What is the primary aim of the Ottawa Charter?

• A. An approach developed by the WHO that aims to reduce inequalities in health.
• B. A plan to increase hospital beds.
• C. A program for pharmaceutical development.
• D. A strategy to standardize clinical guidelines.

Answer: (A)

Health promotion is about enabling people to gain control over their health and improve it, by addressing the social and environmental factors that shape well-being. The Ottawa Charter, a WHO framework, puts this into practice with the aim of reducing health inequities and achieving health for all through actions like developing personal skills, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, reorienting health services, and building healthy public policy. The option that best fits this is the one describing a WHO-led approach focused on reducing health inequalities; the others describe hospital capacity, drug development, or standardizing guidelines—areas not aligned with the Ottawa Charter’s health promotion focus.