A labour of Sisyphus? Public policy and health inequalities research from the Black and Acheson Reports to the Marmot Review

Objectives To explore similarities and differences in policy content and the political context of the three main English government reports on health inequalities: the Black Report (1980), the Acheson Enquiry (1998), and the Marmot Review (2010). Methods Thematic policy and context analysis of the B...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2011-05, Vol.65 (5), p.399-406
Main Authors:	Bambra, C, Smith, K E, Garthwaite, K, Joyce, K E, Hunter, D J
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Biological and medical sciences Community health Empirical evidence evid based med SI evidence-based policy Evidence-Based Practice - methods Evidence-based public health policy and practice General aspects Health care inequality Health inequalities Health Policy Health Services Research - methods Health Status Disparities Humans Income inequality Lifestyle Marmots Medical sciences Miscellaneous political issues Politics Poverty Psychoeducational intervention Public Health Public health. Hygiene Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine Recommendations social determinants Social inequality social variations United Kingdom
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Summary:	Objectives To explore similarities and differences in policy content and the political context of the three main English government reports on health inequalities: the Black Report (1980), the Acheson Enquiry (1998), and the Marmot Review (2010). Methods Thematic policy and context analysis of the Black Report (1980), the Acheson Enquiry (1998), and the Marmot Review (2010) in terms of: (i) underpinning theoretical principles; (ii) policy recommendations; (iii) the political contexts in which each was released; and (iv) their actual or potential influence on research and policy. Results There were great similarities and very few differences in terms of both the theoretical principles guiding the recommendations of these reports and the focus of the recommendations themselves. However, there were clear differences in terms of the political contexts of each report, as well as their subsequent impacts on research and policy. Conclusion The paper calls into question the progress of health inequalities research, the use of evidence and of the links between research, politics and policy.
ISSN:	0143-005X 1470-2738