Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jun;6(6):e005292.
doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005292.

Defining global health: findings from a systematic review and thematic analysis of the literature

Melissa Salm  1 , Mahima Ali  2 , Mairead Minihane  2 , Patricia Conrad  3
Affiliations

Defining global health: findings from a systematic review and thematic analysis of the literature

Melissa Salm et al. BMJ Glob Health. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Introduction: Debate around a common definition of global health has seen extensive scholarly interest within the last two decades; however, consensus around a precise definition remains elusive. The objective of this study was to systematically review definitions of global health in the literature and offer grounded theoretical insights into what might be seen as relevant for establishing a common definition of global health.

Method: A systematic review was conducted with qualitative synthesis of findings using peer-reviewed literature from key databases. Publications were identified by the keywords of 'global health' and 'define' or 'definition' or 'defining'. Coding methods were used for qualitative analysis to identify recurring themes in definitions of global health published between 2009 and 2019.

Results: The search resulted in 1363 publications, of which 78 were included. Qualitative analysis of the data generated four theoretical categories and associated subthemes delineating key aspects of global health. These included: (1) global health is a multiplex approach to worldwide health improvement taught and pursued at research institutions; (2) global health is an ethically oriented initiative that is guided by justice principles; (3) global health is a mode of governance that yields influence through problem identification, political decision-making, as well as the allocation and exchange of resources across borders and (4) global health is a vague yet versatile concept with multiple meanings, historical antecedents and an emergent future.

Conclusion: Extant definitions of global health can be categorised thematically to designate areas of importance for stakeholders and to organise future debates on its definition. Future contributions to this debate may consider shifting from questioning the abstract 'what' of global health towards more pragmatic and reflexive questions about 'who' defines global health and towards what ends.

Keywords: health education and promotion; health policy; public health; qualitative study; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram of citation analysis and systematic literature review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Koplan JP, Bond TC, Merson MH, et al. Towards a common definition of global health. Lancet 2009;373:1993–5. 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60332-9 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Macfarlane SB, Jacobs M, Kaaya EE. In the name of global health: trends in academic institutions. J Public Health Policy 2008;29:383–401. 10.1057/jphp.2008.25 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kickbusch I. The need for a European strategy on global health. Scand J Public Health 2006;34:561–5. 10.1080/14034940600973059 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lee K. Globalization and health: an introduction. Springer, 2003. Dec 9.
    1. Jain SC. Global health: emerging frontier of international health. Asia Pac J Public Health 1991;5:112–4. 10.1177/101053959100500202 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types