Health equity
Health equity is the absence of unfair and avoidable or remediable differences in health among population groups defined socially, economically, demographically, geographically, or otherwise. Some dimensions of identity that individuals or groups are categorized by include race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, employment and socioeconomic status, disability, immigration status, geography, and more.
Health equity is determined by the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, play, and age, and include political, legal, and economic structures. The distribution of power and resources within and across countries, as well as social norms and institutional processes shape health equity. Achieving universal health coverage will guarantee that all individuals have access to and receive affordable and quality health services and is an essential strategy to ensure everyone has the ability to achieve their best health.
People living in the Western Pacific Region have a range of health experiences that are shaped by the social, environmental and commercial determinants of health. Although the Western Pacific Region has made progress on many health-related Sustainable Development Goals, inequities persist across many dimensions of health and impact both health status and access to services. Intersectional health inequities predominantly burden those living in poverty, with the least education, and in and remote areas. Women and LGBTQI+ individuals who live in these conditions experience the most acute inequities.
Health inequities impact health status across the Region, as is evidenced through life expectancy, infectious diseases, injury, and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Men in the Region have a lower life expectancy than women. People who reported having no education also have less knowledge of HIV than those with education, and people who are younger are more likely to die by suicide, in the Region. There is also a gender gap in some countries, where women are more likely to die as a result of NCDs, such as heart disease, than men.
Health inequities not only impact health status, but also access to services – particularly reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health services. For example, people who live in rural areas, and have low incomes and lower levels of education are least likely to receive skilled care during childbirth. Children in poor households with mothers without education are less likely to be immunized. These are some ways the social determinants of health shape health equity in the Western Pacific Region.
WHO in the Western Pacific is committed to reducing health inequities by taking action on the social determinants of health and ensuring that regional progress towards better health benefits everyone. This work is done in alignment with For the Future: Towards the healthiest and safest region vision strategy and demonstrated by:
- Developing and implementing health policies and programmes that enhance health equity and integrate pro-poor, gender-responsive, community engagement, and human rights-based approaches.
- Working with partners in and beyond the health sector to strengthen responses to gender-based violence and address the health needs of populations made vulnerable such as older people, migrants, and ethnic minorities.
- Providing technical guidance on health equity monitoring and the mainstreaming of gender, equity, and human rights approaches across the life course.
- Investing in practices that collect evidence and analyze and disaggregate data beyond sex to inform action and to help reach populations living in vulnerable situations.
- Addressing emerging challenges, including reaching the unreached and ensuring an equitable COVID-19 recovery.
Health equity and its determinants in the Western Pacific Region (2020) takes stock of health equity trends in the Western Pacific Region based on available evidence and data.
Technical assistance to Member States is also provided through six WHO Collaborating Centres that support health equity work in the Region.
