WHO book on social determinants of health wins British Medical Book Award 2011
21 September 2011 - The British Medical Association has awarded the top prize in the public health category to WHO's "Equity, social determinants and public health programmes" (2010) during the 2011 British Medical Book Awards. The book is a collection of analyses on social determinants and health equity issues and was published by WHO's Department of Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights. The award was announced at a ceremony in London on 14 September 2011.
One of the BMA reviewers wrote the following: "The scope and the content is essential yet unique and it manages to provide all necessary details whilst at the same time being concise and relevant to a wide readership and workforce. This is an essential text for any concerned with understanding and/or addressing health inequalities locally or internationally. It presents an excellent summary of the major determinants from alcohol to diabetes through to oral health and tropical diseases. For each issue there is an excellent presentation of evidence for the scale of the problem and the interventions which will make a difference. I know of no other resource which presents this information in such a detailed yet concise and accessible way. A must-have resource for any leader or student of health or social care."
The book was developed as part of the work undertaken by the Priority Public Health Conditions Knowledge Network of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health, in collaboration with 16 of the major public health programmes of WHO. The book highlights the key social determinants of health in each of the public health conditions and programmes, covering a range of areas including TB, neglected tropical diseases, non-communicable disease control programmes, as well as population-based programmes such as maternal and child health. The chapters also go in-depth about effective interventions that could improve equity.
The British Medical Association established its annual BMA Medical book competition in 1996 to encourage and reward excellence in medical publishing.