Social inequalities in early childhood health and development: a European-wide systematic review

The research for Work Package 2 of DRIVERS (“Addressing the strategic Determinants to Reduce health Inequality Via 1) Early childhood development, 2) Realising fair employment, and 3) Social protection”) focused on the scientific evidence for both the effect of social determinants on health and development in early childhood and effective interventions to reduce inequalities. This report addresses the three objectives of this Work Package, namely:

1. To conduct a systematic review on social inequalities, early child development and early child health;
2. To analyse and develop methodologies for interventions regarding unequal child development and health;
3.  To provide analytic evidence using data from WHO-Europe member countries that helps to explain social inequalities in early child development and early child health, and identifies factors that would reduce health inequalities across the European region.

Authors: H. Pikhart, M. Ruiz, J. Morrison, P. Goldblatt, M. Marmot

Find the report here.