Kumanan Rasanathan and colleagues argue that the potential of multisectoral collaboration for improving health remains untapped in many low- and middle-income countries.
Our results are consistent with a causal association between changing economic inequalities and changing health inequalities between ethnic groups. However, causality cannot be established from a historical analysis alone. Three lessons nevertheless emerge from the New Zealand experience: the lag between changes in ethnic social inequality and ethnic health inequality may be short (<5 years); both changes in the distribution of the social determinants of health and an appropriate health system response may be required to address ethnic health inequalities; and timely monitoring of ethnic health inequalities, based on high-quality ethnicity data, may help to sustain political commitment to pro-equity health and social policies.
Increasing focus on health inequities has brought renewed attention to two related policy discourses - primary health care and the social determinants of health. Both prioritise health equity and also promote a broad view of health, multisectoral action and the participation of empowered communities. Differences arise in the lens each applies to the health sector, with resultant tensions around their mutual ability to reform health systems and address the social determinants. However, pitting them against each is unproductive. Health services that do not consciously address social determinants exacerbate health inequities. If a revitalised primary health care is to be the key approach to organise society to minimise health inequities, action on social determinants has to be a major constituent strategy. Success in reducing health inequities will require ensuring that the broad focus of primary health care and the social determinants is kept foremost in policy - instead of the common historical experience of efforts being limited to a part of the health sector.
The five-target '25 × 25' strategy for tackling the emerging global epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) focuses on four diseases (CVD, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease), four risk factors (tobacco, diet and physical activity, dietary salt, and alcohol), and one cardiovascular preventive drug treatment. The goal is to decrease mortality from NCDs by 25 per cent by the year 2025. The 'standard approach' to the '25 × 25' strategy has the benefit of simplicity, but also has major weaknesses. These include lack of recognition of: (i) the fundamental drivers of the NCD epidemic; (ii) the 'missing NCDs', which are major causes of morbidity; (iii) the 'missing causes' and the 'causes of the causes'; and (iv) the role of health care and the need for integration of interventions.
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