The Commercial Determinants of Health

Abstract Until recently, the commercial determinants have remained largely absent from conceptual frameworks of the social determinants of health, despite their clear importance to health and well-being. This is especially challenging because even a single large industry sector can have a profound, intersectional impact on sociocultural and physical environments. Such a sector can affect everything from the consumption patterns of a particular product and the health and social problems caused by those patterns of consumption to the social norms surrounding when and how much of it people use, the tax and regulatory frameworks surrounding it, the science regarding its harms and benefits, how policymakers view the problem and its causes, and the framing of possible solutions. The commercial determinants of health are emerging as a field of study in their own right; however, currently, there is no book that seeks to synthesize current definitions, frameworks, and empirical research into a coherent research and translational entity and to help the field make the leap to its next level. This book aims to fill that gap by making the case for why commercial determinants of health matter and discussing what is known about them, examples of the ways in which they affect population health, and ways to research and influence them as the field continues to grow and evolve.