Commercial determinants of health
Public Health and Policy
Definition. Commercial determinants of health are the strategies and approaches used by the private sector to promote products and choices that affect health.
Explanation
Kickbusch and colleagues defined the concept around unhealthy commodities such as tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed food (Kickbusch et al., 2016). Health geographers propose an agenda for studying how commercial forces shape places and health (Pearce & Shortt, 2026).
Related concepts
Social determinants of health Health promotion Health geography Global health
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References
Kickbusch, I., Allen, L., & Franz, C. (2016). The commercial determinants of health. The Lancet Global Health, 4(12), e895–e896. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(16)30217-0
Pearce, J., & Shortt, N. K. (2026). Commercial determinants of health: An agenda for global health geography. Progress in Human Geography, 50(4), 460-477. https://doi.org/10.1177/03091325251405450 Pérez, S., Laperrière, V.,
Cite this entry: Kurutkan, M. N. (2026). Commercial determinants of health. In The Health Topics glossary. https://healthtopic.org/glossary/commercial-determinants-of-health/