BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:The quest for causal understanding of inequalities in health: holy
  grail or chimera? - Professor Martin White\,  MRC Epidemiology Unit and t
 he UKCRC Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR)\; Director of the N
 IHR Public Health Research Programme
DTSTART:20160212T130000Z
DTEND:20160212T140000Z
UID:TALK59087@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Lucy Lloyd
DESCRIPTION:Although socio-economic inequalities in health have almost cer
 tainly always existed\, they have been identified as a uniquely contempora
 ry problem. Data to demonstrate the importance\, reach and scale of socio-
 economic inequalities in health is plentiful and we can characterise the n
 ature of the relationship between socio-economic factors and health outcom
 es with relative ease. However\, understanding the causal mechanisms that 
 relate social phenomena with biological outcomes has proved more challengi
 ng\, and several competing explanations exist. As a consequence\, evidence
  to underpin specific interventions to reduce inequalities in health has a
 lso proved elusive. Nevertheless\, observational evidence suggests that in
 creasing access to financial and material resources should result in bette
 r health. We may question\, therefore\, whether we need to pursue causal u
 nderstanding of inequalities in health – perhaps this is a distraction f
 or both researchers (who might better focus on more soluble problems) and 
 practitioners (who might better focus on implementing interventions that w
 e know have the potential to improve health)? In this lecture I aim to exp
 lore this question and\, in doing so\, will provide historical context for
  the problem\, shed light on the methodological challenges\, and offer the
 oretical insights. The talk should have relevance for many disciplines.\n\
 nThis talk will be introduced by Professor Nick Wareham\, director of the 
 MRC Eidemiology Unit and CEDAR.
LOCATION:Large Seminar Room\, 1st Floor\, Institute of Public Health\, Uni
 versity Forvie Site\, Robinson Way\, Cambridge
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR