Challenging Inequities in Health

Challenging Inequities in Health PDF Author: Timothy Evans
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019513740X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 365

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Book Description
This text provides a unique view of global inequities in health status and health sytems. Emphasizing socioeconomic conditions, it combines chapters on conceptual and measurement issues with case studies from around the world.

Challenging Inequities in Health

Challenging Inequities in Health PDF Author: Timothy Evans
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019513740X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 365

Get Book Here

Book Description
This text provides a unique view of global inequities in health status and health sytems. Emphasizing socioeconomic conditions, it combines chapters on conceptual and measurement issues with case studies from around the world.

Communities in Action

Communities in Action PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309452961
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 583

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Book Description
In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

The Health Gap

The Health Gap PDF Author: Michael Marmot
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1408857987
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
'Punchily written ... He leaves the reader with a sense of the gross injustice of a world where health outcomes are so unevenly distributed' Times Literary Supplement 'Splendid and necessary' Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm, New Statesman There are dramatic differences in health between countries and within countries. But this is not a simple matter of rich and poor. A poor man in Glasgow is rich compared to the average Indian, but the Glaswegian's life expectancy is 8 years shorter. The Indian is dying of infectious disease linked to his poverty; the Glaswegian of violent death, suicide, heart disease linked to a rich country's version of disadvantage. In all countries, people at relative social disadvantage suffer health disadvantage, dramatically so. Within countries, the higher the social status of individuals the better is their health. These health inequalities defy usual explanations. Conventional approaches to improving health have emphasised access to technical solutions – improved medical care, sanitation, and control of disease vectors; or behaviours – smoking, drinking – obesity, linked to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. These approaches only go so far. Creating the conditions for people to lead flourishing lives, and thus empowering individuals and communities, is key to reduction of health inequalities. In addition to the scale of material success, your position in the social hierarchy also directly affects your health, the higher you are on the social scale, the longer you will live and the better your health will be. As people change rank, so their health risk changes. What makes these health inequalities unjust is that evidence from round the world shows we know what to do to make them smaller. This new evidence is compelling. It has the potential to change radically the way we think about health, and indeed society.

Challenging Inequities in Health

Challenging Inequities in Health PDF Author: Timothy Evans
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199747911
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 365

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Book Description
There is a growing sense that the "health gap" between socioeconomic groups is getting worse in many countries. To address this gap, conceptual clarity and empirical evidence are needed along with a greater focus on equity in policy-making. This book is designed to present cutting-edge research and policy analysis to a wide non-specialist readership of students, professionals and policy-makers. It brings together in one volume new perspectives on the conceptual foundations of health equity, empirical evidence on the scale and nature of he inequities in health in twelve countries around the world, and assessments of the associated policy developments and their implications for the future. It aims to help build global capacity to measure, monitor and interpret developments in health equity at a national and international level. The in-depth country analyses draw on epidemiology, demography, economics and other fields to approach health inequalities from several different angles. The topics covered range from adolescent livelihoods in Tanzania to the health burden of indigenous peoples in Mexico, from health equity in Japan to the gender gap in life expectancy in Russia. The book is a unique demonstration of global cooperation in bringing together and giving equal weight to work on health equity carried out in the southern and northern hemispheres.

Health Disparities in the United States

Health Disparities in the United States PDF Author: Donald A. Barr
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN: 1421432587
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 377

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Book Description
Challenging students to think critically about the complex web of social forces that leads to health disparities in the United States. The health care system in the United States has been called the best in the world. Yet wide disparities persist between social groups, and many Americans suffer from poorer health than people in other developed countries. In this revised edition of Health Disparities in the United States, Donald A. Barr provides extensive new data about the ways low socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity interact to create and perpetuate these health disparities. Examining the significance of this gulf for the medical community and society at large, Barr offers potential policy- and physician-based solutions for reducing health inequity in the long term. This thoroughly updated edition focuses on a new challenge the United States last experienced more than half a century ago: successive years of declining life expectancy. Barr addresses the causes of this decline, including what are commonly referred to as "deaths of despair"—from opiate overdose or suicide. Exploring the growing role geography plays in health disparities, Barr asks why people living in rural areas suffer the greatest increases in these deaths. He also analyzes recent changes under the Affordable Care Act and considers the literature on how race and ethnicity affect the way health care providers evaluate and treat patients. As both a physician and a sociologist, Barr is uniquely positioned to offer rigorous medical explanations alongside sociological analysis. An essential text for courses in public health, health policy, and sociology, this compelling book is a vital teaching tool and a comprehensive reference for social science and medical professionals.

A Nationwide Framework for Surveillance of Cardiovascular and Chronic Lung Diseases

A Nationwide Framework for Surveillance of Cardiovascular and Chronic Lung Diseases PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309212197
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Chronic diseases are common and costly, yet they are also among the most preventable health problems. Comprehensive and accurate disease surveillance systems are needed to implement successful efforts which will reduce the burden of chronic diseases on the U.S. population. A number of sources of surveillance data-including population surveys, cohort studies, disease registries, administrative health data, and vital statistics-contribute critical information about chronic disease. But no central surveillance system provides the information needed to analyze how chronic disease impacts the U.S. population, to identify public health priorities, or to track the progress of preventive efforts. A Nationwide Framework for Surveillance of Cardiovascular and Chronic Lung Diseases outlines a conceptual framework for building a national chronic disease surveillance system focused primarily on cardiovascular and chronic lung diseases. This system should be capable of providing data on disparities in incidence and prevalence of the diseases by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographic region, along with data on disease risk factors, clinical care delivery, and functional health outcomes. This coordinated surveillance system is needed to integrate and expand existing information across the multiple levels of decision making in order to generate actionable, timely knowledge for a range of stakeholders at the local, state or regional, and national levels. The recommendations presented in A Nationwide Framework for Surveillance of Cardiovascular and Chronic Lung Diseases focus on data collection, resource allocation, monitoring activities, and implementation. The report also recommends that systems evolve along with new knowledge about emerging risk factors, advancing technologies, and new understanding of the basis for disease. This report will inform decision-making among federal health agencies, especially the Department of Health and Human Services; public health and clinical practitioners; non-governmental organizations; and policy makers, among others.

Reducing Inequalities in Health

Reducing Inequalities in Health PDF Author: J. P. Mackenbach
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415259842
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
With contributions from leading researchers in 14 different European countries, this volume provides a comprehensive source of reference for the reader interested in what really works in the field of health promotion.

The Political Determinants of Health

The Political Determinants of Health PDF Author: Daniel E. Dawes
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN: 1421437899
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
How do policy and politics influence the social conditions that generate health outcomes? Reduced life expectancy, worsening health outcomes, health inequity, and declining health care options—these are now realities for most Americans. However, in a country of more than 325 million people, addressing everyone's issues is challenging. How can we effect beneficial change for everyone so we all can thrive? What is the great equalizer? In this book, Daniel E. Dawes argues that political determinants of health create the social drivers—including poor environmental conditions, inadequate transportation, unsafe neighborhoods, and lack of healthy food options—that affect all other dynamics of health. By understanding these determinants, their origins, and their impact on the equitable distribution of opportunities and resources, we will be better equipped to develop and implement actionable solutions to close the health gap. Dawes draws on his firsthand experience helping to shape major federal policies, including the Affordable Care Act, to describe the history of efforts to address the political determinants that have resulted in health inequities. Taking us further upstream to the underlying source of the causes of inequities, Dawes examines the political decisions that lead to our social conditions, makes the social determinants of health more accessible, and provides a playbook for how we can address them effectively. A thought-provoking and evocative account that considers both the policies we think of as "health policy" and those that we don't, The Political Determinants of Health provides a novel, multidisciplinary framework for addressing the systemic barriers preventing the United States from becoming the healthiest nation in the world.

Working for a healthier tomorrow

Working for a healthier tomorrow PDF Author: Carol M. Black
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780117025134
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Around 175 million working days were lost to illness in 2006. Some 7 per cent of the working population is workless and receiving benefits because of long-term health conditions or disabilities. This represents a significant cost to the economy - in cost of benefits, healthcare, forgone taxes, lost production, sickness absence, informal care - estimated at between £103 and £129 billion. The review's vision for health and work in Britain is based on three principal objectives: prevention of illness and promotion of health and well-being; early intervention for those who develop a health condition; an improvement in the health of those out of work. The review establishes the first baseline for the health of the working population. It then examines the role of the workplace in health and well-being. Work is good for both physical and mental health (Waddell & Burton, 2006, "Is work good for your health and well-being?" TSO, ISBN 9780117036949). Employers, trade unions, employees, safety and health practitioners should all promote the benefits of investment in health and well-being. The review calls of a fundamental shift in the perception of fitness for work, to move away from it being inappropriate to be at work if not 100 per cent fit. Early intervention can prevent short-tem sickness becoming more serious, and pilot trials of a new Fit for Work service are proposed. More health support for workless people on incapacity benefits is recommended. Professional expertise for working age health is needed, and occupational health should be in the mainstream of healthcare provision. To safeguard the future health of the working population, young people should understand the benefits of a life in work. The review closes with proposals for taking the agenda forward.

Challenges and Successes in Reducing Health Disparities

Challenges and Successes in Reducing Health Disparities PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030918570X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
In early 2007, the Institute of Medicine convened the Roundtable on Health Disparities to increase the visibility of racial and ethnic health disparities as a national problem, to further the development of programs and strategies to reduce disparities, to foster the emergence of leadership on this issue, and to track promising activities and developments in health care that could lead to dramatically reducing or eliminating disparities. The Roundtable's first workshop, Challenges and Successes in Reducing Health Disparities, was held in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 31, 2007, and examined (1) the importance of differences in life expectancy within the United States, (2) the reasons for those differences, and (3) the implications of this information for programs and policy makers.