Which term best describes the aim to reduce inequities and promote fair access to the conditions needed for good health?

• A. Evidence-based practice
• B. Built environment
• C. Social justice
• D. Cost-utility analysis

Answer: (C)

Reducing inequities and ensuring fair access to the conditions needed for good health is about social justice. In public health, social justice means fairness in health outcomes and in access to the factors that shape health—like housing, education, income, and safe environments. It emphasizes changing systems and policies so everyone has real and equal opportunities to be healthy, not just those with certain advantages. This aligns with health promotion aims to close gaps in health between groups and to ensure universal, fair access to the resources that support well-being.

Evidence-based practice focuses on using the best available research to guide decisions, but it’s not specifically about equity or fair access. The built environment describes the physical surroundings that affect health, which influences opportunities but doesn’t by itself capture the fairness of access. Cost-utility analysis is a way to assess value for money in interventions, not a concept about equity or fairness in health access.