Population Health: Challenges for Science and Society

Overview

Journal Milbank Q

Specialties Health Services
Public Health

Date 2007 Aug 28

PMID 17718667

Citations 14

Authors

David Mechanic

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The emphasis on risk factor intervention at the individual level has predominated in efforts to reduce mortality and promote health. Interest in social and other nonmedical interventions, particularly socioeconomic status (SES) influences, has increased in recent years. This article focuses on the interaction of social structure and socioeconomic status with other influences in complex pathways to affect health, and their contribution to health disparities. It examines both social class as an explanation of health differences and competing hypotheses concerning prenatal and early nutrition and cognitive capacity. Although education is associated with income, wealth, occupation, and other SES indicators and may not be the most important SES determinant, it influences a variety of pathways to health outcomes and offers strategic leverage for intervention because of social and political consensus on its value beyond health.

Citing Articles

Outcomes of Equity-Oriented, Web-Based Parenting Information in Mothers of Low Socioeconomic Status Compared to Other Mothers: Participatory Mixed Methods Study.

Pluye P, El Sherif R, Gonzalez-Reyes A, Turcotte E, Schuster T, Bartlett G J Med Internet Res. 2020; 22(11):e22440.

PMID: 33170125 PMC: 7685922. DOI: 10.2196/22440.

Healthcare Systems in Comparative Perspective: Classification, Convergence, Institutions, Inequalities, and Five Missed Turns.

Beckfield J, Olafsdottir S, Sosnaud B Annu Rev Sociol. 2017; 39:127-146.

PMID: 28769148 PMC: 5536857. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-soc-071312-145609.

The Challenge of Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes to Public Health: A Study Based on Qualitative Systemic Approach.

Carvalho M, Coeli C, Chor D, Pinheiro R, da Fonseca M, Carvalho L PLoS One. 2015; 10(7):e0132216.

PMID: 26171854 PMC: 4501838. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132216.

Societal determination of usefulness and utilization wishes of community health services: a population-based survey in Wuhan city, China.

Zhang P, Zhao L, Liang J, Qiao Y, He Q, Zhang L Health Policy Plan. 2014; 30(10):1243-50.

PMID: 25492032 PMC: 4625757. DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czu128.

Use of relative and absolute effect measures in reporting health inequalities: structured review.

King N, Harper S, Young M BMJ. 2012; 345:e5774.

PMID: 22945952 PMC: 3432634. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.e5774.

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