Definition and guiding principles of global health: Health for all, by all, in all

Introduction: Frequency of use of the term global health has surpassed the use of international health, yet some proposed definitions do not clearly delineate the differences between these terms. Institutions and initiatives use the term in different ways, and so-called global health policies cover different and ill-defined scopes. Methods: To examine the frequency of use of terms over time the Ngram viewer data tool was used to query the frequency of “international health” and “global health” in published French, English, and Spanish literature. Current international policies were examined and summarized to capture the broader socio-political context that may be associated with this change. Results/ Conclusions: The etymology of the term “global,” the influence of globalization on the health of populations worldwide, and the internationally agreed upon objective of highest attainable state of health by all peoples in the original constitutional objective of WHO, reveal common themes. These themes link with three guiding principles for global health: health for all (for all people worldwide), health by all (by a representative range of stakeholders and actors), and health in all (multi-sectorial efforts to increase health). These principles should be considered as potential unifying foundations to direct collective global health action through policy. While actors involved in global health work may focus on specific approaches or issues related to their capacities, added values, or interests, collective action should aim to bring these guiding principles in balance towards the shared objective of attaining the highest possible level of health for all peoples.