"Case Studies on Social Determinants of Health"

The World Conference on Social Determinants of Health will bring together Member States and stakeholders to share experiences on policies and strategies aiming to reduce health inequities. The event will provide a global platform for dialogue on how the recommendations of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2008) could be taken forward.

Case studies on social determinants of health

The following case studies were commissioned by WHO Regional Offices for the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health. The case studies present successful examples of policy action aiming to reduce health inequities, covering a wide range of issues, including conditional cash transfers, gender-based violence, tuberculosis programmes and maternal and child health.
The case studies were written by individual experts and are being circulated as draft background papers to inform discussions at the conference. They represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or decisions of WHO or the governments of the countries where the case studies are set.

• Brazil
  pdf, 978kb
  The Brazilian experience with conditional cash transfers: a successful way to reduce inequity and to improve health
• United States of America
  pdf, 1.05Mb
  How can we get the 'social determinants of health' message on the public policy and public health agenda?
• Solomon Islands
  pdf, 836kb
  Gender-based violence in Solomon Islands: Translating research into action on the social determinants of health
• Republic of Kiribati
  pdf, 831kb
  Measuring and responding to gender-based violence in the Pacific: Action on gender inequality as a social determinant of health
• Viet Nam
  pdf, 937kb
  Gender-based violence in Viet Nam: Strengthening the response by measuring and acting on social determinants of health
• Australia
  pdf, 1.23Mb
  Health in All Policies: South Australia's country case study on action on the social determinants of health
• WHO Western Pacific region
  pdf, 891kb
  Addressing social determinants of health through tuberculosis control programmes in Western Pacific Region
• Malaysia
  pdf, 1.47Mb
  Health in All Policies: The Primary Health Care Approach in Malaysia. 50 years experience in addressing social determinants of health through Intersectoral Action for Health
• India
  pdf, 888kb
  India's country experience in addressing social exclusion in maternal and child health
• India
  pdf, 771kb
  Effective social determinants of health approach in India through community mobilization
• Thailand
  pdf, 915kb
  Health systems, public health programmes and social determinants of health
• Egypt
  pdf, 819kb
  Social participation in Egypt: Civil society's former experience and new opportunities
• Morocco
  pdf, 761kb
  Social determinants and health equity in Morocco
• United States of America
  pdf, 764kb
  A national partnership for action to end health disparities in the United States of America
• Australia
  pdf, 732kb
  Supporting public policy and action on the social determinants of health by providing evidence through the Social Health Atlases of Australia
• Cambodia
  pdf, 776kb
  Gender as a social determinant of health: Gender analysis of the health sector in Cambodia
• WHO Western Pacific region
  pdf, 1.11Mb
  Gender mainstreaming in emerging disease surveillance and response
• Iran
  pdf, 845kb
  School Pupil Policy Officer (Hamyare Police) - A national initiative based on social participation to improve road safety
• Jordan
  pdf, 666kb
  National commitment to action on social determinants of health in Jordan: Addressing obesity
• Namibia
  pdf, 2.46Mb
  Report on country experience: A multi-sectoral response to combat the polio outbreak in Namibia
• Rwanda
  pdf, 1.75Mb
  Community performance-based financing in health: Incentivizing mothers and community health workers to improve maternal health outcomes in Rwanda
• Uganda
  pdf, 718kb
  Social determinants of health: Food fortification to reduce micronutrient deficiency in Uganda - Strengthening the National Food Fortification Programm
• Kenya
  pdf, 2.01Mb
  The national deworming programme: Kenya's experience
• Zimbabwe
  pdf, 857kb
  Intersectoral actions in response to cholera in Zimbabwe: From emergency response to institution building
• Brazil
  pdf, 2.01Mb
  The Green Area of Morro da Policia: Health practitioners working with communities to tackle the social determinants of health
• Chile
  pdf, 1.74Mb
  Steps towards the health equity agenda in Chile
• Pakistan
  pdf, 1.03Mb
  Heartfile Health Financing: Striving to achieve health equity in Pakistan
• Costa Rica
  pdf, 766kb
  Impact of long term policies based on social determinants of health: The Costa Rican experience

Resources and links

Case studies on social determinants of health

In 2011, WHO Regional Offices commissioned a series of case studies for the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health. The case studies present successful examples of policy action aiming to reduce health inequities, covering a wide range of issues, including conditional cash transfers, gender-based violence, tuberculosis programmes and maternal and child health.

• Read the case studies

Key reference documents

Governance to tackle the root causes of health inequities: implementing action on social determinants

• Adelaide Statement on Health in All Policies
  pdf, 185kb
  The Adelaide Statement introduces a strategic approach for governments to take when setting policies – an approach that emphasizes collaboration across government agencies, so that all sectors can reap the benefits of a healthy society.
• Implementing Health in All Policies: Adelaide 2010
  pdf, 882kb
  Edited by Professor Ilona Kickbusch and Dr Kevin Buckett. This volume was produced for the Adelaide 2010 Health in All Policies International Meeting co-hosted by the Government of South Australia and the World Health Organization.

The role of the health sector, including public health programmes, in reducing health inequities

• The World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage
• The World Health Report 2008: Primary Health Care (Now More Than Ever)
• Social determinants approaches to public health: from concept to practice
  pdf, 2.39Mb
  Edited by Erik Blas, Johannes Sommerfeld and Anand Sivasankara Kurup, 2011. A collection of 13 case studies addressing social determinants of health.
• Equity, social determinants and public health programmes
  pdf, 2.05Mb
  Edited by Erik Blas and Anand Sivasankara Kurup, 2010. This book is a collection of analyses of the social determinants of health that impact on specific health conditions and relative promising interventions to improve health equity.
• Monitoring Equity in Access to AIDS Treatment Programmes: A review of concepts, models, methods and indicators
  pdf, 1.04Mb
  This toolkit, produced by WHO and EQUINET, is a practical resource on how to apply the body of knowledge on health equity to monitoring the performance of AIDS treatment programmes, and offers insights for monitoring equity in other programmes.
• Putting our own house in order: examples of health-system action on socially determined health inequalities
  pdf, 554kb
  Studies on social and economic determinants of population health, No. 5.
• Primary health care and the social determinants of health: essential and complementary approaches for reducing inequities in health
  pdf, 287kb
  Rasanathan K, Villar Montesinos E, Matheson D, Etienne C and Evans T. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2010. doi:10.1136/jech.2009.093914

Global action on social determinants: aligning priorities and stakeholders

• UN Social Protection Floor (SPF) Initiative
• Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases 2010
  World Health Organization, 2011
• Global Health Inequalities and Social Determinants of Health: Opportunities for the EU to contribute to monitoring and action
  Koller T, Villar E, Alonso PL, Robert M and Rasanathan K. In: 'Moving Forward Equity in Health: Monitoring social determinants of health and the reduction of health inequalities'. Spain: Ministry of Health and Social Policy, 2010: 50-59.
• Climate Change, Noncommunicable Diseases, and Development: The Relationships and Common Policy Opportunities
  pdf, 396kb
  Friel S, Bowen K, Campbell-Lendrum D, Frumkin H, McMichael AJ and Rasanathan K. Annual Review of Public Health 2011; 32: 133-147.
• Natural and unnatural synergies: climate change policy and health equity
  Walpole SC, Rasanathan K and Campbell-Lendrum D. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2009; 87: 799-801. DOI: 10.2471/BLT.09.067116.

Promoting participation: community leadership for action on social determinants

• Innovation and Participation for Healthy Public Policy: the first National Health Assembly in Thailand
  pdf, 186kb
  Rasanathan K, Posayanonda T, Birmingham M and Tangcharoensathien V. Health Expectations 2011. DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-7625.2010.00656.x

Monitoring progress: measurement and analysis to inform policies on social determinants

• Monitoring Social Well-Being to Support Policies on the Social Determinants of Health: The case of New Zealand's "Social Reports/Te Pūrongo Oranga Tangata"
  pdf, 1.59Mb
  Pega F, Valentine N & Matherson D. Social Determinants of Health Discussion Paper 3, 2010
• Overview: Monitoring of Social Determinants of Health and the Reduction of Health Inequalities in the EU
  Sadana R, Brown C, Lee JH, Goldblatt P, Hosseinpoor AR. In: 'Moving Forward Equity in Health: Monitoring social determinants of health and the reduction of health inequalities'. Spain: Ministry of Health and Social Policy, 2010: 23-31.
• Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART)

General links

• Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health
• Resolution WHA62.14: Reducing health inequities through action on the social determinants of health
  pdf, 249kb
• Conceptual Framework for Action on the Social Determinants of Health
  pdf, 1.88Mb
  Social Determinants of Health Discussion Paper No. 2
• EQUITY List (Equidad)

Background to the conference

The World Conference on Social Determinants of Health will be open to participants who have received an invitation and have registered online. Late registration will also be possible at the Hotel Sofitel Copacabana (Address: Avenida Atlantica 4240 Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22070002) from 18 October, 2011.

The main conference will start at 14.00 on 19 October at the Forte de Copacabana, which is a 2 min. walk from the Hotel Sofitel. All participants are requested to contact the registration desk at the Hotel Sofitel by 12.00 at the latest, to pick up their badges and conference folders. For security reasons, participants will be requested to be seated in the plenary hall of the Forte de Copacabana by 13.00.

• Download the draft conference programme - 13 October 2011pdf, 450kb

Ministries of health, WHO Regional Offices, UN partners and NGOs will be holding a number of stakeholder events before and after the conference. All stakeholder events will be open to conference participants as well as members of the public and journalists. The events will take place in two locations - the Hotel Sofitel Copacabana (Address: Avenida Atlantica 4240 Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22070002), and the Hotel Rio Othon Palace (Avenida Atlantica 3264, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22070-000). No registration is required for these events.

• Download the Stakeholder event programme - 12 October 2011
  pdf, 516kb

Important information for Heads of Delegation: The WHO Conference Secretariat is drawing up a list of speakers who wish to deliver a statement on behalf of Member States. All Heads of Delegation representing Member States may give a max. 4-minute statement during a planned ministerial track, on their views of the key themes of the conference. Requests should be sent to mshanal@who.int.