ABSTRACT
The health of people is determined by four sets of factors. The influential Lalonde Report (1974) uses the concept of ‘health field’ composed of the four domains of biology (including genetic factors), medical services, life style, and environment (Davies and Kelly, 1993, pp. 128-29). Environment consists of a number of dimensions. It goes without saying that a bad physi cal environment - for example, dilapidated houses or a lack of sanitary facilities - affects health. However, the role of environmental factors in the economic, social, cultural, and political realms is often overlooked or under estimated. Nevertheless, few would be surprised to hear that different political parties have different views on health matters, that rich or middleclass people have a greater range of possibilities for leading a healthy lifestyle compared to poor people, and that some religions stress the importance of hygiene and purity more than others.
