This article examines the role of social workers in tackling inequalities in health care. The aim of such social work interventions is to empower service users, increase their well-being and reduce stress symptoms, mainly by advocacy and facilitating their access to health-care facilities and promoting social change.
Antonia, S. ( 2008) ‘Early Access and Use of Housing: Care Leavers and Other Young People in Difficulty’, Child and Family Social Work13(1): 91-100.
2.
Backlund, E., P.D. Sorlie and N.J. Johnson ( 1996) ‘The Shape of the Relationship between Income and Mortality in the United States: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study’, Annals of Epidemiology6: 1-9.
3.
Bassani, C. ( 2007) ‘Five Dimensions of Social Capital as they Pertain to Youth Studies’, Journal of Youth Studies10(1): 17-34.
4.
British Association of Social Workers (BASW) ( 2008) ‘The Code of Ethics for Social Work’. Available online at: www.basw.co.uk (accessed 21 May 2008).
5.
Daining, C. and DePanfillis, D. ( 2007) ‘Resilience of Youth in Transition from Out-of-Home Care to Adulthood’, Children and Youth Services Review29(9): 1158-78.
6.
Davey Smith, G. ( 1996) ‘Income Inequality and Mortality: Why Are They Related? Income Inequality Goes Hand in Hand with Underinvestment in Human Resources’ , British Medical Journal312: 987-8.
7.
Davey Smith, G., C. Hart, D. Blane, C. Gillis and V. Hawthorne ( 1997) ‘Lifetime Socioeconomic Position and Mortality: Prospective Observational Study’, British Medical Journal314: 547-52.
8.
Ecob, R. and G.D. Smith ( 1999) ‘Income and Health: What Is the Nature of the Relationship?’ , Social Science & Medicine48(5): 693-705.
9.
Gough, I. and T. Thomas ( 1994) ‘Why Do Levels of Human Welfare Vary Among Nations? , International Journal of Health Services24: 715-48.
10.
Gravelle, H. ( 1998) ‘How Much of the Relation between Population Mortality and Unequal Distribution of Income is a Statistical Artefact?’ , British Medical Journal316: 382-5.
11.
Hoodfar, H. and S. Assadpour ( 2000) ‘The Politics of Population Policy in the Islamic Republic of Iran’, Studies in Family Planning31(1): 19-34.
12.
Hosseinpoor, A.R., E.V. Doorslaer, N. Speybroeck, M. Naghavi, K. Mohammad, R. Majdzadeh, B. Delavar, H. Jamshidi, and J. Vega ( 2006) ‘Decomposing Socioeconomic Inequality in Infant Mortality in Iran’, International Journal of Epidemiology35: 1211-19.
13.
Hosseinpoor, A.R., K. Mohammad, R. Majdzadeh, M. Naghavi, F. Abolhassani, A. Sousa, N. Speybroeck, H.R. Jamshidi, and J. Vega ( 2005) ‘Socio-economic Inequality in Infant Mortality in Iran and Across its Provinces’, Bulletin of the World Health Organization83: 837-44.
14.
Hosseinpoor, A.R., M. Naghavi, S.M. Alavian, N. Speybroeck, H. Jamshidi, and J. Vega ( 2007) ‘Determinants of Seeking Needed Outpatient Care in Iran: Results from a National Health Services Utilization Survey’ , Archives of Iranian Medicine10(4): 439-45.
15.
Jahan, S. ( 2008) ‘Poverty and Infant Mortality in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Meta-analysis’, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health62: 745-51.
16.
Jensen, R.T. and K. Richter ( 2001) ‘Understanding the Relationship between Poverty and Children’s Health’, European Economic Review45: 1031-9.
17.
Johan, P. and M.B. Mackenbach ( 2002) Reducing Inequalities in Health: A European Perspective . London: Routledge.
18.
Kaplan, G.A., E.R. Pamuk, J.W. Lynch, R.D. Cohen and J.L. Balfour ( 1996) ‘Inequality in Income and Mortality in the United States: Analysis of Mortality and Potential Pathways’, British Medical Journal312: 999-1003.
19.
Lynch, J., G.D. Smith, S. Harper, M. Hillermeier, N. Ross, G.A. Kaplan and M. Wolfson ( 2004) ‘Is Income Inequality a Determinant of Population Health? Part 1. A Systematic Review’, Milbank Quarterly82(1): 5-99.
20.
Lynch, J.W. and G.A. Kaplan ( 1997) ‘Understanding How Inequality in the Distribution of Income Affects Health’, Journal of Health Psychology2: 297-314.
21.
Lynch, J.W., G. Davey Smith, G.A. Kaplan and J.S. House ( 2000) ‘Income Inequality and Mortality: Importance to Health of Individual Incomes, Psychological Environment, or Material Conditions’ , British Medical Journal320: 1200-4.
22.
Ministry of Health and Medical Education ( 2005) Report of Utilization of Health Services Survey. Tehran: Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
23.
Moldovan, V. ( 2007) ‘Contradictions in the Ideologies of Helping’ , International Social Work50(4): 461-72.
24.
Moradi-Lakeh, M., M. Ramezani and M. Naghavi ( 2007) ‘Equality in Safe Delivery and Its Determinants in Iran’, Archives of Iranian Medicine10(4): 446-51.
25.
Noorbakhsh, F. ( 2005) ‘Spatial Inequality, Polarization and its Dimensions in Iran: New Empirical Evidence’, Oxford Development Studies33(3, 4): 473-91.
26.
Plan and Budget Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran and United Nations Development Programme (PBOUNDP) (1999 ) Human Development Report of the Islamic Republic of Iran 1999 . Tehran: Plan and Budget Organisation of the Government of Iran and the United Nations.
27.
Power, C. and S. Matthews ( 1997) ‘Origins of Health Inequalities in a National Population Sample’, Lancet350: 1584-9.
28.
Sadi-Lari, M., A.A. Sayyari, M.E. Akbari and D. Gray ( 2004) ‘Public Health Improvement in Iran - Lessons from the Last 20 Years’, Public Health118: 395-402.
29.
Salehi-Isfahani, D. ( 2005) ‘Iran Third Development Plane: A Reappraisal’ . Department of Economics, Virginia Tech. Available online at: http://www.filebox.vt.edu/users/salehi/ReplytoAmuzegar.pdf (accessed 21 September 2008).
30.
Salehi-Isfahani, D. ( 2006) ‘Revolution and Redistribution in Iran: Poverty and Inequality 25 Years Later’, paper presented at Third Annual World Bank Conference on Inequality, Washington, DC. Available online at: http://www.filebox.vt.edu/users/salehi/Iran_poverty_trend.pdf (accessed 20 March 2008).
31.
Schwartz, P.J. ( 2003) ‘Advocacy in Health Care’, Department of Social Work Services, Mount Sinai Medical Center. Available online at: http://www.naswnyc.org/Advocacy.htm (accessed 11 April 2008).
32.
Smith, G.D., M. Bartley and D. Blane ( 1990) ‘The Black Report on Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health 10 Years On’, British Medical Journal301(6748): 373-7.
33.
United Nations (2003) Common Country Assessment for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Tehran : United Nations.
34.
Wade, J. and J. Dixon ( 2006) ‘Making a Home, Finding a Job: Investigating Early Housing and Employment Outcomes for Young People Leaving Care’ , Child and Family Social Work11(3): 199-208.
35.
Wilkinson, R.G. ( 1996) Unhealthy Societies: The Afflictions of Inequality . London: Routledge.
36.
Wilkinson, R. and M. Marmot ( 2003) Social Determinants of Health: The Solid Facts . Geneva: WHO.
37.
World Health Organization (WHO) (2008) ‘Building the Knowledge Base on the Social Determinants of Health: Review of Seven Countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region’ . Available online at: http://www.emro.who.int/dsaf/dsa939.pdf (accessed 21 May 2008).
38.
WHO Iran ( 2004) Country Cooperation Strategy for World Health Organization and Islamic Republic of Iran. Tehran: WHO.
