Social determinants of health have been the focus of a three-year investigation by an eminent group of policy makers, academics, former heads of state, and former ministers of health. They comprise the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. The Commission presented its Final report: "Closing the gap in a generation - health equity through action on the social determinants of health", to the WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan on 28 August 2008. The article gives information on the Commission's results, namely on the Final report and on some recommendations for reducing health inequities: improve daily living conditions, tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money and resources, and measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action. Commission declared that social injustice is killing people in a large scale and reducing health inequities is an ethical imperative.

Masarykova univerzita v Brne Lékarská fakulta Ustav sociálního lékarství a verejného zdravotnictví Brno