title: Addressing research capacity for health equity and the social determinants of health in three African countries: the INTREC programme.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The importance of tackling economic, social and health-related inequities is increasingly accepted as a core concern for the post-Millennium Development Goal framework. However, there is a global dearth of high-quality, policy-relevant and actionable data on inequities within populations, which means that development solutions seldom focus on the people who need them most. INTREC (INDEPTH Training and Research Centres of Excellence) was established with this concern in mind. It aims to provide training for researchers from the INDEPTH network on associations between health inequities, the social determinants of health (SDH), and health outcomes, and on presenting their findings in a usable form to policy makers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  As part of a baseline situation analysis for INTREC, this paper assesses the current status of SDH training in three of the African INTREC countries - Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa - as well as the gaps, barriers, and opportunities for training.
  
  
  METHODS
  SDH-related courses from the three countries were identified through personal knowledge of the researchers, supplemented by snowballing and online searches. Interviews were also conducted with, among others, academics engaged in SDH and public health training in order to provide context and complementary material. Information regarding access to the Internet, as a possible INTREC teaching medium, was gathered in each country through online searches.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SDH-relevant training is available, but 1) the number of places available for students is limited; 2) the training tends to be public-health-oriented rather than inclusive of the broader, multi-sectoral issues associated with SDH; and 3) insufficient funding places limitations on both students and on the training institutions themselves, thereby affecting participation and quality. We also identified rapidly expanding Internet connectivity in all three countries, which opens up opportunities for e-learning on SDH, though the current quality of the Internet services remains mixed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SDH training is currently in short supply, and there is a clear role for INTREC to contribute to the training of a critical mass of African researchers on the topic. This work will be accomplished most effectively by building on pre-existing networks, institutions, and methods.
authors.affiliation: MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Unit, University of Witwatersrand, School of Public Health, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.forename: Yulia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Blomstedt
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Addei
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kalage
authors.forename: Mandy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maredza
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sankoh
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bangha
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Becher
authors.forename: Joke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haafkens
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kinsman
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D011634:Public Health / Q000193:education*; D012106:Research / Q000193:education*; D012962:Sociology, Medical / Q000193:education*
keywords: Ghana; South Africa; Tanzania; capacity building; e-learning; health inequities; research; social determinants of health; sub-Saharan Africa; training
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