Principal author: Dr. Mariëlle A. Beenackers, in close collaboration with the Health Equity 2020 project
Reducing health inequalities – Preparation for regional action plans and structural funds projects
The aim of the Health Equity 2020 project is to assist regions in Europe in drawing up evidence-based action plans to address socioeconomic health inequalities. An important product within Health Equity 2020 is a toolkit which provides a step-by-step approach towards developing these action plans.
In the Introduction, the main concepts, rationale and the general structure of the toolkit are presented. The toolkit consists of four phases that are important in developing evidence-based action plans; Phase 1: is the needs assessment, Phase 2: covers capacity assessment, Phase 3: assists in selecting entry points and Phase 4: describes the impact assessment.
In addition, the Action Database provides examples of action that could reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health. The Action Plans section provides examples of action plans developed by regions, and are included as a source of inspiration.
The toolkit is intended for everyone who wants to learn more about how to assess and address socioeconomic health inequalities in a regional setting (the subnational setting such as state, district, province, territory, municipality, etc.). Most of the tools are also relevant for anyone wanting to learn more about how to address socioeconomic health inequalities in a local or national setting. The toolkit can be used with different starting points in the region and different user knowledge levels, although some basic knowledge of health and health determinants is required. The toolkit guides the reader through a step-by-step approach that can be sequential but is also sometimes parallel or iterative.
More information on the Health Equity 2020 project can be found on the project website.