Division 2.3.3 Public health actions to address wider determinants of health

Work on social determinants of health will concentrate on developing actions on policy development, innovative approaches and evaluation, as follows:

• Identify and evaluate the effectiveness of comprehensive policy approaches to address health inequalities — including a social and economic dimension — at national and sub-national level;

• Identify, evaluate and disseminate good practice on including a social determinants focus in strategies to address determinants such as nutrition and physical activity, tobacco, drugs and alcohol, in housing, urban development and health, in ensuring access to health and social services and in developing healthy lifestyles;

• Good practice in improvements in access, quality and appropriateness of health and social services for migrants, immigrants and minority populations;

• Economic analysis to quantify the cost and benefits of tackling health inequalities.

In line with the Environment and Health Action Plan^f1, work on environmental determinants will focus on developing networks and good practice with regard to

• Public health actions and activities to address indoor air quality, taking into account the combination effects of building materials, household chemicals, combustion and ETS;

• Public health actions and activities to address noise nuisance;

• Mainstreaming environment and health issues into the training and further education curricula of health professionals;

• Developing and disseminating best practice on risk communication and awareness raising on environment and health issues.