First is that social stratification is an appropriate topic of study for epidemiologists. To ignore it would be to ignore a major source of variation in health in society. The gross inequalities in health that we see within and between countries present a challenge to the world. Social determinants of health inequalities Michael Marmot The gross inequalities in health that we see within and between countries present a challenge to the world. Michael Marmot has led a research group on health inequalities for the past 30 years. m.marmot@ucl.ac.uk Comment in Lancet. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines the social determinants of health (SDOH) as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age .These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. Social determinants of health inequalities. Social Determinants, Capabilities and Health Inequalities: A Response to Bhugra, Greco, Fennell and Venkatapuram Michael Marmot Institute of Health Equity, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK Correspondence m.marmot@ucl.ac.uk The landmark Marmot Review: Fair Society, Healthy Lives was published in February 2010 and outlined the scale of health inequalities in England and the actions required to reduce them.. Social Determinants, Capabilities and Health Inequalities: A Response to Bhugra, Greco, Fennell and Venkatapuram Michael Marmot Institute of Health Equity, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK Correspondence m.marmot@ucl.ac.uk The gross inequalities in health that we see within and between countries present a challenge to the world. To mark one year since the publication of 'Fair Society Healthy Lives', the Marmot Review Team and the London Health Observatory produced baseline figures for some key indicators of the social determinants of health, health outcomes and social inequality that correspond, as closely as is currently possible, to the indicators proposed in Fair Society, Healthy Lives. Marmot has led research groups on health inequalities for over 35 years. He was chair of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), which was set up by the World Health Organization in 2005, and produced "Closing the Gap in a Generation" in August 2008. He was chair of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), which was set up by the World Health Organization in 2005, and produced "Closing the Gap in a Generation" in August 2008. Author information: (1)International Centre for Health and Society, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 6BT, UK. Michael Marmot Action , Strategy , Social That there should be a spread of life expectancy of 48 years among countries and 20 years or more within countries is not inevitable. He is Principal Investigator of the Whitehall Studies of British civil servants, investigating explanations for the striking inverse social gradient in morbidity and mortality. The report highlighted the need to take action across the social determinants of health, and called for progress to be made on a clear set of policy objectives. They include income, education, access to green space and healthy food, the work people do and the homes they live in. A lifetime spent studying how social determinants of health lead to health inequalities has clarified many issues.

2005 Mar 19-25;365(9464):1005-6. MRC Research Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College, London. A burgeoning volume of research identifies social factors at the root of much of these inequalities in health. Marmot has led research groups on health inequalities for over 35 years. We have to put reduction of health inequalities at the centre of our public health strategy and that will require action on the social determinants of health. The wider determinants of health are the social, economic and environmental conditions in which people live that have an impact on health. Marmot M(1). That there should be a spread of life expectancy of 48 years among countries and 20 years or more within countries is not inevitable. Following on from this, The London Health Observatory and the Institute produced baseline figures for some key indicators of the social determinants of health, health outcomes and social inequality that corresponded, as closely as was possible, to the indicators proposed in Fair Society, Healthy Lives.