We introduce the concept of forcing factors, analogous to risk factors for population-wide health outcomes, that are attributes of the physical, social, legal, economic, or cultural environment that are common to all people in an identified population and that promote or inhibit particular outcomes of health, wellness, and well-being. Examples include laws governing food or tobacco marketing, the built environment, and climate change. Culture also functions as a forcing factor of health outcomes. In contrast to past explanations of adverse health outcomes that have relied on cultural attributes of a specific sub-population, we draw on work of John McKinlay to make the point that it is the shared culture of a country or a region that influences health outcomes. Culture itself operates in a particular cultural context.
