Economic estimations and evaluations in public health

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.

The project comprises a report in two parts written in collaboration with the Swedish Institute for Health Economics (IHE), which is conducting the surveys and associated analysis. The first part of the 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 part of the 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 report 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.

The project involves a reference group comprising experts who work on socio-economic calculations and evaluations of preventive public health initiatives in the Nordic countries. The reference group’s role is to monitor the initiative in order to ensure the quality and relevance of the work for the primary target group. The reference group may suggest research questions and data to be included, evaluate the results and help to disseminate them.

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

Project Manager

Sara Illman, Nordic Welfare Centre

The Nordic Welfare Centre is carrying out the project on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Committee of Senior Officials for Health and Social Affairs (EK-S). The project forms part of the Nordic Welfare Centre’s long-term plan for public health and aligns with Objective 2 of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ cooperation programme for social and health policy 2025–2030: the Nordic region shall promote good physical and mental health, well-being and quality of life for all. In particular, the project contributes to achieving sub-objective 2.1: Everyone shall be offered early, preventive, health-promoting, rehabilitative and relevant interventions to reduce health inequalities.