This chapter defines structural determinants of health as the economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, and political systems that create differential access to the social determinants of health, or the conditions in which people live. Structural determinants create stratification along the lines of, for example, class, race, gender, and associated hierarchies of power, prestige, and access to resources, ultimately producing and reinforcing health inequities. The chapter describes and interrogates several lineages of scholarship regarding structural determinants of health, examining their contributions as well as critiques or limitations. Based on this analysis, the chapter identifies several strategies for public health scholars and practitioners focused on understanding and addressing structural determinants of health inequities. These include the following: Conceptualize health as a collective (rather than an individual) phenomenon that emerges through dynamic political, social, and economic processes; contextualize structural drivers of contemporary health inequities within historical processes; consider public health research and practice as part of an emancipatory process toward health justice; focus research and practice on creating more equitable distributions of power and resources; center those who have been marginalized from the production of knowledge in research for structural change; and disrupt dominant narratives by centering counter narratives, to focus on structural drivers of health inequities. The chapter discusses implications of these strategies for structural interventions that focus on reducing or eliminating health inequities. The chapter closes with a discussion of next steps for public health research and practice to understand and address structural determinants of health inequities.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Structural Drivers of Health Inequalities: Overview and Recommendations for Health Promotion Research and Practice

  • Maren Spolum,
  • Gabrielle Young,
  • Amy J. Schulz

摘要

This chapter defines structural determinants of health as the economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, and political systems that create differential access to the social determinants of health, or the conditions in which people live. Structural determinants create stratification along the lines of, for example, class, race, gender, and associated hierarchies of power, prestige, and access to resources, ultimately producing and reinforcing health inequities. The chapter describes and interrogates several lineages of scholarship regarding structural determinants of health, examining their contributions as well as critiques or limitations. Based on this analysis, the chapter identifies several strategies for public health scholars and practitioners focused on understanding and addressing structural determinants of health inequities. These include the following: Conceptualize health as a collective (rather than an individual) phenomenon that emerges through dynamic political, social, and economic processes; contextualize structural drivers of contemporary health inequities within historical processes; consider public health research and practice as part of an emancipatory process toward health justice; focus research and practice on creating more equitable distributions of power and resources; center those who have been marginalized from the production of knowledge in research for structural change; and disrupt dominant narratives by centering counter narratives, to focus on structural drivers of health inequities. The chapter discusses implications of these strategies for structural interventions that focus on reducing or eliminating health inequities. The chapter closes with a discussion of next steps for public health research and practice to understand and address structural determinants of health inequities.