Learning from communities in the USA and England to promote equity and address the social determinants of health

Abstract

This commentary contextualises and documents the process of a twinning learning exchange between the US Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health initiative and the Communities for Health initiative in England to enable the transfer and adaptation of ideas for similar community-focused initiatives in various contexts globally. The multi-partner twinning exchange built on and shared knowledge around community health promotion interventions, targeting ‘marginalised’ populations and focused on addressing the social determinants of health to effectively reduce health inequalities. This commentary presents the methodology of the exchange; provides key themes, outcomes and lessons learnt that arose from discussions and the experience; and provides insights, considerations and recommendations for adaptation. Finally, it highlights the importance of such exchanges in the current global context and the need for their replication and adaptation. These experiences contribute to building the evidence base on successful interventions and identifying strategies that work for improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities. They strengthen the need for all governments to address the social determinants of health as a priority whilst providing insights to inform successful policy. (Global Health Promotion, 2013; 20 Supp. 4: 104–112).