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P4.- SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
Programme description
Research groups participating in this programme focus their interest on generating cooperative research of excellence for all those socially determined relevant aspects for population health .
To that end, a broad perspective of the role of social determinants in health is adopted from a multidisciplinary approach . This ranges from individual characteristics, such as social class or gender, to aspects of the environment, such as neighbourhoods or cities; working conditions; and the social environment . Qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods are also used in the programme to fulfil the research objectives . Furthermore, from a strictly epidemiological viewpoint, the programme develops studies ranging from individual-based designs to ecological studies .
Finally, the interest of the programme includes the “social” production of risk factors, such as lifestyles, the environment, working conditions, immigration and social exclusion, etc ., results in health, such as morbidity, mortality, disability or dependency, as well as social participation and evaluation of the efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency of health interventions, services and policies .
The scientific activity of the programme is defined in several lines of research among which the following stand out:
• Effect of social determinants on health .
• Health Inequality according to social class, gender, geographical variables, and the environment .
• Specific health problems relevant to public health and with social determinants and mechanisms playing a key role, such as HIV, gender-based violence, sexual health, mental health, addictions, cancer or cardiovascular diseases .
• The health of specific groups of populations, such as immigrant communities, socially excluded groups, women’s health problems, and problems related to aging, adolescence and puberty, or childhood .
• The development and evaluation of public health programmes and policies .
• Access to and quality of health services and the participation of patients and citizens .
• The development of useful theoretical frameworks for social determinants, of suitable research methodologies, and modelling of the complex interaction between different social and environmental factors .
Objectives
The strategic objectives of the programme are the following:
• To identify and analyze all those socially determined and relevant aspects for population health .
• To favour the transfer of knowledge to NHS for designing and implementing health policies .
• To promote cooperative research of excellence among groups of the programme, collaboration between them and researchers, and to enhance the internationalization of activities .
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