Kontakt X:X | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2026.054

Social, digital, and educational inequalities as determinants of health: evidence from four national contexts in Europe and Latin AmericaSocial Sciences in Health - Original article

Jožica Čehovin Zajc ORCID...1, 2, *, Aracely Díaz-Oviedo ORCID...3, Tina Gogova ORCID...2, Marija Milavec Kapun ORCID...2
1 University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
3 Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Background: Health inequalities are shaped by broader social, digital and educational disparities. Examining their interconnections is essential for understanding structural determinants of health across different socioeconomic contexts.

Aim: To analyse how health inequalities are intertwined with social, digital, and educational inequalities in diverse national settings.

Methods: Comparable secondary statistical indicators of social, digital, educational, and health inequalities were analysed for Mexico, El Salvador, Slovenia, and Croatia. An Erasmus+ educational project was examined as an illustrative intervention addressing multilevel inequalities.

Results: Marked socioeconomic and digital disparities were observed in Latin America and Europe, reflected in weaker social protection, limited digital infrastructure, lower educational attainment, and poorer health. These domains are structurally interconnected and mutually reinforcing across the life course. The project case suggests that strengthening digital competencies and active learning in nursing education may enhance professional empowerment and support more equitable health engagement.

Conclusion: Health inequalities are embedded in multidimensional structural conditions. Addressing social protection, education, and digital access is central to reducing persistent health disparities and advancing health equity.

Keywords: Cross-cultural comparison; Educational status; Health disparities; Internet access; Nursing education; Socioeconomic factors
Grants and funding:

This research was supported by Erasmus+ project "Smartnurse - Developing Teachers' and Nursing Students' Competencies in Digital Nursing", and the Slovenian Research Agency (ARIS) research and infrastructure programme "Work, Education and Employment Analyses, P5-0193".

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: February 26, 2026; Revised: July 1, 2026; Accepted: August 31, 2026; Prepublished online: September 3, 2026 

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