Developing values, evidence and advocacy to address the social determinants of health

Abstract

The long-awaited Report of the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health was released on 28 August, setting out directions for tackling the inequalities in health that have been widely documented within and between countries. The report, titled Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health, is a lucid and passionate document. It lays out an agenda for action across a dozen areas, ranging from conditions of living during early years, through to the quality of the natural and built environment, working conditions, market responsibility, gender equity and political empowerment.