BMJ 1999;318:1020-1021 ( 17 April )

Editorials

Tackling health inequalities in primary care

Recording socioeconomic data in primary care is essential 

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The adverse health effects of social inequality are enormous. In the United Kingdom death rates at all ages are two to three times higher among people in social class V than among those in social class I. 1 2 Poor socioeconomic status also erodes social, psychological, and physical health.3 Reducing health inequalities is central to the United Kingdom government's recently outlined health policy,4 a commitment confirmed by the positive reception given to the recently published Acheson report on inequalities in health.5 However, in spite of their importance both to the overall health care of individuals and in health policy, socioeconomic factors are not routinely assessed in clinical practice.

The power of the socioeconomic determinants of ill health requires that we should adapt the traditional medical model. We now understand that diseases have both biological and societal causes, yet our interventions remain focused on the biological.1 We need to begin to take histories . . . [Full text of this article]
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  • Fiscella, K., Franks, P., Gold, M. R., Clancy, C. M. (2000). Inequality in Quality: Addressing Socioeconomic, Racial, and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. JAMA 283: 2579-2584 [Abstract] [Full text]  
  • Macleod, J., Loudon, R., Darvill, D., Smeeth, L., Heath, I. (1999). Tackling health inequalities in primary care. BMJ 319: 454a-454 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Recording useful socioeconomic data in primary care is not currently feasible
Stephen Gardiner
bmj.com, 18 Apr 1999 [Full text]
Tackling health inequalities in primary care
Patrick Bower
bmj.com, 19 Apr 1999 [Full text]
Tackling inequalities in Primary Care
John Macleod
bmj.com, 29 Apr 1999 [Full text]
Recording socioeconomic data
Dougal Darvill
bmj.com, 30 Apr 1999 [Full text]
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