Sammanfattning
In the wake of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health, work towards equity in
health in Sweden has to a large extent been pursued locally and regionally. However, the present
Swedish government has set as an objective to close the avoidable health gaps within one
generation. In order to achieve this, a Commission for Equity in Health has been appointed. This
Commission has been assigned the task to propose measures that can contribute to this end. The
Commission will conduct its work adopting an open and inclusive process, and thereby take onboard
the insights and experiences already gained in local and regional initiatives. The Commission will
submit its final report in May 2017. This article briefly describes the Commission's work so far, as
well as the wider policy context in Sweden with a number of local and regional processes initiated to
reduce health inequalities.
The Commission's main focus is health disparities between socioeconomic groups and between men
and women. The starting point is the social determinants of health and the Swedish public health
policy, which was adopted in 2003. In light of the previous initiatives and research, the Commission
has identified seven areas in which differences in living conditions and opportunities are vital for
health equity. The Commission has also identified a need for more strategic governance and
evaluation within the Swedish public health policy framework, but also governance issues more
generally.