Health Inequalities: A Socio-Economic Approach

The article examines the socio-economic approach to understanding inequality in health status, based on the idea of health factors, which are understood as living conditions that affect people’s health. Based on the analysis of Russian and foreign studies, the author identifies the key characteristics of inequality in health status observed in countries with different levels of development, from the point of view of socio-economic factors, and identifies the main trends in its manifestation in the social context. One of the most important criteria for public perception of inequality in health is the definition of justice, which from the point of view of economic science is inextricably linked with such concepts as efficiency and redistribution. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the socio-economic causes of inequality in health, as this determines the possibilities of overcoming it with the help of public policy measures aimed at improving the well-being of citizens.