Health Inequality
According to the WHO, health inequalities are defined as differences in health status or in the distribution of health determinants between different population groups. Some health inequalities are attributable to biological variations or free choice, and others arise due to inequalities in society related to the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age – the fundamental drivers that give rise to them, known as “social determinants of health” (Commission on Social Determinants of Health, 2008). Health inequalities are not inevitable and can be significantly reduced. The Marmot Review Fair Society, Healthy Lives (2010) stated that health inequalities are unfair and unjust, and putting them right, through action across all the determinants of health, is a matter of social justice. Tackling health inequalities requires also the engagement of all sectors of government and all segments of society, as recommended in the WHO report Governance for Health Equity (2013).
Health inequality is one of the central concerns of health geographers. The paper Is there a place for geography in the analysis of health inequality? by Sarah Curtis and Ian Rees Jones (1998), concluded that, while individual characteristics are very important for the health inequalities between people, their geographical setting also has significance. This has implications for policies aiming to reduce health inequalities. Action can take place everywhere where it will be effective – in the homes, workplaces and communities where people live their lives. Although knowledge of health inequalities and evidence of the actions, which can be taken to address them is evolving rapidly, it is much dispersed across different academic fields and locations in the world.
The Health Inequality Working Group (WG) aims to be a collaborative platform, providing up-to-date information, evidence and tools and sharing experiences and insights of health geography researchers working in the specific field of health inequalities across the globe. Further, enabling knowledge sharing and international collaboration, this WG intends to work as a catalyst for action and policy change and build evidence base for action. Under this, the WG is determined to point out the importance for authorities (across all decision levels) for developing a greater understanding of the role that geography plays in health inequality.
Health inequality is one of the central concerns of health geographers. The paper Is there a place for geography in the analysis of health inequality? by Sarah Curtis and Ian Rees Jones (1998), concluded that, while individual characteristics are very important for the health inequalities between people, their geographical setting also has significance. This has implications for policies aiming to reduce health inequalities. Action can take place everywhere where it will be effective – in the homes, workplaces and communities where people live their lives. Although knowledge of health inequalities and evidence of the actions, which can be taken to address them is evolving rapidly, it is much dispersed across different academic fields and locations in the world.
The Health Inequality Working Group (WG) aims to be a collaborative platform, providing up-to-date information, evidence and tools and sharing experiences and insights of health geography researchers working in the specific field of health inequalities across the globe. Further, enabling knowledge sharing and international collaboration, this WG intends to work as a catalyst for action and policy change and build evidence base for action. Under this, the WG is determined to point out the importance for authorities (across all decision levels) for developing a greater understanding of the role that geography plays in health inequality.
The WG will be organized in 6 main domains of information:
1 – Evidence on health inequalities
Articles, ecological studies, reports, literature reviews, grey literature reporting health inequalities
2 – Methods, tools and indicators measuring health inequalities
Articles, studies, reports reporting methodologies and tools to measure health inequalities
3 – Policies, actions and interventions with potential to reduce health inequalities
Articles, studies, reports, policy briefs and grey literature identifying policies, actions, interventions, best practices aimed at reducing health inequalities (at all levels: international, national, regional and local)
4 – Projects
Research projects directly or indirectly related to health inequalities
5 – Training and courses
6 – Relevant documents, links and databases
Miscellaneous information, including links to other relevant networks, websites and databases
Each domain will be updated on a regular basis, with specific and relevant information. It is expected to be a collaborative platform with inputs of all researchers working in the field of health inequalities. Thus, all IGU researchers are free to send materials and provide relevant links and other information of interest.
Articles, ecological studies, reports, literature reviews, grey literature reporting health inequalities
2 – Methods, tools and indicators measuring health inequalities
Articles, studies, reports reporting methodologies and tools to measure health inequalities
3 – Policies, actions and interventions with potential to reduce health inequalities
Articles, studies, reports, policy briefs and grey literature identifying policies, actions, interventions, best practices aimed at reducing health inequalities (at all levels: international, national, regional and local)
4 – Projects
Research projects directly or indirectly related to health inequalities
5 – Training and courses
6 – Relevant documents, links and databases
Miscellaneous information, including links to other relevant networks, websites and databases
Each domain will be updated on a regular basis, with specific and relevant information. It is expected to be a collaborative platform with inputs of all researchers working in the field of health inequalities. Thus, all IGU researchers are free to send materials and provide relevant links and other information of interest.