Do Social and Economic Policies Influence Health? A Review

Osypuk, Theresa L.; Joshi, Pamela; Geronimo, Kimberly; Acevedo‐García, Dolores

doi:10.1007/s40471-014-0013-5

Cited by 84 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 60 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Manipulating SEP is feasible and common via social policy. 43 Such policy efforts may be necessary to complement medical care and health behavior change efforts to change social position explicitly, to achieve improvements and reduce disparities in population health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life-course Social Mobility and Reduced Risk of Adverse Birth Outcomes

Osypuk

Slaughter-Acey

Kehm

et al. 2016

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Higher adult socioeconomic position (SEP) is associated with better birth outcomes. However, few studies incorporate life course or intergenerational SEP, which may inform etiology and targeted prevention efforts. This study tested whether life course social mobility from childhood was associated with lower risk of adverse birth outcomes. Methods Data were from the Life-course Influences of Fetal Environments (LIFE) retrospective cohort study among black women, 2009–2011, in metropolitan Detroit, MI. This study (analyzed in 2014–2016) examined whether social mobility was associated with two primary birth outcomes: small for gestational age (SGA) and preterm birth (PTB). Childhood and adulthood SEP were measured by survey in adulthood, for two constructs, measured ordinally: educational attainment and perceived financial sufficiency (subjective income/wealth). Social mobility was calculated as the difference of adulthood minus childhood SEP. Results In covariate-adjusted Poisson regression models, 1-SD improved educational social mobility from childhood to adulthood was protective for SGA (adjusted risk ratio, 0.76; 95% CI=0.64, 0.91); this association remained after adjusting for financial mobility. Upward financial social mobility from early childhood was marginally protective for SGA (adjusted risk ratio, 0.85; 95% CI=0.72, 1.02), but became nonsignificant after controlling educational mobility. There were no overall associations of social mobility with PTB or low birth weight, although sensitivity analyses identified that improved financial mobility was associated with 16% marginally lower risk of spontaneous PTB and 28% marginally lower risk of low birth weight among upwardly mobile/stable women only. Conclusions Improved life course social mobility is associated with reduced risk for SGA and spontaneous PTB among black women.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life-course Social Mobility and Reduced Risk of Adverse Birth Outcomes

Osypuk

Slaughter-Acey

Kehm

et al. 2016

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Importantly, although there is much that we need to learn about maximizing the impact of interventions to reduce the observed gaps, there is substantial evidence now that provides clear direction and promising strategies to tackle health inequalities (Williams and Mohammed 2013b; Cohen and Sherman 2014; Osypuk, Joshi et al 2014). Thus our greatest need is to build the needed political support to utilize the best available science to reduce the massive loss of lives that social inequalities in health reflect.…”

Section: Implications For Research and Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding associations among race, socioeconomic status, and health: Patterns and prospects.

Williams¹,

Priest²,

Anderson³

2016

Health Psychology

873

606

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) are social categories that capture differential exposure to conditions of life that have health consequences. Race/ethnicity and SES are linked to each other, but race matters for health even after SES is considered. This commentary considers the complex ways in which race combines with SES to affect health. There is a need for greater attention to understanding how risks and resources in the social environment are systematically patterned by race, ethnicity and SES, and how they combine to influence cardiovascular disease and other health outcomes. Future research needs to examine how the levels, timing and accumulation of institutional and interpersonal racism combine with other toxic exposures, over the life-course, to influence the onset and course of illness. There is also an urgent need for research that seeks to build the science base that will identify the multilevel interventions that are likely to enhance the health of all, even while they improve the health of disadvantaged groups more rapidly than the rest of the population so that inequities in health can be reduced and ultimately eliminated. We also need sustained research attention to identifying how to build the political support to reduce the large shortfalls in health.

show abstract

“…Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are non-clinical factors that affect the social and economic status of individuals and communities, including such items as their birthplace, living conditions, working conditions and demographic attributes [3]. Also included are social stressors such as crime, violence, and physical disorders, as well as others [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%