Introduzione o prefazione

The link between social determinants, risk factors and health outcome has been demonstrated globally. More research is still required, however, to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying these relationships. Although further study is still needed to define better the measures of social determinants (in relation to both health outcome and risk factors), a data collection system (surveillance) already exists for risk factors that can provide information about these relationships. In particular, the observation of changes over time and trends can offer unique information on the effectiveness of health promotion programmes and policies for decreasing (or increasing) health inequalities.