From the Editors.

An important theme emerging in health services policy is that an individual's health - or lack of - is often attributable to situations and circumstances far beyond his or her control. We now understand that low levels of education, unemployment, poverty and other socio-economic factors too often also equate with poor health and lower life expectancies. Policy makers seeking to address health inequities will need to look outside of the traditional boundaries of health services to arrive at solutions and strategies to address the issue.