Social determinants

Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age. These conditions influence a person’s opportunity to be healthy, his/her risk of illness and life expectancy. Social inequities in health – the unfair and avoidable differences in health status across groups in society – are those that result from the uneven distribution of social determinants.

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Top story

World Health Day: Putting equity at the heart of COVID-19 recovery

COVID-19 has affected us all, but some have fared worse than others simply because of the insecurity of their living conditions and livelihoods. This World Health Day, WHO is calling on leaders to put inclusiveness and equity at the heart of all recovery responses to create a fairer, healthier world.

HESRi

The WHO European Health Equity Status Report initiative

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Activities

WHO/Europe aims to provide an evidence-based, systematic and accountable approach to the full integration of the social and economic determinants of health into the development strategies of countries in the WHO European Region.

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In countries

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