European Policies of Tackling Inequalities in Health

Abstract

European countries, where inequalities in health widely exist, have developed policies of tackling inequalities in health to pursue equity. European Office of the World Health Organization has demonstrated leadership in framing the issues since the 1980s. European Union also has expressed commitment to address inequalities in health, as general public health policy has been increasingly coordinated. Although each European State has its own way of addressing inequalities in health, experiences of policy-making for tackling inequalities in health have been accumulated. Those policy experiences seem useful to develop policies of tackling inequalities in health in Japan.