Table 1 Search strategy applied in Pubmed and Sociological Abstracts databases

INCLUSION criteria

European Cities

Papers published between January 1995-March 2011

Papers published in peer-reviewed journals

Papers on policies or interventions to reduce health inequalities

Papers in English, Spanish or French

EXCLUSION criteria

Theoretical papers on policies or interventions to reduce health inequalities

Papers that only talk about reducing inequalities in the conclusions or recommendations

Pubmed search

(health equit* [Title/Abstract] OR health inequalit* [Title/Abstract] OR health inequit* [Title/Abstract] OR disparit* [Title/Abstract] OR depriv* [Title/Abstract] OR social justice* [Mesh]) AND (policy [Mesh] OR policy making [Mesh] OR health policy [Mesh] OR organizational policy [Mesh] OR health plan implementation [Mesh] OR community health planning [Mesh] OR government program [Mesh] OR program evaluation [Mesh] OR intervention* [Title/Abstract] OR policy* [Title/Abstract] OR policies [Title/Abstract] OR plan [Title/Abstract] OR action [Title/Abstract]) AND (Urban renewal [Mesh] OR Urban Health [Mesh] OR urban regeneration [Title/Abstract] OR Cities [Mesh] OR city planning [Mesh] OR urban area [Title/Abstract] OR city* [Title/Abstract] OR cities [Title/Abstract] OR healthy city* [Title/Abstract] OR municipal* [Title/Abstract] OR town [Title/Abstract])

CSA Sociological abstracts search

((TI = ((health inequit*) or (health inequalit*) or (health inequit*)) or TI = (disparit* or depriv*)) or (AB = ((health inequit*) or (health inequalit*) or (health inequit*)) or AB = (disparit* or depriv*)) or (DE = (social justice*))) and ((DE = (policy or (policy making) or (health policy)) or DE = ((organizational policy) or (health plan implementation) or (community health planning)) or DE = ((government program) or (program evaluation))) or (TI = (intervention* or policy* or policies) or TI = plan) or (AB = (intervention* or policy* or policies) or AB = plan)) and ((DE = ((urban renewal) or (urban health) or cities) or DE = (city planning)) or (TI = ((urban area) or city* or cities) or TI = ((health city*) or municipal* or town)) or (AB = ((urban area) or city* or cities) or AB = ((health city*) or municipal* or town)))