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Beyond inequality: Acknowledging the complexity of social determinants of health

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  • Eckersley, Richard

Abstract

The impact of inequality on health is gaining more attention as public and political concern grows over increasing inequality. The income inequality hypothesis, which holds that inequality is detrimental to overall population health, is especially pertinent. However the emphasis on inequality can be challenged on both empirical and theoretical grounds. Empirically, the evidence is contradictory and contested; theoretically, it is inconsistent with our understanding of human societies as complex systems. Research and discussion, both scientific and political, need to reflect better this complexity, and give greater recognition to other social determinants of health.

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  • Eckersley, Richard, 2015. "Beyond inequality: Acknowledging the complexity of social determinants of health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 121-125.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:147:y:2015:i:c:p:121-125
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.10.052
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    2. Manuel García-Goñi & Alexandrina P. Stoyanova & Roberto Nuño-Solinís, 2021. "Mental Illness Inequalities by Multimorbidity, Use of Health Resources and Socio-Economic Status in an Aging Society," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-18, January.
    3. Kawachi, Ichiro & Subramanian, S.V., 2018. "Social epidemiology for the 21st century," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 240-245.
    4. Richards, Lindsay & Paskov, Marii, 2016. "Social class, employment status and inequality in psychological well-being in the UK: Cross-sectional and fixed effects analyses over two decades," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 45-53.
    5. Elizabeth Opiyo Onyango & Susan J. Elliott, 2020. "Bleeding Bodies, Untrustworthy Bodies: A Social Constructionist Approach to Health and Wellbeing of Young People in Kenya," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-19, October.
    6. Skare, Marinko & Porada-Rochoń, Małgorzata, 2022. "Technology and social equality in the United States," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    7. Gero, Krisztina & Kondo, Katsunori & Kondo, Naoki & Shirai, Kokoro & Kawachi, Ichiro, 2017. "Associations of relative deprivation and income rank with depressive symptoms among older adults in Japan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 138-144.
    8. Maskileyson, Dina, 2019. "Health trajectories of immigrants in the United States: Does income inequality of country of origin matter?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 246-255.
    9. Kokkinen, Lauri, 2022. "Studying social determinants of health using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis: A worked example," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).

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