Friday, July 24, 2009

[EQ] Voices from other fields - non-health policy makers and politicians across Europe on tackling the socio economic determinants of health inequalities

Voices from other fields

DETERMINE is an EU Consortium for Action on the Socio-economic Determinants of Health (SDH). 2009

An account of 40 consultations with non-health policy makers and politicians across Europe on tackling the socio economic determinants of health inequalities.

 

Available online at: http://www.health-inequalities.eu/pdf.php?id=f40efb2b87649ac8c6b7e25abbf1215b

 

This working document presents the results of consultations that DETERMINE partners undertook with policy makers from other fields, to assess their awareness of SDH and health inequalities, their readiness and capacity to take action on these issues, and the information and support tools they require. The outcomes of this document contribute to DETERMINE’s awareness raising and capacity building activities.

 

 

Table of Contents

Summary

Existing capacity and readiness for intersectoral cooperation

Understanding socio-economic determinants of health inequalities

Challenges

1. Introduction

2. Methodology

3. Respondents’ existing experience of intersectoral Cooperation

4. Respondents’ awareness of health equity and health Inequalities

The perceived importance of tackling health inequalities

Understanding the socio-economic determinants of health inequalities

5. Opportunities and barriers to address the socio-economic determinants of health inequalities

Obstacles to successful cooperation on health inequalities

6. Necessary factors to facilitate integrated policies on the socioeconomic determinants of health inequalities

Table 1: Information requirements

Table 2: Institutional support tools

Box 1: Health Impact Assessment

Take away messages for the health sector: how to successfully coordinate integrated policies

7. Conclusions

Appendix 1: The semi-structured questionnaire that guided these consultations

Policy-Maker Consultation Guide

Select bibliography

 


For more information on DETERMINE see: www.health-inequalities.eu

 

 

 *      *     *

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMS Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

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[EQ] Policies and actions addressing the social determinants of health inequalities

Policies and actions addressing the social determinants of health inequalities:
Examples of activity at EU and member state level in Europe

 

DETERMINE is an EU Consortium for Action on the Socio-economic Determinants of Health (SDH). 2009

Available online at: http://www.health-inequalities.eu/pdf.php?id=3d14434d4f7ba34b262eab73cdfe0a50

 

“…..The first working document is based on an analysis of 16 questionnaires in 10 policy fields, and identifies and explores actions being taken at the regional, national and EU level on the SDH which contribute to reducing health inequalities. The results reflect that although there is no systematic way to address the SDH to reduce health inequalities, many different measures are being taken in other policy areas that can contribute to this goal. The report points to different kinds of mechanisms, such as inter-sectoral committees and impact assessments that facilitate inter-sectoral work

 

“….The aim of this analysis was to get a better insight into EU governments’ experiences with cross-sectoral collaboration to address the social determinants of health inequalities, in order to build on these experiences.

 

The outcomes point to a wide range of action on the social determinants of health across Europe. Some of the factors which appear likely to contribute to action include:

• Where addressing SDHI is a stated government priority e.g. in the case of Scotland.

• Where there is a cross departmental strategy to address SDHI e.g. the Investing for Health strategy in Northern Ireland.

• Where there is reference to SDHI in policy documents – many examples are available.

• Where there are cross-government mechanisms in place which support the establishment and maintenance of partnerships
  – e.g. Social Partnership Agreement in the Republic of Ireland.

• Where there are policy tools in place to facilitate action, such as IA and evaluation.

• Where there is evidence available which demonstrates clear links between health and social inequalities – e.g. Netherlands, UK, Scandinavia

• Where there is leadership at both EU and national level – e.g. Finland and UK in EU presidency….”

Table of Contents


Introduction

Clarification of terms

Building on the existing knowledge base

Task 1 outline

Overview of findings


Section one: Policy

Health Inequalities Strategies

Health Strategies referring to SDHI

Addressing SDHI in education strategies

Addressing SDHI in employment strategies

Addressing SDHI in economic strategies

Addressing SDHI in environment strategies

Addressing SDHI in urban and regional planning

Addressing SDHI in neighbourhood renewal and housing policy

Social Inclusion strategies


Section two: Structures

Ministerial and Cabinet Groups

Offices and Committees located within or driven by health ministries

Offices and Committees located within or driven by non-health ministries

Consultation and collaboration in developing policy

Tools and methodologies

Section three: EU level

EU Health Strategy and Public Health Programmes

Tools and Mechanisms

Internal Market

Conclusion

Appendix 1: Work Package Partners

Appendix 2: Abbreviated questionnaire

Appendix 3: Other policies

For more information on DETERMINE see: www.health-inequalities.eu



 

 *      *     *

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMS Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

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PAHO/WHO Website


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    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.  

[EQ] Experiences with Primary Health Care in Canada

Experiences with Primary Health Care in Canada

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) -  July 2009

Available online at:
http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=PG_2250_E&cw_topic=2250&cw_rel=AR_2991_E

 

Every day a large number of Canadians receive primary health care (PHC) services. PHC is usually the first place people go when they have health concerns, often to a general practitioner (GP) or family physician (FP). PHC typically includes routine care, care for urgent but minor or common health problems, mental health care, maternity and child care, psychosocial services, liaison with home care, health promotion and disease prevention, nutrition counseling and end-of-life care. PHC is also an important source of chronic disease prevention and management and may include other health professionals such as nurses, nurse practitioners, dietitians, physiotherapists and social workers.

 

“……Access to a Regular Source of Primary Health Care

Access to a regular source of care is an important aspect of PHC. Canadians identify the following features of primary care as important: access, comprehensiveness, continuity, coordination, interpersonal communication, patient-centred care, technical quality, outcomes and satisfaction. As just one of many examples, continuity of care has been shown to be associated with patient experiences (such as patient satisfaction)….”

 

Additional Resources


Primary Health Care (PHC) Indicators Chartbook: An Illustrative Example of Using PHC Data for Indicator Reporting

http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=AR_2490_E&cw_topic=2490


Pan-Canadian Primary Health Care Indicator Development Project

http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=GR_1489_E


Primary Health Care Information

http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=indicators_phc_e


Health Indicators

http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=indicators_e


Reducing Gaps in Health: A Focus on Socio-Economic Status in Urban Canada

http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=PG_1690_E&cw_topic=1690&cw_rel=AR_2509_E

 

 

 *      *     *

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMS Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAHO/WHO Website


Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/eqpaho

 

Equity List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html

 

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.  

[EQ] Are Americans Feeling Less Healthy? The Puzzle of Trends in Self-rated Health.

Are Americans Feeling Less Healthy?
The Puzzle of Trends in Self-rated Health
.

Salomon JA, Nordhagen S, Oza S, Murray CJL
Am J Epidemiol 2009;170:343-351 (doi:10.1093/aje/kwp144)

American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access originally published online on June 29, 2009



Open Access: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/170/3/343?etoc

“…….Although self-rated health is proposed for use in public health monitoring, previous reports on US levels and trends in self-rated health have shown ambiguous results. This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of responses to a common self-rated health question in 4 national surveys from 1971 to 2007: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, National Health Interview Survey, and Current Population Survey.

 

In addition to variation in the levels of self-rated health across surveys, striking discrepancies in time trends were observed. Whereas data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System demonstrate that Americans were increasingly likely to report "fair" or "poor" health over the last decade, those from the Current Population Survey indicate the opposite trend. Subgroup analyses revealed that the greatest inconsistencies were among young respondents, Hispanics, and those without a high school education. Trends in "fair" or "poor" ratings were more inconsistent than trends in "excellent" ratings.

 

The observed discrepancies elude simple explanations but suggest that self-rated health may be unsuitable for monitoring changes in population health over time. Analyses of socioeconomic disparities that use self-rated health may be particularly vulnerable to comparability problems, as inconsistencies are most pronounced among the lowest education group. More work is urgently needed on robust and comparable approaches to tracking population health….”

 

 

 *      *     *

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMS Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAHO/WHO Website


Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/eqpaho

 

Equity List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html

 

 

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.