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14 - Health Inequalities and Public Health Practice

from Part 2 - Contexts for Public Health Practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2023

By
Anne Swift
Edited by
Kirsteen Watson ,
Jan Yates  and
Stephen Gillam
Kirsteen Watson
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Jan Yates
Affiliation:
NHS England and NHS Improvement
Stephen Gillam
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

That differences in health outcomes exist between groups is unsurprising and, in some cases, seems subject to ‘natural law’. Such ‘common sense’, arguably unavoidable differences are termed ‘health disparities’ – a term usually understood to be value-neutral. By contrast, more complex differences in health outcomes which seem to derive from differences in opportunities or systemic bias are deemed ‘unfair’ and are referred to as ‘health inequalities’ or ‘health inequities’.

This chapter delves further into how we describe health inequalities and different measures and data that illustrate these differences. Causes and mechanisms of inequality are explored, followed by examples of inequality across groups with certain population characteristics, including ethnicity; gender, sexual orientation and gender identity; disability; and socially excluded groups. Finally, approaches and strategies for reducing health inequalities are presented, with potential actions described at the micro-, meso- and macro-levels.

Keywords

Health inequalitiesjusticeinequitydeprivationsocioeconomicethnic minoritygendersexual orientationdisabilitylife expectancymortalitymorbiditystructuralpolicypowerinclusionadvocacy
Type
Chapter
Information
Essential Public Health
Theory and Practice
 , pp. 265 - 289
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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