Getting the message across about health inequalities

There must be clearer, more practical messages about health inequalities, a recent conference has heard.

Strong, targeted arguments about what measures can be taken to reduce these inequalities is the most effective way of encouraging action from decision-makers, civil society and the wider general public.

The conference was titled “Reducing Health Inequalities: What do We Really Know about Successful Strategies?” and took place from 8-9 May at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. It was attended by Veronica Scognamiglio, Policy Officer, on behalf of EuroHealthNet.

Effective strategies to reduce health inequalities significantly improve quality of life and economic productivity, the conference heard, and it is these sort of messages that should be delivered along with practical recommendations for action.

“Health inequalities are deeply entrenched in modern societies, are a matter of violation of human rights, undermine the social fabric, and affect economic productivity and growth,” said Professor Klaus Hurrelmann, Professor of Public Health and Education at the Hertie School of Governance.

Dorothee Heinen, Scientific Officer from the German Federal Center for Health Education (BzgA) presented the DETERMINE project as a good example of initiatives on health inequalities at the EU level.

Further conclusions from the event highlighted the need for more powerful economic arguments on the social determinants of health, and the importance of recommending specific action based on the welfare regime of individual states, rather than attempting to find a single solution to the problem of health inequalities.

Martin McKee, Research Director of the WHO European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, called for experts and academics to send clear messages to appeal decision-makers to act.

You can download the conference presentations at the Hertie School of Governance website.