According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "[h]ealth inequities are avoidable inequalities in health between groups of people within countries and between countries. These inequities arise from inequalities within and between societies. Social and economic conditions and their effects on people’s lives determine their risk of illness and the actions taken to prevent them becoming ill or treat illness when it occurs."
There are a variety of factors that contribute to these inequalities. Some of the terminology used to describe these include (but are not limited to):
- social determinants of health
- socioeconomic factors
- sociopolitical factors
- social gradient of health
Source: Social determinants of health. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/social_determinants/thecommission/finalreport/key_concepts/en/