Social Conditions As Fundamental Causes of Disease

Link, Bruce G.; Phelan, Jo C.

doi:10.2307/2626958

Cited by 4,559 publications

(3,746 citation statements)

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“…While this approach may provide valuable insights into the mechanisms involved, and in some cases even suggest potential interventions, it obviously cannot answer questions of why socioeconomic inequalities in health exist across societies and historical contexts Muntaner, 1999;Muntaner & Lynch, 1999;Lynch, Davey Smith, Kaplan & House, 2000). To answer questions of why socioeconomic disparities in health exist at all, we must continue to investigate the historical, political, economic, and social processes that differentially allocate negative health exposures and protective health resources across different groups in the population (Link & Phelan, 1995;Davey Smith 1996;Lynch, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The strong negative association between socioeconomic factors and health status has been observed across a wide variety of historical contexts, geographic locations, and populations (Blaxter 1987;Haan, Kaplan & Syme, 1989;Link & Phelan, 1995;Lynch & Kaplan, in press). In addition, results from a number of population-based studies in more developed countries suggest that socioeconomic differences in health status occur over the life course, yet are the greatest in the adult years (House et al, 1994;Mustard, Derksen, Berthelot, Wolfson & Roos, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Socioeconomic disparities in health change in a longitudinal study of US adults: the role of health-risk behaviors

Lantz

Lynch

House

et al. 2001

Social Science & Medicine

350

198

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This study investigated the hypothesis that socioeconomic differences in health status change can largely be explained by the higher prevalence of individual health-risk behaviors among those of lower socioeconomic position. Data were from the Americans' Changing Lives study, a longitudinal survey of 3617 adults representative of the US noninstitutionalized population in 1986. The authors examined associations between income and education in 1986, and physical functioning and self-rated health in 1994, adjusted for baseline health status, using a multinomial logistic regression framework that considered mortality and survey nonresponse as competing risks. Covariates included age, sex, race, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and Body Mass Index. Both income and education were strong predictors of poor health outcomes. The four health-risk behaviors under study statistically explained only a modest portion of the socioeconomic differences in health at follow-up. For example, after adjustment for baseline health status, those in the lowest income group at baseline had odds of moderate/severe functional impairment in 1994 of 2.11 (95% C.I.: 1.40, 3.20) in an unadjusted model and 1.89 (95% C.I.: 1.23, 2.89) in a model adjusted for health-risk behaviors. The results suggest that the higher prevalence of major health-risk behaviors among those in lower socioeconomic strata is not the dominant mediating mechanism that can explain socioeconomic disparities in health status among US adults. #

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioeconomic disparities in health change in a longitudinal study of US adults: the role of health-risk behaviors

Lantz

Lynch

House

et al. 2001

Social Science & Medicine

350

198

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…SES and social relationships have much to do with how long and how well persons live (Berkman and Syme 1979;Kitagawa and Hauser 1973;Link and Phelan 1995). SES provides a number of benefits that encourage healthy living and longer life including more autonomy over life circumstances and ready access to knowledge that promotes healthy living (Mirowsky and Ross 2003).…”

Section: Social Factors and Mortalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Social Factors and Mortalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Link and Phelan (1995) laid a groundwork for understanding social conditions as "fundamental causes" of health and length of life. In developing their theory, the authors note that social factors, such as SES and social support derived from important relationships, are central to health and mortality because they influence access to resources that can help prevent and overcome disease processes (Link and Phelan 1995). That is, higher SES and strong social relationships relate with better health prospects through greater social connectivity, more control of life circumstances, knowledge of and access to medical technologies, and healthier lifestyles (Glied and Lleras-Muney 2008;Mirowsky and Ross 2003;Rogers 1995;Umberson 1987).…”

Section: Social Factors and Mortalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The social side of accidental death

Denney

2014

Social Science Research

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Mortality from unintentional injuries, or accidents, represents major and understudied causes of death in the United States. Epidemiological studies show social factors, such as socioeconomic and marital status, relate with accidental death. But social theories posit a central role for social statuses on mortality risk, stipulating greater relevance for causes of death that have been medically determined to be more preventable than others. These bodies of work are merged to examine deaths from unintentional injuries using 20 years of nationally representative survey data, linked to prospective mortality. Results indicate that socially disadvantaged persons were significantly more likely to die from the most preventable and equally likely to die from the least preventable accidental deaths over the follow-up, compared to their more advantaged counterparts. This study extends our knowledge of the social contributors to a leading cause of death that may have substantial implications on overall disparities in length of life.

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Why Climate Literacy Is Health Literacy

2024

AMA Journal of Ethics

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Health problems of global warming are daunting in severity and magnitude and will only get worse. Yet literacy about these problems is poor and plans to alleviate them are too early in development to be responsive to current levels of global threat and individual need. Social and ecological determinants of health and illness are exacerbated by excessive heat and flooding; lack of food, safe water, and secure shelter; and loss of arable land for farming. This article considers the nature and scope of ethicists' roles in awakening clinicians and the public to this crisis and offers 4 recommendations to reduce morbidity and mortality from climate change.The American Medical Association designates this journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ available through the AMA Ed Hub TM . Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

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Social Conditions As Fundamental Causes of Disease

Cited by 4,559 publications

References 39 publications

Socioeconomic disparities in health change in a longitudinal study of US adults: the role of health-risk behaviors

Socioeconomic disparities in health change in a longitudinal study of US adults: the role of health-risk behaviors

The social side of accidental death

Why Climate Literacy Is Health Literacy

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