Perspectives and challenges of health promotion in Latin America.

The global health promotion movement has been institutionalized for 35 years (1986-2001) since the First International Conference on Health Promotion in Ottawa, Canada. This essay establishes how the health promotion perspective has reshaped the nature, scope and perspectives of health, highlighting the urgency of approaching health from a more political and social vision. Health promotion should now deserve greater recognition by governmental, institutional, private and community authorities. Governments must politically reposition it as a proposal for social and human development. In tandem, higher education institutions should continue to exercise academic-professional leadership to promote training, research and social community linkages in the field of health promotion. Enhancing sustained efforts of regional health promotion networks and maintaining a healthy environments approach are the pillars to promoting participation along with political, social and community mobilization for health, equity and sustainable development.