# Personal Takeaways [[Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are both a cause and a consequence of poverty and marginalisation]] - NCD inequalities, both outcome, risk factors, and healthcare tend to be higher in people and communities with a lower socioeconomic status within the same country, but especially, differences in within-country patterns depend on the stage of economic development, and especially on social, economic, and health policies. [[social determinants of health]] - Past work into the causes of health inequalities has drawn attention to the roles of environmental, political, and psychosocial factors; health behaviours and proximal risk factors; and health-care access and quality. These factors are not mutually exclusive, since deprivation and poor working and living environments are themselves causes of hazardous health behaviours and low-quality health care. Actions to reduce NCDs and NCD inequalities should therefore rely on social and economic policies, and actions related to diet, lifestyle, and health care. Any one approach alone will be insufficient to reduce inequality, might not be implementable in isolation, and hence will need the other components to be effective. # Key messages Key actions to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and NCD inequalities, globally and within countries, are: 1. Enhancement and improvement of early childhood development programmes and education for all social groups, and removal of barriers to secure employment 2. Taxation of tobacco and alcohol, regulation of their production and sales, and restriction of advertising and marketing of these products 3. Reduction of dietary salt intake by regulation, well-designed public education, and mass media campaigns that target disadvantaged and marginalised social groups, and perhaps negotiated voluntary actions by food manufacturers 4. Improvement of financial and physical access of disadvantaged and marginalised social groups to healthier diets, including fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains through subsidies, agricultural policies, and possibly through improved availability in grocery stores; and implementation of taxes and regulations or restrictions of foods that contain high amounts of sugars, processed carbohydrates, and saturated fats 5. Implementation of universal, financially and physically accessible, high-quality primary care to reduce NCD risk factors through clinical interventions and to enhance early detection and treatment of NCDs 6. Implementation of universal health insurance or other mechanisms to remove financial barriers to health care, reduction of physical and behavioural barriers to health-care use, and improvement of quality of care in disadvantaged communities