Global health equity: evidence for action on the social determinants of health.
More than 30 years ago, the older of us published a paper with the proposal that all scientific papers should start with a statement along the lines of: "These are the opinions on which I base my facts". Why pretend? To take a topical example, if you are on the nature side of the nature/nurture debates, is it likely that your next paper will be an apologia: "I take it all back; genes don't matter at all; it is all environment"? Unlikely. Similarly, if you are on the other side. (We know. It's both.) Here, we are not in any way arguing for a relativist credo that would say opinions are all. Along with other readers of this journal, we spend a good part of our working lives gathering, analysing and interpreting empirical evidence. Evidence matters. But everyone has values and they do affect our positions.
Marmot
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M
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 6BT, UK. m.marmot@ucl.ac.uk
Friel
S
S
D026683:Advisory Committees; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D012924:Social Conditions; D012946:Social Welfare; D014944:World Health Organization