An Analysis of the Social Gradient of Health in Relation Essay

An Analysis of the Social Gradient of wellness in Relation to the Australian Indigenous population The demonstration of a mixer gradient of wellness predicts that reducing inequality itself has health benefits for all told, not simply for the imp all overished or deprived minorities within populations. (Devitt, dormitory room & Tsey 2001) The above quote from Devitt, Hall and Tseys paper is a relatively vigorous grounded and well researched statement which draws on contemporary theoretical sociological concepts to oppose the assertion that reducing inequality is the discern to improving health for all. in time the assertion that the demonstration of a companionable gradient of health predicts that a reduction in inequality will lead to health benefits for all is a rather broad statement and requires closer interrogation. The intention of this testify is to examine the favorable gradient of health, whose existence has been well established by the Whitehall Studies (Marm ot 1991), and, by focusing on those multitudes at the lower end of the social gradient, determine whether initiatives to direct inequalities between social classes will lead to health benefits for those classes at the lower end of the social scale.The effectiveness of past initiatives to address these social and health inequalities will be examined and recommendations made as to how these initiatives powerfulness be more effective. The social gradient described by Marmot and others is unified with a variety of environmental, sociopolitical and socio frugal factors which have been identified as detect determinants of health. These determinants interact with each other at a very labyrinthian level to impact directly and indirectly on the health attitude of persons and groups at all levels of society Poor social and economic deal affect health throughout life.People further down the social ladder usually run at least twice the pretend of serious illness and premature death of those near the realise. Between the top and bottom health standards show a continual social gradient. (Wilkinson & Marmot 1998) In Australian society it is readily app arnt that the lower social classes are at greater disadvantage than those in the upper echelons of society this has been discussed at length in several separate papers on the social gradient of health and its effects on disadvantaged Australian groups (Devitt, Hall & Tsey 2001, Robinson 2002, Caldwell & Caldwell 1995).Within the context of the social gradient of health it can be inferred that Indigenous groups, for example, are particularly susceptible to ill health and piteous health outcomes as they suffer inordinately from the negative effects of the key determinants of health. A simple example of this is the inequality in distri stillion of economic resources Average Indigenous household income is 38% less than that of non-Indigenous households. (AHREOC 2004). The variant and worry caused by insufficient ec onomic resources leads to increased risk of depression, hypertension and spunk disease (Brunner 1997 cited in hydrogen 2001).Higher social status and greater access to economic resources is concomitant with a reduction in stress and anxiety levels, as individuals in these groups have more control over economic pressures which create this stress. This simple comparison proves that the social gradient of health accurately reflects how socioeconomic determinants affect the health of specific social classes at the physiological level. An extension of the research into the social gradient and the determinants of health is the examination of the pathways through which specific social groups experience and respond to these determinants.These psychosocial pathways incorporate psychological, behavioral and environmental constraints and are closely linked to the determinants of health Many of the socio-economic determinants of health have their effects through psychosocial pathways. (Wilk inson 2001 cited in Robinson 2002). These pathways have been demonstrated by Henry (2001) in the conceptual get of resource influences (Appendix A), a model which illustrates the interaction between the constraints mentioned above and their impact on health outcomes.Henry states that a central differentiator between classes is the amount of control an individual feels they have over their environment. Whereas an individual from a lower class group holds a limited sense of control over their well macrocosm and consequently adopts a fatalistic approach to health, those in higher classes with a stronger sense of control over their health are more possible to take proactive steps in ensuring their future wellbeing.This means that twain individuals will cope differently with the same health problem. This is partly as a result of socioeconomic or environmental determinants relative to their situation, but it is also a result of behavioural/physical constraints and, most importantly, t he modes of supposition employed in rationalising their situation and actions. In essence these psychosocial pathways occupy an fair role between the social determinants of health and class related health behaviours.