ACTION-FOR-HEALTH. Situation analysis and Needs assessment in seven EU-Countries and regions Reducing Inequalities in Health

This publication is the first of four publications within the project Reducing Inequalities: Action
for Health. Action for Health is an EU co-funded project within the framework of the Health
Programme. Its aim is to strengthen the capacity of health promotion workers in the region to
tackle health inequalities through the promotion of health across Europe by developing action
plans within seven regions in seven EU countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania,
Slovakia and Spain. The project work is based on experiences gained from a previous Slovenian
project for reducing inequalities on the regional level through the promotion of health, performed
by the Institute of Public Health Murska Sobota.
Socio-economic inequalities in health pose a major challenge to health policies. Those socio –
economic health inequalities can be defined as differences in health status or in the distribution
of health determinants between different population groups (WHO definition) (1). Health inequalities can be perceived as systematic and preventable differences in health status between populations, where the poor suffer from poorer health than the rich. Health inequalities exist on the
supra-national level (between countries), on the national level (between regions in the same country), and within regions (between different local groups).
The importance of tackling those health inequalities on the national and regional levels is that a
part of the inequalities is systematic and preventable by reasonable measures (2). It is unethical to
let people live in poor health if it can be prevented. On the other hand, health inequalities cause a
system-wide preventable economical burden in the EU. Poor health affects EU citizins health care
costs, capacity to work, to learn and their the income level negatively.
In order to effectively reduce inequalities in health, a strategic plan is required, which would
identify the key aims and objectives for politicians (on the local, regional and national levels) and
other stakeholders to contribute to the reduction of health inequalities as well as strategies for
achieving these objectives and indicators to monitor progress.
An initial step in developing the strategic plan is a systematic analysis of the current state of
health and health inequalities in the regions as well as the current state and needs of the policy
environment with regard to resolving health inequalities. For that reason, situation analyses and
needs assessments have been implemented in the 7 countries and regions in question. Both the situation analyses and needs assessments provided insight into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of health status, socio-economic factors and organisational factors such as available knowledge, manpower, resources (time, money, goodwill), internal and external networks,
methods, policy and leadership (3).
This publication shows the results of these situation analyses and needs assessments carried out
with the support of project partners in all 7 countries. Beginning with the results of these outcomes, strategic action plans will be developed in all 7 countries. Furthermore, this publication
offers various promising practices in the field of tackling inequalities.