Health Disparities: A Life Course Health Development Perspective and Future Research Directions

Abstract

Historically, research examining health status disparities between members in different socioeconomic status and racial/ethnic groups often focused on adults and the concurrent lifestyle factors that might explain health differentials. Recent years have witnessed an explosion of interest in the developmental origins of adult health and disease, and life course-oriented research has proliferated across the social, biological, and health sciences. This chapter describes how an integrated life course health development framework can be applied to advance our understanding of the dynamic and multilevel processes contributing to health disparities across lifetimes and even generations. Examples of recent research that has examined health status disparities from a life course perspective are provided, and research gaps and challenges are reviewed. The chapter concludes with a set of recommendations for a more strategic and responsive life course-informed research agenda that not only can fill in gaps in current knowledge, but also pave the way for the translation of this knowledge into improvement in practice, programs, and policy aimed at alleviating health disparities.

Life Course Research Agenda (LCRA), Version 1.0

“…The chapter in this volume by Larson and colleagues (Larson et al 2017) similarly focuses on the importance of intervention research to better understand the origins, impact, and mutability of health disparities that arise from different health development pathways. They argue that a multilevel intervention research strategy is needed.…”

“…In addition to interventions at the individual level, interventions focused on the multilevel determinants of health (e.g., neighborhood-level interventions) will also be important. Lastly, the chapter by Larson and colleagues (Larson et al 2017) suggests that research should focus on the impact of new policies and programs at the local, state, and national levels to reduce health disparities across the life course. The authors also make an important distinction between research focused on minimizing risk and preventing poor health and interventions aimed at optimizing health and developmental potential.…”

“…The chapter by Larson and colleagues (Larson et al 2017) suggests that additional research is needed to not only identify individuals with exceptional health resilience but to better understand the health development pathways that lead to more resilient phenotypes. Studies that examine the cultural, social, and psychological resources that can lead to thriving and better-than-expected health outcomes for individuals from disadvantaged social groups should also receive priority consideration, along with studies that lead to a better understanding of how those resources affect entire populations.…”

“…The chapter in this volume by Larson and colleagues (Larson et al 2017) suggests that it is important to continue to investigate the underlying biological processes that contribute to health disparities in human populations, and to better understand the role of protective factors and resilience on positive health outcomes for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. They also suggest more attention to parental preconception health and other intergenerational mechanisms that may contribute to early health disparities.…”

Introduction to the Handbook of Life Course Health Development

“…This chapter explores the factors and processes that contribute to health disparities across lifetimes and generations from the perspective of life course health development in order to illuminate potential practice and policy solutions to this persistent problem (Larson et al 2017).…”