A book that I've found helpful is "Why Are Some People Health and Others
Not?" by Evans, Barer and Marmor, Aldine de Gruyter, 1994, ISBN 0-202-30490-6.
Bill Braun
At 09:57 AM 12/8/00 +0000, Ciaran Browne wrote:
>I think your right Bill,
>
>I remember reading an article in Health Psychology or the Journal of Health
>Psychology which studied a number of states in the US. What they found was
>that it was the difference between the top and bottom socio-economic groups
>that was associated with ill health. What this meant was that even if the
>top SEG in one country was equivalent to the bottom SEG in another state in
>absolute terms, they did not have the same level of health. The level of
>health was dependent on the difference between the higher and lower SEG in
>that state.
>
>I hope I explained this appropriately as I haven't got the article to hand.
>
>Ciaran.
>
>
>****************************************************************************
>**************************************************
>Dr. Ciaran Browne
>Eastern Regional Health Authority Ph: 01 - 4065682
>Canal House, Canal Road Fax: 01 - 4065604
>Dublin 6. Web:
>www.ERHA.ie <http://www.E.R.H.A.ie>
>****************************************************************************
>**************************************************
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Braun [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 9:14 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: inequalities and personal comparisons
>
> I'd be generally pessimistic. It's my understanding that it's the
>gradient
> over the entire population that produces the effect, not the
>perception of
> any one particular person. If we suddenly increase the affluence of
>one
> person, their health may improve. Societally however, it's a
>function of
> the socio-economic gradient for the entire population. the gradient
>has an
> effect at all income levels, not just between the poor and everyone
>else.
> Closing the gap between the top and the bottom, would, as I
>understand it,
> be the goal to work toward.
>
> Bill Braun
>
> At 04:33 PM 12/7/00 -0000, Andrew Hobbs wrote:
> >If comparing ourselves with people richer than us is bad for our
>health (I
> >believe there is plenty of evidence for this), I would be
>interested in your
> >observations/references/thoughts on:
> >- exchange visits between schools, institutions etc. in rich
>countries and
> >poor countries
> >- charity sponsorship programmes that link individual donors in
>rich
> >countries with children and individuals in poor countries
> >- the readers of UK magazines like OK and Hello, which feature the
>lives of
> >the rich and famous.
>
>
|