Social factors are becoming more widely recognized as having an impact on health. There is growing evidence that social, economic, and environmental factors contribute significantly to disparities in health outcomes (Braveman et al 2011). As a result, those looking to close health disparities are increasingly looking at interventions that address structural issues that create an unfair and unequal distribution of social, economic, and environmental benefits and burdens (Iton et al 2010). At the root of these structural issues is powerlessness (Givens 2018).
This primer examines how health equity can be achieved through a community power-building approach to structural change. Given shifts in the public health field, what had been a matter of making an argument for equity is now more a matter of how to achieve equity. While there are best practices around policies and systems change, there is less known about the role, strategies, and impacts of community power-building organizations in achieving health equity. (author introduction) #P4HEwebinarNovember2023