An updated definition of global health

The most cited definition of global health, published in The Lancet in 2009, defines global health as “an area for study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide”. In this article, we propose an updated definition that expresses the motivations of diverse global health actors and makes One Health and sustainability more visible: “Global health is a field of academic study, research, policy, and applied practice that advances the equitable protection and improvement of population and planetary health”. Our “5 Ps model” illustrates global health as a grid that places health for all at the center of two axes representing four domains: (1) People, (2) Planet, (3) Priorities, and (4) Policies and Practices. The people–planet axis spans from social, economic, political, and other systems that affect human health to complex worldwide challenges such as those related to globalization, migration, pandemics, and climate change. The priorities–policies/practices axis positions global health as an action-oriented field in which factors such as human rights, international law, the global burden of disease, and evidence of economic impact inform the financing, implementation, and evaluation of multisectoral partnerships and interventions. We propose using this updated definition and the 5 Ps framework to modernize discussions of the scope and purpose of global health.