thesis
Explaining Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health Behaviours: the role of environmental factors
- Publication date
- 8 October 2008
- Publisher
- In general, those who are worse off in terms of power, knowledge and wealth are
also worse off in terms of health. This inverse relation between socioeconomic
status (ses ) and health has been observed for centuries . With few exceptions,
the association exists regardless of the measure of ses that is employed
(education, income, or occupation) or the health outcome studied. Still today,
in a developed country like the Netherlands, considerable socioeconomic differences
in health exist. Those with a lower socioeconomic position live three
to five years shorter than their higher status counterparts (on average), and
also spend ten to fifteen more years in poorer health. Lower socioeconomic
groups have higher rates of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases,
obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancers [, report more health problems
and complaints, and have poorer self-perceived health.
Despite all advances during the last century that have resulted in today’s
modern society, health inequalities have not reduced over time, in fact, they
have even widened over the recent decades. However, the common convention
in nowadays’ Western societies is that socioeconomic health inequalities
should be reduced, for several reasons. First, health inequalities are considered
unjust, as the poorer health of lower socioeconomic groups is at least partly due
to societal and environmental processes which are beyond their individual control. Secondly, good health and freedom of choice are valued high within
our society, and good health is an important predisposition for every individual’s
opportunities in life. Thirdly, if the average health status of lower ses
groups could be upgraded to the level of their more advantaged counterparts,
this would have large g