Information access as a social determinant of health

https://doi.org/10.18294/sc.2011.386

Published 7 October 2011 Open Access


Maria Cristina Soares Guimarães Doctora en Ciencias de la Información. Investigadora en Salud Pública, Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde (ICICT), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Brasil , Cícera Henrique Silva Doctora en Ciencias de la Información y de la Comunicación. Investigadora en Salud Pública, Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde (ICICT), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Brasil , Ilma Horsth Noronha Magíster en Ciencias de la Información. Coordinadora de la Rede de Bibliotecas da Fiocruz, Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde (ICICT), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Brasil



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Keywords:

Access to Information, Health Inequalities, Health Literacy, Information Technology

Abstract


After more than a century of research, the debate about how social processes shape the health of populations remains very much alive. The evidence collected througout this time, in its variety of contexts and historical periods, points to a complex equation between health, inequalities in living conditions and the interactions and associations between individuals and groups. Because they are avoidable, unfair and unnecessary, health inequities are elements open to intervention: in particular, access to information emerges as an important dimension of health equity. This article aims to contribute to the discussion of this topic, especially with regard to the concept of access to information and some of its various dimensions. Finally, the article proposes the need for launching an affirmative agenda focused on promoting the use of information in and for health.