Abstract
Health inequities, or avoidable inequalities in health between groups of people, are increasingly recognized and tackled to improve public health. Canada's interest in health inequities goes back over 40 years, with the landmark 1974 Lalonde report, and continues with the 2011 Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health, which affirmed a global political commitment to implementing a social determinants of health approach to reducing health inequities. Research in this area includes documenting and tracking health inequalities, exploring their multidimensional causes, and developing and evaluating ways to address them. Inequalities can be observed in who is vulnerable to infectious and chronic diseases, the impact of health promotion and disease prevention efforts, how disease progresses, and the outcomes of treatment. Many programs, policies and projects with potential impacts on health equity and determinants of health have been implemented across Canada. Recent theoretical and methodological advances in the areas of implementation science and population health intervention research have strengthened our capacity to develop effective interventions. With the launch of a new health equity series this month, the journals Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR) and Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice (HPCDP Journal) will continue to reflect and foster analysis of social determinants of health and focus on intervention studies that advance health equity.
Highlights
Key Milestones AffiliationsThe World Health Organization (WHO) defines health in inequity as “avoidable inequalities in health between groups of people within and between countries” [1]
Population health intervention research (PHIR) is similar to implementation science in that it focuses on policies and programs that have the potential to improve health equity and health at the population level [19]
Participants in recent consultative meetings organized by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research of the WHO, the United States Agency for International Development and the World Bank Group noted that implementation science should promote a culture of evidence
Summary
Key Milestones AffiliationsThe World Health Organization (WHO) defines health in inequity as “avoidable inequalities in health between groups of people within and between countries” [1]. The objective of this introductory commentary is to review some key milestones in domestic and global health equity work, highlight recent advances and recommended actions in Canada, and assert that new evidence on inequalities and interventions can create promising opportunities for collaborative action across sectors to address health equity and improve health.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
