State of Inequality
Author | : Weltgesundheitsorganisation |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 103 |
Release | : 2015 |
ISBN-10 | : 9241564911 |
ISBN-13 | : 9789241564915 |
Rating | : 4/5 (11 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: "Achieving equity in health requires a commitment to monitoring health inequalities which, in turn, necessitates strong, equity-oriented health information systems. High-quality data and robust monitoring systems ensure that efforts can be targeted appropriately and that progress can be tracked. Countries must strengthen health information systems to generate better data and evidence to measure progress. Integral to the health inequality monitoring process is the task of reporting data in a meaningful way. This State of inequality report exemplifies effective reporting practices, featuring the topic of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. The report addresses the challenge of how to best communicate a large and complex body of data in a manner that is comprehensible, flexible and appealing to a wide readership. Feature stories provide an in-depth look at the state of inequality for selected indicators and highlight key observations in reproductive health interventions, maternal health interventions, care-seeking for sick children, childhood immunization, child malnutrition and child mortality. Perhaps most notable, however, is the innovative use of electronic visualization technology. Story-point dashboards, for instance, guide the reader through a succession of visuals where readers can use interactive tools to further explore, sort and filter the data. Similarly, interactive maps and tables engage readers in customizing how data are viewed. The report reveals that significant inequalities exist in low- and middle-income countries in the area of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. The good health of women, infants and children is essential for sustainable development, and there is still much work to be done. Discussions will increasingly call into question how efforts to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health can achieve early and accelerated progress among those who are falling behind"--Pages viii-ix.