EU states lacking data on health inequalities and determinants

There are large gaps in the data and capacity available to monitor health inequalities between and within EU countries, according to a report by EuroHealthNet.

Many national governments are failing to regularly assess the extent of health inequalities, and there is no set of common indicators agreed in the EU over how this should be done.

EuroHealthNet has found that many Member States are lacking sufficient sensitive data with which to develop integrated policies and actions to tackle the increasing problem of unfair health differences in Europe.

A common set of indicators, standard definitions and methodologies to collect, process and analyse data are all needed due to the complex nature of these differences, which are influenced by numerous factors beyond the health sector.

For this to happen, there must be a more coordinated approach adopted at EU level, EuroHealthNet says.

EU action should support member states with the collection of data going beyond the general population, linking health data to socio-economic markers such as level of education, income, occupation.

In addition, the systematic gathering of evidence would strengthen the  knowledge about the impact of social, economic and other policies on the gradient in health across the population.

Both the WHO and the European Commission have acknowledged the importance of improving the existing data and of reaching agreement about how best to monitor the extent of the problem.

EuroHealthNet welcomes the efforts of the Spanish presidency of the EU to make this issue their key health theme, to be debated at an expert conference in April 2010.

The Eurohealthnet report is available here.

How should the EU proceed in order to carry this out in the most effective way? We welcome your comments.