Health & Democracy: Democratizing Community Health Assessments

This article explores the connection between health and democracy, positing that public health is rooted in political decisions and that improving health outcomes and advancing health equity requires strengthening inclusive, representative democracy. It describes the relationship between civic health, civic and voter participation, power, and health outcomes, and demonstrates that communities with higher rates of civic and voter participation are linked to better population health outcomes. The authors assert that public health practitioners have the opportunity and the responsibility to improve health by democratizing their practice and supporting policies and approaches which strengthen civic health and promote civic and voter participation. The authors also provide detailed stories from two health agencies - Wisconsin and Minnesota - illustrating these efforts in action and offer several strategies for how practitioners can incorporate this work into their scope of practice.