Health inequalities across Europe

In Switzerland as elsewhere, almost all important health problems, and major causes of premature death are more common among people with lower levels of education, income and occupational status. Since 2000 there were several EU sponsored projects – directed by Prof. Johan Mackenbach (Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) – aiming at assessing inequalities in mortality across Europe and the effects of health policies on these health inequalities. Matthias Bopp is the Swiss representative and compiled (aggregated) Swiss data for international comparisons.

• Socio-economic inequalities in suicide in Europe: the widening gap.
  Lorant V, de Gelder R, Kapadia D, Borrell C, Kalediene R, Kovács K, Leinsalu M, Martikainen P, Menvielle G, Regidor E, Rodriguez-Sanz M, Wojtyniak B, Strand BH, Bopp M, Mackenbach JP
  Br J Psychiatry 2018;212:356-361 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2017.32
• Trends in health inequalities in 27 European countries
  Mackenbach JP, Valverde JR, Artnik B, Bopp M, Brønnum-Hansen H, Deboosere P, Kalediene R, Kovacs K, Leinsalu M, Martikainen P, Menvielle G, Regidor E, Richtařikova J, Rodriguez-Sanz M, Vineis P, White C, Woytiniak B, Hu Y, Nusselder WJ.
  Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 2018;115(25):6440-6445
• The turn of the gradient? Educational differences in breast cancer mortality in 18 European populations during the 2000s
  Gadeyne S, Menvielle G, Kulhanova I, Bopp M, Deboosere P, Eikemo TA, Hoffmann R, Kovács K, Leinsalu M, Martikainen P, Regidor E, Rychtaříková J, Spadea T, Strand BH, Trewin C, Wojtyniak B, Mackenbach JP.
  Int J Cancer 2017;141:33-44
• Contribution of smoking to socio-economic inequalities in mortality: a study of 14 European countries, 1990-2004.
  Gregoraci G, van Lenthe FJ, Artnik B, Bopp M, Deboosere P, Kovács K, Looman CWN, Martikainen P, Menvielle G, Peters F, Wojtyniak B, de Gelder R, Mackenbach JP, for the DEMETRIQ consortium.
  Tob Control 2017;26:260-268
• Trends in educational inequalities in obesity in 15 European countries between 1990 and 2010
  Hoffmann K, De Gelder R, Hu Y, Bopp M, Vitrai J, Lahelma J, Menvielle G, Santana P, Regidor E, Ekholm O, Mackenbach JP, van Lenthe FJ.
  Int J Behav Nutrit Phys Activ 2017;14:63
• “Fundamental causes” of inequalities in mortality: an empirical test of the theory in 20 European populations
  Mackenbach JP, Looman CWN, Artnik B, Bopp M, Deboosere P, Dibben C, Kalediene R, Kovács K, Leinsalu M, Martikainen P, Regidor E, Rychtaříková J, de Gelder R.
  Sociology of Health & Illness 2017;39:1117-1133
• Trends in inequalities in mortality amenable to health care: a study of 17 European countries
  Mackenbach J, Hu Y, Artnik B, Bopp M, Costa G, Kalediene R, Martikainen P, Menvielle G, Strand BH, Woytiniak B, Nusselder W.
  Health Affairs 2017;36:1110-1118
• Determinants of the magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality: A study of 17 European countries
  Mackenbach J, Bopp M, Deboosere P, Kovacs K, Leinsalu M, Martikainen P, Menvielle G, Regidor E, de Gelder R.
  Health&Place 2017;47:44-53
• Educational expansion and inequalities in mortality – A fixed-effects analysis using longitudinal data from 18 European populations
  Östergren O, Lundberg O, Artnik B, Bopp M, Borrell C, Kalediene R, Leinsalu M, Martikainen P, Regidor E, Rodriguez-Sanz M, de Gelder R, Mackenbach JP
  PLoS ONE 2017;12(8):e0182526
• The impact of increasing income inequalities on educational inequalities in mortality – An analysis of six European countries.
  Hoffmann R, Hu Y, de Gelder R, Menvielle G, Bopp M, Mackenbach JP, for the DEMETRIQ consortium.
  Int J for Equity in Health 2016;15:103
• Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in self-assessed health in 17 European countries between 1990 and 201
  Hu Y, van Lenthe FJ, Borsboom GJ, Looman CWN, Bopp M, Burstrom B, Dzurova D, Ekholm O, Klumbiene J, Lahelma E, Leinsalu M, Regidor E, Santana P, de Gelder R, Mackenbach JP, for the DEMETRIQ consortium.
  JECH 2016;70:644-652
• Changes in mortality inequalities over two decades: register based study of European countries
  Mackenbach JP, Kulhanova I, Artnik B, Bopp M, Borrell C, Clemens T, Costa G, Dibben C, Kalediene R, Lundberg O, Martikainen P, Menvielle G, Östergren O, Prochorskas R, Rodriguez-Sanz M, Strand BH, Looman CWN, de Gelder R.
  BMJ 2016;353:i1732
• Inequalities in tuberculosis mortality: long-term trends in 11 European countries.
  Nagavci BL, de Gelder R, Martikainen P, Deboosere P, Bopp M, Rychtarikova J, Kalediene R, Leinsalu M, Mackenbach JP, for the DEMETRIQ consortium
  Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2016;20(5):574-581
• Inequalities in alcohol-related mortality in 17 European countries: a retrospective analysis of mortality registers.
  Mackenbach JP, Kulhanova I, Bopp M, Borrell C, Deboosere P, Kovacs K, Looman CWN, Leinsalu M, Mäkelä P, Martikainen P, Menvielle G, Rodriguez-Sanz M, Rychtarikova J, de Gelder R for the DEMETRIQ consortium.
• PLoS Medicine 2015;12(12):e1001909