This report discusses science- and policy-related conceptual frameworks for health equity. Historically, health policies have either been technologically based, relying on cutting edge medical care and public health interventions, or based on the idea that health is a social occurrence, requiring more complex policies. This paper examines the latter interpretation and discusses the socio-economic factors involved in health equity or inequity. In the broader context of understanding systems thinking, this report represents one currently popular school of thought, that of the “social determinants of health”, which embraces the complexity of systems and seeks to provide evidence and logic to the interactions within that system.
Solar, O., and A. Irwin. "A Conceptual Framework for Action on the Social Determinants of Health." Social Determinants of Health Discussion Paper 2 (Policy and Practice), 2010.