A new approach to capture inequalities in health

Low socioeconomic position has consistently been identified as a predictor of disease and premature mortality, but the magnitude of this inequality is still unclear.

The vast amount of research is typically based on different types of health indicators or data that only reflect specific diseases or causes of deaths. This gives a fragmented picture of the problem.

In this project we seek to, for the first time, estimate the magnitude of inequality in health (both fatal and non-fatal) for the whole population of Sweden over time and identify diseases where inequality is greatest.

The goal is to support health care policy decision and targeted action, but also to establish a framework for conveying the effect of public health problems generated by inequalities over the life course.

We will use internationally unique Swedish registers on health, health care and welfare, and the advanced systematic methods developed within the Global Burden of Disease study.

The GBD quantifies disease burden for 369 diseases and causes of deaths and 87 risk factors by age, sex and over time at the global, national and increasingly sub-national level on a yearly basis. Specifically, burden from diseases and deaths can be compared but also combined into one single estimate.

Using this new approach will give us a more complete picture to help understand and explain inequalities in health.

The results will be of broad international importance and not only support policy measures in Sweden, but also help improve the knowledge building around inequality in the conditions and opportunities over the life course and inequality in health.

Furthermore, this project will develop methods for socioeconomic stratification of burden of disease and risk factor analyses, which can be applicable globally.