HEALTH INEQUALITIES

Informed by a wealth of available research between 1997 and 2010 the UK Labour government introduced a raft of policies to reduce health inequalities Despite this by most measures the UK s health inequalities have continued to widen This failure has prompted calls for new approaches to health inequalities research and some consensus that public health researchers ought to be more actively involved in public health advocacy Yet there is currently no agreement as to what these new research agendas should be and despite multiple commentaries reflecting on recent UK efforts to reduce health inequalities there has so far been little attempt to map future directions for research or to examine what more egalitarian policies means in practical terms Health Inequalities Critical Perspectives addresses these concerns It takes stock of the UK s experiences of health inequalities research and policy to date reflecting on the lessons that have been learnt from these experiences both within the UK and internationally The book identifies emergent research and policy topics exploring the perspectives of actors working in a range of professional settings on these agendas Finally the book considers potential ways of improving the links between health inequalities