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Health equity refers to the study of differences in the quality of health and healthcare across different populations.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/ohd/glossary.html )〕 Health equity is different from health equality, as it refers only to the absence of disparities in controllable or remediable aspects of health. It is not possible to work towards complete equality in health, as there are some factors of health that are beyond human influence.〔WHO | Equity. (n.d.). ''WHO''. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://www.who.int/healthsystems/topics/equity/en/〕 Inequity implies some kind of social injustice. Thus, if one population dies younger than another because of genetic differences, a non-remediable/controlable factor, we tend to say that there is a health inequality. On the other hand, if a population has a lower life expectancy due to lack of access to medications, the situation would be classified as a health inequity.〔Kawachi I., Subramanian S., Almeida-Filho N. A glossary for health inequalities. J Epidemiol Community Health 2002;56:647–652;56:647–652〕 These inequities may include differences in the "presence of disease, health outcomes, or access to health care"〔Goldberg, J., Hayes, W., and Huntley, J. "Understanding Health Disparities." Health Policy Institute of Ohio (November 2004), page 3.〕 between populations with a different race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.〔U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Healthy People 2010: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives, conference ed. in two vols (Washington, D.C., January 2000).〕 Health equity falls into two major categories: horizontal equity, the equal treatment of individuals or groups in the same circumstances; and vertical equity, the principle that individuals who are unequal should be treated differently according to their level of need.〔JAN. Economic Analysis For Management And Policy (). Open University Press; 2005 (2013 Mar 21 ). Available from: MyiLibrary. == Socioeconomic status == Socioeconomic status is both a strong predictor of health, and a key factor underlying health inequities across populations. Poor socioeconomic status has the capacity to profoundly limit the capabilities of an individual or population, manifesting itself through deficiencies in both financial and social capital.〔Ben-Shlomo, Yoav, Ian R. White, and Michael Marmot. "Does the Variation in the Socioeconomic Characteristics of an Area Affect Mortality?" BMJ 312.7037 (1996): 1013–1014. www.bmj.com. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.〕 It is clear how a lack of financial capital can compromise the capacity to maintain good health. In the UK, prior to the institution of the NHS reforms in the early 2000s, it was shown that income was an important determinant of access to healthcare resources. Maintenance of good health through the utilization of proper healthcare resources can be quite costly and therefore unaffordable to certain populations.〔Kawachi, I., and B. P. Kennedy. "Health and Social Cohesion: Why Care about Income Inequality?" BMJ : British Medical Journal 314.7086 (1997): 1037–1040. Print.〕〔Shi, L et al. "Income Inequality, Primary Care, and Health Indicators." The Journal of family practice 48.4 (1999): 275–284. Web.〕〔Kawachi, I., & Kennedy, B. P. (1999). Income inequality and health: pathways and mechanisms. ''Health Services Research'', ''34''(1 Pt 2), 215–227.〕 In China, for instance, the collapse of the Cooperative Medical System left many of the rural poor uninsured and unable to access the resources necessary to maintain good health. Increases in the cost of medical treatment made healthcare increasingly unaffordable for these populations. This issue was further perpetuated by the rising income inequality in the Chinese population. Poor Chinese were often unable to undergo necessary hospitalization and failed to complete treatment regimens, resulting in poorer health outcomes.〔Zhao, Zhongwei. "Income Inequality, Unequal Health Care Access, and Mortality in China." Population and Development Review 32.3 (2006): 461–483. Wiley Online Library. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.〕 Similarly, in Tanzania, it was demonstrated that wealthier families were far more likely to bring their children to a healthcare provider: a significant step towards stronger healthcare.〔 Some scholars have noted that unequal income distribution itself can be a cause of poorer health for a society as a result of "underinvestment in social goods, such as public education and health care; disruption of social cohesion and the erosion of social capital".〔 The role of socioeconomic status in health equity extends beyond simple monetary restrictions on an individual's purchasing power. In fact, social capital plays a significant role in the health of individuals and their communities. It has been shown that those who are better connected to the resources provided by the individuals and communities around them (those with more social capital) live longer lives.〔House, J. S., Landis, K. R., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. ''Science'', ''241''(4865), 540-545. Chicago 〕 The segregation of communities on the basis of income occurs in nations worldwide and has a significant impact on quality of health as a result of a decrease in social capital for those trapped in poor neighborhoods.〔 Social interventions, which seek to improve healthcare by enhancing the social resources of a community, are therefore an effective component of campaigns to improve a community's health. A 1998 epidemiological study'' ''showed that community healthcare approaches fared far better than individual approaches in the prevention of heart disease mortality.〔Lomas, Jonathan. "Social Capital and Health: Implications for Public Health and Epidemiology." Social Science & Medicine 47.9 (1998): 1181–1188. ScienceDirect. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Health equity」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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