In the video, Whitehall study director Sir Michael Marmot says, “If inequalities in health were a fixed property of society, then you’d say, ‘We can’t do anything about it.’ But that’s not the case. The magnitude of inequalities in health changes over time. It can get rapidly worse, and if it can get rapidly worse, it ought to be possible to make it rapidly better.”
• Think about the community you live in. What kinds of employment, education, housing, or transportation policies does the community need today to promote health equity?
• What obstacles and opportunities exist?
• How are strategies for social change different than programs for repairing damage? How would power have to shift?
• How would you address these issues in your community?
