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Update 2020
from The UCL Institute of Health Equity
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November 2020
Sustainable Health Equity: Achieving a Net-Zero UK
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Summary
The UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE) was commissioned by the UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC) to develop recommendations that could both improve the nation's health, reduce health inequalities and achieve Net-Zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot was asked by the CCC to chair an independent UK Health Expert Advisory Group in January 2020 to advise on the potential health impacts of the government's carbon reduction targets. Those targets have informed next month's sixth carbon budget, which will present options for achieving Net-Zero emissions.
The Advisory Group highlight how the direct and indirect impacts of climate change will likely widen existing health inequalities in the UK.
Direct impacts on physical and mental health of climate change are created by changing exposure to heat and cold, increased exposure to UV radiation, air pollution, pollen, emerging infections, flooding and associated water-borne diseases, and the impacts of extreme weather events such as storms and floods.
Indirect impacts occur as a result of climate change's impacts on the livelihoods of individuals, on prices of food, water and domestic energy; on utilities and supply chains that are at risk from extreme weather conditions; on global security - and on the increasingly complex interactions between these factors.
To avoid this health equity must be an explicit policy goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. If we are to achieve a green recovery we need to take a leaf out of New Zealand's book and switch emphasis from GDP to wellbeing in measuring our country's economic success."
The report identified four key areas for action:
. Minimising air pollution
. Building energy efficient homes
. Promoting sustainable and healthy food
. Prioritising active and safe transport
Read the report and press release.
Read The Lancet article.
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Cities-4-People.
Summary
The UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE) is a partner in the EU Horizon 2020 Cities-4-People project which developed an innovative and inclusive approach - People Orientated Transport Mobility (POTM) - to creating sustainable and equitable improvements to the transport and mobility environment in five European cities: Oxford, Hamburg, Trikala, Budapest and ?sk?dar. In line with this approach, we employed participatory and transparent co-creation methods to identify transport and mobility challenges and to design, implement and evaluate innovative solutions to address these. This was with the aim of empowering community members by engaging them in the decision making processes involved in designing interventions to address their transport and mobility needs.
To find out more go to www.cities4people.eu or contact Dr Ruth Bell: r.bell@ucl.ac.uk .
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Better Health Programme Mexico.
Summary
The Better Health Programme Mexico (BHPMx) is part of the U.K. Global Prosperity Fund Better Health Programme. The DAI-managed programme addresses the growing incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in Mexico-especially in relation to obesity and diabetes-with the aim of enhancing the economic and social benefits associated with improved health.
A team at the UCL Institute of Health Equity is working with DAI and local partner CISA/ ITESO on activities to strengthen capacities at the local level, especially for local authorities to improve their understanding of social determinants and health inequities that may be acting as barriers for individual healthy behaviours and to better understand the drivers of obesity at the local level from a multi-disciplinary approach. The results and evidence from these activities will support efforts undertaken by the Mexican Secretariat of Health and Municipal authorities in addressing obesity in the Mexican population.
To find out more contact Dr Ruth Bell: r.bell@ucl.ac.uk .
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Learning from Child Development Programmes in Peru.
Summary
The report of work commissioned by the Bernard Van Leer Foundation which assesses programmes supporting healthy child development in Peru. UCL IHE worked with the programme evaluators to assess the impacts of the programmes and to suggest ways the programmes could be strengthened and how evaluations could most effectively be undertaken.
Read more.
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Inequalities in COVID-19 Mortality and the Impact of COVID-19 on Widening Existing and New Social Inequalities.
Summary
We will be publishing our new report Inequalities in COVID-19 mortality and the impact of COVID-19 on widening existing and new social inequalities week commencing 14th December 2020. There will be a webcast to present and discuss the findings, date of which will be decided shortly. We will circulate a dedicated newsletter towards the end of this month confirming publication date, webcast time and how to register for the webcast.
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Bringing Together Health, Equity and Environmental Sustainability: INHERIT.
Summary
It is increasing evident that societies need to move faster towards a system that is more socially inclusive, with ways of living, moving and consuming that are more sustainable and healthier for the people and the planet. Our lives and lives of our children and future generations depend upon it. The warning signs are well chronicled and wide ranging on land, in the sea and in the air. Poorer and more disadvantaged groups in our societies suffer the most from environmental, social and economic inequalities. Health suffers as a consequence, especially the health of those on low incomes. The COVID 19 pandemic brings these issues into sharp focus.
The EC funded INHERIT project, after 4 years of research in which the UCL Institute of Health Equity was a key partner, has recently published two papers of relevance to policy makers in European country contexts that bring together learning from INHERIT's research programme about what can be done, and how change can be stimulated, to help move towards a healthier, more equitable and environmentally sustainable world. The INHERIT project focussed on four areas: green space, energy efficient housing, active transport, and the consumption of sustainably produced healthy food.
Bell, Khan, Romeo-Velilla et al., 2019 https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/22/4546 identify main lessons for good practice at the local level, intended to support governmental and non-governmental actors, practitioners and researchers planning to work across sectors to achieve mutual benefits for health and environmental sustainability and in particular to benefit poorer and more socio-economically disadvantaged groups.
Stegeman, Godfrey, Romeo-Velilla et al., 2020 https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/19/7166 describe the policy recommendations developed by INHERIT partners, formulated on the basis of the evidence gathered by the main work-strands of the INHERIT project. The paper sets out how policy makers can help instigate and support local "triple-win" initiatives that influence behaviours as an approach to contributing to the change that is so urgently needed to stem environmental degradation and the interlinked threats to health and wellbeing.
To find about more go to: www.inherit.eu or contact Dr Ruth Bell: r.bell@ucl.ac.uk .
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July 2020
Initial Assessment of London Bus Driver Mortality from Covid-19.
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Summary
Death rates from COVID-19 among bus drivers in London exceeded death rates for London as a whole in the majority of weeks from early April to early May.
Bus and coach drivers are among the occupations that ONS reported as having elevated mortality from COVID-19. Many of these occupations also have increased levels of exposure to the general public. It seems likely that this exposure has contributed to the increased risk. To the extent possible, it is important to separate occupational exposure from other influences on bus drivers. Additional risks of COVID-19 related mortality for bus drivers include: age, living in areas characterised by deprivation, having a high proportion of members of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups; and the presence of underlying health conditions - hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes - which are associated with increased likelihood that infection with COVID-19 becomes fatal.
It is impossible at this stage to establish which of these risks is greatest, but there is evidence that among bus drivers those aged 65 and over, those from BAME backgrounds and those with pre-existing hypertension are at higher risk of Covid-19 mortality and this should be taken into account in efforts by TfL and bus companies to reduce risks.
Read the full paper
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CUHK Institute of Health Equity Webinar Series (November 2020 to April 2021)
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CUHK Institute of Health Equity Webinar Series (November 2020 to April 2021): How does the COVID-19 pandemic induce health inequalities.
This first webinar takes place on Friday 20th November 2020 from 5:30-7:00pm (HKT) (9:30am GMT)
You are cordially invited to attend the CUHK Institute of Health Equity Webinar Series co-organized with Policy Research@HKIAPS, Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, CUHK. The series will have seven seminars held by ZOOM from November 2020 to April 2021. Details of the first seminar are as follows:-
| Welcoming Remark: |
Prof. Rocky Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| Speakers: |
Prof. Sir Michael Marmot, Co-Director of CUHK Institute of Health Equity and Director of the University College London Institute of Health Equity
Prof. Roger Chung, Associate Director of CUHK Institute of Health Equity |
| Moderator: |
Dr. Gary Chung, Postdoctoral Fellow of CUHK Institute of Health Equity |
Follow this link for free registration.
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UCL Health and Society Summer School: Social Determinants of Health (July 2021)
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UCL Health and Society Summer School: Social Determinants of Health
This course runs annually - next Summer School will take place in July 2021.
The summer school is organised by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. It provides an in-depth assessment of the social determinants of health from a global research, policy and governance perspective.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot will open the summer school with a presentation on the social determinants of health and close the week with a lecture and discussion on national and international policy development.
Follow this link to the UCL SDH Summer School course page.
Read more about Training and Courses at the UCL Institute of Health Equity
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In the news
Stay up-to-date with current affairs on health equity, life expectancy and the social determinants of health. The work of The Institute is often cited in UK news and globally.
November 2020 ARTICLE: ''Sustainable health equity: achieving a net-zero UK'' - Alice Munroe, Tammy Boyce, Michael Marmot
Read more
October 2020 NEWS: ''Life expectancy a up to decade longer in Coventry''s richest communities'' - Tom Davis, Coventry Telegraph
Read more
October 2020 ARTICLE: ''Why Government policy on obesity affects us all'' - Dolly Theis
Read more
October 2020 ARTICLE: ''RCP joins with nearly 80 organisations to call for action on health inequalities'' - Royal College of Physicians
Read more
October 2020 ARTICLE: Cardiovascular disease recurrence and long-term mortality in a tri-ethnic British cohort by Manav Vyas et al - BMJ
Read more
September 2020 ARTICLE: ''Analysis: Coronavirus - what researchers know about the risk of reopening schools'' - My Science, Professor Sir Michael Marmot
Read more
September 2020 NEWS: ''New Zealand must match its ''in this together'' Covid rhetoric with action on basic services'' - Max Harris, The Guardian
Read more
August 2020 ARTICLE: Ethnic minority groups in England and Wales - factors affecting the size and timing of elevated COVID-19 mortality: a retrospective cohort study linking Census and death records - co-authored by Daniel Ayoubkhani, Vah? Nafilyan, Chris White, Peter Goldblatt, et al.
Read more
August 2020 NEWS: Why did England have Europe''s worst Covid figures? The answer starts with austerity - Professor Sir Michael Marmot
Read more
July 2020 NEWS: Earlier lockdown could have saved lives of London bus drivers, says report - Sarah Boseley, The Guardian
Read more
June 2020 ARTICLE: Effects of a School Based Intervention on Children's Physical Activity and Healthy Eating: A Mixed-Methods Study by Matluba Khan and Ruth Bell
Read more
May 2020 NEWS: ''Coronavirus: London bus driver deaths to be reviewed'' - BBC
Read more
May 2020 NEWS: London bus driver deaths to be examined in coronavirus study - Evening Standard
Read more
Review our recent news coverage
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More about our work
The Institute is engaged in a number of ongoing research and review projects, with local, national or global reach, and we continue to advocate for health equity and action on the social determinants of health. We do this by presenting at events, by teaching and delivering lectures, by working with influential network groups, and through our writings, journal publications and other media outlets.
Find out more about our ongoing programmes of work
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