The Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World / By Michael Marmot

**Health is more than just apples and pills; it's about identity and status.** **Sir Michael Marmot, a leading advocate for global health equity, draws on over forty years of research and case studies to explain, on individual, societal, national, and global levels, how social injustice leads to health inequity and proposes solutions.** In Sierra Leone, West Africa, one in 21 women aged 15 will die from pregnancy-related causes by the time they reach reproductive age. In Italy, that figure is 1 in 17,100. In the United States, where healthcare spending is higher than in any other country in the world, the figure is a staggering 1 in 1,800, far higher than in Italy. Why? Poverty alone does not necessarily lead to poorer health, but inequality does make people sick. Health inequalities in every country are closely linked to the social gradient – the lower the social status, the worse the health. Creating empowering social and environmental conditions is key to reducing health inequalities and thus improving individual health. It means giving people autonomy over their lives, the ability to live the lives they value, and the freedom to make healthy choices. Marmot, from the perspective of the human life course, proposes six areas as a framework for local and national policy development: early childhood development, education and lifelong learning, employment and working conditions, minimum income for healthy living, creating healthy and sustainable communities, and strengthening the role and impact of prevention. Marmot emphasizes that we have the tools and resources to significantly improve the health of individuals and societies worldwide; if we can change things but fail to act, it is a manifestation of injustice. This book uses rich examples and statistics as evidence to challenge our perceptions of health and even society, and to inspire us to address the power, money, and resource imbalances in society that undermine health equity. Author: Michael Marmot Translator: Hung Hui-Fang ISBN: 978-988-237-209-2 Binding: Paperback Language: Traditional Chinese Pages: 352 Dimensions: 229 x 152 mm **Author | Michael Marmot** Professor of Epidemiology at University College London (UCL) and Director of the Institute of Health Equity, Co-Director of the Centre for Health Equity Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He served as President of the World Medical Association and Chair of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health. For over forty years, he has led research teams investigating health inequalities. Invited by the UK government to review health inequalities in the UK, he published the renowned "Marmot Review"—"Fair Society, Healthy Lives"—in 2010; in 2014, he published the "Review of Social Determinants and the Health Divide in the WHO European Region: Final Report," written by the WHO Regional Office for Europe under his leadership; in 2017, he co-authored the "Taiwan Report on Health Inequalities" with his team. His latest research report in 2021, "Build Back Fairer: The COVID-19 Marmot Review," examined health inequalities in the UK in the context of the pandemic. His individual works include: *The Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World* (Bloomsbury Press, 2015) and *The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing Affects Our Health and Longevity* (Bloomsbury Press, 2004). **Translator | Hung Hui-Fang** Graduated from the Department of International Business at National Taiwan University, holds a Master's degree in Management from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and has worked at Siemens Telecom and Citibank. She is now a full-time translator. Her translated works include: *The Paradox of Prosperity: How to Innovate and Grow in Emerging Markets* (CommonWealth Magazine, 2020), *Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts* (88 Block Publishing, 2020), *Meaning: The Pursuit of a Virtuous and Profound Life* (Times Publishing, 2018), among others. **Endorsements** This groundbreaking work not only presents readers with the reality of health inequalities worldwide but also offers practical solutions to the issues of unequal power, money, and resource distribution in society. Although public awareness and attitudes towards health inequalities may differ from 40 years ago, the challenges that have plagued us remain: what can we do? This work is an excellent choice to inspire the public to think about how to solve the problem of health inequality. —Professor Tang Chih-Chien, President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong A balanced diet, adequate sleep, no bad habits, and moderate exercise may all be considered important factors influencing health within the realm of common knowledge. However, scientists who study social epidemiology have discovered that many more macro-social factors influence the health behaviors mentioned above—in other words, people's health behaviors are not just personal choices but are also caused by upstream environmental factors such as social policies, systems, culture, and values. And precisely because we live in an unequal world, the health gap between people from different backgrounds arises. The question is, can this fundamental problem, which touches upon many aspects of society, be solved? In this work, Sir Michael Marmot, a leading figure in this field for many years, uses examples from various countries to explain in an accessible way the causes of health inequality, argues why this problem must be addressed, and proposes concrete solutions. This is a must-read for anyone who values fairness, especially policymakers! —Dr. Chung Yat-Ngo, Associate Director, Centre for Health Equity Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Associate Director, Centre for Bioethics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong For years, Marmot's research has yielded a series of shocking and significant findings that have repeatedly made headlines. These findings are compiled in this book and have had a remarkable impact. Page after page, the text consistently conveys the message: the poorer you are, the shorter your lifespan, the less healthy you are, and the less likely you are to be happy... This book clearly and systematically explores the reasons behind this phenomenon... But Marmot's purpose in revealing all this is not to declare that the end of the world is nigh; his purpose is quite the opposite... This is a book with an optimistic tone. —*The Independent* (UK) We need to rethink health. In this new book, Professor Marmot of UCL reveals that people could live eight years longer if they had the same opportunities as the wealthy... We should no longer see health as a lifestyle choice, but should fight for justice for all. —*The Observer* (UK)