Addressing Social Determinants of Health Inequities: Learning From Doing.

PUBLIC health; SOCIAL medicine; HUMAN services; CENTERS for Disease Control & Prevention (U.S.); MEDICAL research

This article highlights the forum, Addressing the Social Determinants of Health Disparities: Learning From Doing, which was sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in October 2003. Participants shared with academicians, practitioners and community partners what they are learning as they work to address the social determinants of health disparities in their communities. The efforts described at this forum represented a range of intervention activities. Discussions at the forum focused on why communities chose to address certain disparities over others, their approaches, key challenges they face , and strategies they are devising to help them meet these challenges. In all areas of public health, a problem must be clearly defined before potential solutions can be considered. A distinction must be made between addressing health disparities and addressing health inequities. Participants at the CDC forum noted that public health needs to frame the issue in such a way that these inequities are addressed. Explicitly striving for health equity--defined as the absence of avoidable and unfair differences in the determinants and manifestations of good health and longevity between the most vulnerable groups and groups that are well off--is critically important if the public health field is to achieve its goals.