Is the EU Closing the Gap on Health Inequities?

Learning Resources
Note: To access this weeks required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings
Breckenkamp, J., Patterson, L., Scharlach, M., Hellmeier, W., & Verma, A. (2017). Definitions of urban areas feasible for examining urban health in the European Union. European Journal of Public Health, 27(suppl_2), 1924. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckv104

de Jong, L., Pavlova, M., Winters, M., & Rechel, B. (2017). A systematic literature review on the use and outcomes of maternal and child healthcare services by undocumented migrants in Europe. European Journal of Public Health, 27(6), 990997. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckx181

Fanourgiakis, J., & Kanoupakis, E. (2016). An assessment of the results of European Parliament elections in Greece and European Union under the shadow of economic crisis. International Journal of Health Services, 46(4), 642655. doi:10.1177/0020731416660963   

Kazzazi, F., Pollard, C., Tern, P., Ayuso-Garcia, A., Gillespie, J., & Thomsen, I. (2017). Evaluating the impact of Brexit on the pharmaceutical industry. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice, 10, 32. doi:10.1186/s40545-017-0120-z

Lippi, G., Mattiuzzi, C., & Cervellin, G. (2016). No correlation between health care expenditure and mortality in the European Union. European Journal of Internal Medicine, 32, e13e14. doi:10.1016/j.ejim.2016.02.025   

Puchner, K., Karamagioli, E., Pikouli, A., Tsiamis, C., Kalogeropoulos, A., Kakalou, E., Pikoulis, E. (2018). Time to rethink 4efugee and migrant health in Europe: Moving from emergency response to integrated and individualized health care provision for migrants and refugees. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(6), 1100. doi:10.3390/ijerph15061100

Sighem, A. van, Pharris, A., Quinten, C., Noori, T., Amato-Gauci, A. J., & Networks, the E. H. S. and D. D. M. (2017). Reduction in undiagnosed HIV infection in the European Union/European Economic Area, 2012 to 2016. Eurosurveillance, 22(48), 1700771. doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.48.17-00771

EuroHealthNet & National Social Marketing Centre. (n.d.). Lessons from the DETERMINE pilot documents [DETERMINE working document #6]. Retrieved from https://eurohealthnet.eu/sites/eurohealthnet.eu/files/publications/Working-Document-6-Lessons-from-pilot-Projects.pdf

European Commission. (n.d.). Public health. Retrieved July 4, 2019, from European Commission website: https://ec.europa.eu/health/home_en

National Social Marketing Centre (NSMC). (n.d.). Video resources. Retrieved July 20, 2019, from https://www.thensmc.com/video-resources

Official Website of the European Union. (2019). EU member countries in brief. Retrieved from https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries/member-countries_en

Required Media
Note: The media selections for this course are viewable by clicking on the image provided after the media citations. After you click on the image, use the navigation bar at the bottom of the interface and choose the appropriate week. A menu of video and audio resources for that week will appear. Click on the menu item to begin that program.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Global health and issues in disease prevention [Multimedia file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Health Status in the European Union, featuring Stephen Bezruchka, MD
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.
Health Inequities: Social Determinants of Health in Glasgow
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 9 minutes.
Health Inequities: Social Determinants of Health in Copenhagen
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.
Health Inequities: Social Determinants of Health in Murska Sobota.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 19 minutes.

Discussion: Is the EU Closing the Gap on Health Inequities?

The World Health Organization and European Union (EU) DETERMINE Consortium has acknowledged gaps in health equities within and between member countries. A variety of efforts are underway to help close those gaps.

To prepare for this Discussion, review your Learning Resources, particularly the readings from the DETERMINE Consortium and European Commission and the National Social Marketing Centre video programs. Select two EU countries on which to focus (It is advised to select two countries from the list of EU members and avoid repeating the same ones mentioned in the required media of this week resources). Look at efforts in those countries designed to reduce health inequities and inequality and examine appropriate outcomes for those efforts. Evaluate the performance of the health systems in those countries as reflected in population health data for each of the countries. Be sure to access the CIA country profiles (found within the CIA World Factbook) and WHO websites provided earlier for the most current resources.

Post a brief comparison of the health status of the two EU countries you selected with that of the U.S. Then, describe two efforts in those EU countries to reduce health inequities. Explain what lessons can be learned from the EU efforts you selected that can be implemented in the U.S. nationally or by individual states. Explain how the community you live in might adapt these interventions. Expand on your insights utilizing the Learning Resources.

Use APA formatting for your Discussion and to cite your resources.