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Background During the 1990s, inequalities in smoking prevalence by socioeconomic status (SES) have widened in Europe. Since then, many tobacco control policies have been implemented. Yet, European overviews of recent trends in smoking inequalities are lacking. This paper aims to provide an overview of longterm trends of socioeconomic inequalities in smoking cessation in Europe. Methods We used data for 11 countries taken from Eurobarometer surveys from 1987 to 1995 and 2002- 2012, with a total study sample of 63 737 respondents. We performed multilevel logistic regression to model associations of the quit ratio (proportion former smokers of ever smokers) with SES, measured by education and occupation separately, with adjustments for age, sex and time. Results We found a significant, positive association for education and occupation with the quit ratio. The strength of the association decreased slightly from 1987 to 1995 and increased again from 2002 to 2012. Inequalities increased between the two periods in most countries and decreased in only one country. While in 1987-1995, the quit ratio increased among all SES groups and most strongly among the low SES group, in 2002-2012 it increased only among the high-education group (OR=1.38, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.87), and nonmanual occupation group (OR=1.59, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.12). Conclusions Socioeconomic inequalities in smoking cessation rates have strongly increased since the 1990s and during the 2000s. This suggests that the tobacco control policies implemented during the 2000s have not been able to counter the trend in increasing inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on findings of a study related to childhood survival in Great Britain, as of October 2010. It states that the Millennium Development Goal of United Nations have significantly helped improve childhood survival in the country by reducing mortality among children under the age of five, and cites the trends in child mortality in Great Britain and Europe. It mentions possible reasons for higher child and adolescent mortality like poverty and socioeconomic inequalities.

Background Physical inactivity is one of the four leading behavioural risk factors for non-communicable disease (NCD). Like tobacco control, increasing levels of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) will require a national policy framework providing direction and a clear set of actions. Despite frequent calls, there has been insufficient progress on policy development in the majority of countries around the world. This study sought and summarised national HEPA policy in seven European countries (Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Switzerland). Methods Data collection used a policy audit tool (PAT), a 27-item instrument structured into four sections. Results All countries reported some legislation or policy across the sectors of education, sport and health. Only some countries reported supportive policy in the transport and environment sectors. Five countries reported a stand-alone HEPA policy and six countries reported national recommendations. HEPA prevalence targets varied in magnitude and specificity and the presence of other relevant goals from different sectors highlighted the opportunity for joint action. Evaluation and the use of scientific evidence were endorsed but described as weak in practice. Only two countries reported a national multisector coordinating committee and most countries reported challenges with partnerships on different levels of policy implementation. Conclusions Bringing together the key components for success within a national HEPA policy framework is not simple. This in-depth policy audit and country comparison highlighted similarities and differences and revealed new opportunities for consideration by other countries. These examples can inform countries within and beyond Europe and guide the development of national HEPA policy within the NCD prevention agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the conflicts between researcher Gilles-Eric Séralini and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) who dismissed Séralini's study on the grounds of inadequate design and analysis. It mentions that EFSA argued against the need for mandatory animal feeding trials on genetically modified (GM) foods for which EFSA was accused by scientific organizations. It discusses the industry interests interpreted by EFSA effecting the regulation of technologies.

Background Research comparing mortality by socioeconomic status has found that inequalities are not the smallest in the Nordic countries. This is in contrast to expectations given these countries’ policy focus on equity. An alternative way of studying inequality has been little used to compare inequalities across welfare states and may yield a different conclusion. Methods We used average life expectancy lost per death as a measure of total inequality in mortality derived from death rates from the Human Mortality Database for 37 countries in 2006 that we grouped by welfare state type. We constructed a theoretical ‘lowest mortality comparator country’ to study, by age, why countries were not achieving the smallest inequality and the highest life expectancy. We also studied life expectancy as there is an important correlation between it and inequality. Results On average, Nordic countries had the highest life expectancy and smallest inequalities for men but not women. For both men and women, Nordic countries had particularly low younger age mortality contributing to smaller inequality and higher life expectancy. Although older age mortality in the Nordic countries is not the smallest. There was variation within Nordic countries with Sweden, Iceland and Norway having higher life expectancy and smaller inequalities than Denmark and Finland (for men). Conclusions Our analysis suggests that the Nordic countries do have the smallest inequalities in mortality for men and for younger age groups. However, this is not the case for women. Reducing premature mortality among older age groups would increase life expectancy and reduce inequality further in Nordic countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the reasons as to why some European countries are not at par with others in health care implementations. The reasons for the difference vary from availability of resources to unwillingness to reform several areas of health care including alcohol use, infant mortality, and breast cancer. The article highlights the need for effective government and public health workforce and uses examples from several countries across Europe including Belgium, Russia, and Albania. INSET: Box 2 | Potential years of life lost in excess of those in....

The authors discuss the factors and processes influencing health inequalities in European urban areas. They mention that health inequalities tend to be significant in urban areas because they include neighborhoods which consist of deprived and poor populations. They propose a framework consisting of factors such as urban governance, physical environment, socioeconomic environment, and settings to analyze health inequalities and implementing policies to reduce them in urban settings.

The article presents views on the European Medicines Agency policy for clinical trials. This agency accepts that some of the factors that influence the effect of a medicine in the population may be important when considering potential differences in response between men and women, and gender-specific influences can also play a significant role in drug effect.

The article reports on the requirement set by the European Regulation on Better Medicines for Children for drug manufacturers in Europe to agree with a paediatric investigation plan (PIP) on drugs having indications for children. The agency also requires the manufacturers to submit a PIP at an early stage in the development process for all new drugs unless there is no paediatric indication. According to the author, if the regulation can ensure that the drugs used to threat children are subjected to high quality research then new methodologies will be needed to ensure that drug development programme can determine the appropriate doses. They also cited methods which can be used in the evaluation of drug dosage, including allometric scaling and silico modeling.

The author stresses the cost of health inequalities in relation to a study conducted by J. P. Mackenbach and colleagues. The study stressed that about 20% of the overall healthcare budget would be saved if the health of those in the bottom half of the health distribution is improved. He advises European governments to consider the consequences of measures to reduce deficits on their distribution. He points out that policy responses to the economic crises should not aggravate the existing inequalities.

Health in All Policies (HiAP) was formally legitimated as a European Union (EU) approach in 2006. It resulted from more long-term efforts to enhance action on considering health and health policy implications of other policies, as well as recognition that European-level policies affect health systems and scope for health-related regulation at national level. However, implementation of HiAP has remained a challenge. European-level efforts to use health impact assessment to benefit public health and health systems have not become strengthened by the new procedures. And, as a result of the Lisbon Treaty, European-level policy-making is expected to become more important in shaping national policies. HiAP has at European level remained mostly as rhetorics, but legitimates health arguments and provides policy space for health articulation within EU policy-making. HiAP is a broader approach than health impact assessment and at European level requires consideration of mechanisms that recognise the nature of European policy-making, as well as extending from administrative tools to increased transparency, accountability and scope for health and health policy-related arguments within political decision-making in the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European policymakers have recently become increasingly committed to using Impact Assessment (IA) to inform policy decisions. Welcoming this development, the public health community has not yet paid sufficient attention to conceptual concerns about IA or to corporate efforts to shape the way in which IA is used. This essay is a thematic analysis of literature concerning IA and associated tools and a related assessment of the European Union's (EU) new 'integrated⇔tm) IA tool. Eight key concerns regarding IA are identified from the literature, many of which relate to the potential for undue corporate influence. Assessment of the EU's IA tool suggests that many of these concerns are valid. The findings raise crucial questions about the role of IA in public policy. By focusing mainly on the impact on the economy and business environment, the EU's current approach to IA may undermine healthy public policy. Those interested in public health need to acknowledge and respond to the problems associated with IA and evaluate the effects of 'integrated⇔tm) IA tools on policy decisions affecting public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on the possible effect of the increasing use of health impact assessment (HIA) in Europe on efforts to implement public health policy. It is asserted that the adoption of HIA may have been supported by the scientific community and international expert organizations in the field of public health, but its systematic implementation in routine daily decision making has been difficult. One factor behind the difficulties faced in implementing HIA is the large number of competing impact assessments.