Denmark
- Marika Kylänen, The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland
- Heli Hätönen, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland
- Tinna Laufey Ásgeirsdóttir, University of Iceland
- Kjartan Sælensminde, Norwegian Directorate of Health, Norway
- Hans Olav Melberg, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway
- Lisa Brouwers, The Public Health Agency of Sweden, Sweden
- Knut Lönnroth, Government of Åland
Project team
Frida Hjalte, Katarina Steen Carlsson and Hedda Carlsson, The Swedish Institute for Health Economics IHE
Jaa
