title: [The challenge to public health of the Millenium Development Goals: an approach from political epidemiology].
abstract: The Millennium Development Goals, and within these the Millennium Targets, constitute a working plan that strives to achieve basic goals within the field of health, eradicate poverty, and ensure compliance with basic human rights. Its scope of action represents a historic breakthrough as a step toward a possible global social policy, in which cooperation between the different sectors is essential for its efficiency. Due to its multidisciplinary nature, public health, as well as political epidemiology, can be used to help increase scientific knowledge in the field of health with respect to the Millennium Development Goals. Despite the opportunity that this international agreement provides, insufficient in-depth study has been carried out on the potential -mainly political- difficulties that could arise during its implementation. Therefore, a conceptual and methodological change is required so that concern does not simply center on social determinants of health but instead takes into consideration the political reasons behind them. To reduce inequality, not only must injustice be classified but effective ways must also be found to encourage institutions with political power to take part in this initiative.
authors: Area de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública. Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, España. Diana.Gil@ua.es
authors: Diana
authors: D
authors: Gil González
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Palma Solís
authors: M Teresa
authors: MT
authors: Ruiz Cantero
authors: M Rocío
authors: MR
authors: Ortiz Moncada
authors: Alvaro
authors: A
authors: Franco Giraldo
authors: Airton
authors: A
authors: Stein
authors: Carlos
authors: C
authors: Alvarez-Dardet Díaz
mesh_terms: D004813:Epidemiology; D006040:Goals; D011057:Politics; D011634:Public Health; D012922:Social Change