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Many of the recommendations in Fair society, healthy lives have been made in previous reports on health inequalities. I was part of the Marmot review team for a few months and we made a conscious decision not to make a long list of recommendations addressing every single aspect of health inequalities. Instead what the report seeks to do differently is to present health inequalities as a question of fairness and encourage all parts of society to play their part. Health inequalities are traditionally regarded as a problem for the NHS but as this report argues (reflecting the 1998 Acheson report) the NHS is but one player in this task. Tackling health inequalities means addressing the social determinants of health - those factors that shape health and wellbeing such as social environments, the housing and neighbourhoods where people live, education, income, standard of living, occupation and working conditions. Clearly the NHS cannot tackle these issues alone, central and local government departments, the third and private sectors as well as individuals themselves have a role to play. The report makes six wide-ranging recommendations. The primary recommendation is to give every child the best start in life. This means supporting Sure Start programmes, maternity services and parenting programmes so they can better deliver their services to those most in need. A great deal of evidence demonstrates that these programmes lead to long-term improvements in health and education outcomes - cutting these programmes would reverse the progress made in the last 10-15 years. Another recommendation is to create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities. Those working in planning, transport, housing or environment departments need to work with their colleagues in public health to plan and develop joint strategies and outcomes. The quality of parks, the number of take-aways in an area, road safety - all of these decisions influence how we live our lives and

Improving the Health of Canadians: Exploring Positive Mental Health brings together available information and data analyses that look at one way of defining positive mental health, how we currently measure it, its role in health, the factors associated with high levels of positive mental health and what strategies are, or may be, effective at promoting mental health at a population level.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION LAUNCHES NEW COURSE ON SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH The course consists of an online tutorial with four learning units that making connections between health, and equity, social justice and human rights. It is intended to provide insight on the social determinants of health in order to encourage changes in policy that promote and protect the health of a population. The course is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and is targeted to WHO staff members and other health ministry officials but is free to access and fully available to the public.

The Violence Prevention Office in the APA Public Interest Directorate staffed the working group. The report identifies and recommends public health strategies and interventions based on the best available science to prevent child maltreatment and to promote positive parenting practices within the context of behavioral health integration at community health centers.

Below are resources to help educators and students explore health equity and deepen understanding of series concepts. These lesson plans, syllabi, facilitation guides and online courses draw the UNNATURAL CAUSES series, this Web site, and carefully selected resources.

The Guide to Community Preventive Services is a free resource to help you choose programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease in your community.

CEO's of 6 national foundations and health care organizations released a joint letter yesterday calling for greater investment in community prevention.

The National Prevention Strategy makes clear, prevention can save lives, reduce the demand on health care services, build equity and save money.

This evidence-based curriculum is intended as a tool for community-institutional partnerships that are using or planning to use a CBPR approach to improving health. It can be used by partnerships that are just forming as well as mature partnerships.

The financial health of the nation's nonprofit groups is rapidly deteriorating, according to a survey of some 900 nonprofit leaders around the country.