Presentation delivered by Sir Michael Marmot on 15 September 2015 at the 65th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (Vilnius, Lithuania, 14–17 September 2015)

1. Drivers for equity: synergy between health,
education and social sectors
Sir Michael Marmot
Vilnius
September 2015
http://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/

2. What kind of society do we want?
So close is the connection between social
arrangements and health:
Health inequities tell us how we are doing as
a society

3. Life expectancy at age 25 by education, men
Source: Health inequalities in the EU 2013

4. Prenatal Early Years Working Age Older Ages
Family building
Accumulation of positive and negative
effects on health and wellbeing
LIFE COURSE STAGES
TRANSNATIONAL CONTEXT
WIDER SOCIETY SYSTEMS
Intergenerational
transmission Themes

5. Intergenerational transmission:
Adequate social and health protection for
mother-to-be and young families

6. Source: WHO Review of Social Determinants and the Health Divide in the European Region, using
data from EU SILC

7. Inequalities in cognitive development
by multiple factors, UK
• Low birth weight
• Not being breastfed
• Maternal depression
• Having a lone parent
• Median family income
<60%
• Parental unemploymen
• Maternal qualifications
• Damp housing
• Social housing
• Area deprivation (IMD)
(ICLS, 2012)
Cognitive test scores at age 7

8. Prenatal Early Years Working Age Older Ages
Family building
Accumulation of positive and negative
effects on health and wellbeing
LIFE COURSE STAGES
MACRO-LEVEL CONTEXT
WIDER SOCIETY SYSTEMS
Perpetuation of inequities
Source: WHO Review of Social Determinants and the Health Divide in the European Region

9. The more generous a society’s spending on social
protection:
•The better the health
•The narrower the inequalities

10. Michael Marmot
Health is a human right
Do something
Do more
Do better