Sociology of Health and Economical Resources

Economic Resources and Health

• Greater economic resources increase access to material conditions that prevent illness, such as safer homes, nutritious food, and physical activity.
• Limited economic resources create obstacles to good health, limiting opportunities to adopt healthier behaviors.
• Wealthier families can afford homes free of lead, mold, and cockroaches, which can cause neurological damage and asthma attacks.
• Higher income neighborhoods have:
  • Less crime (Friedson and Sharkey 2015)
  • Fewer fast-food outlets and liquor stores (N.Larsön, Story, and Nelson 2009)
  • More parks and green spaces for exercise (Gordon-Larsen et al. 2006; Rigolon 2016)
• Environmental injustice leads to fewer environmental hazards in wealthier neighborhoods, such as:
  • Air pollution
  • Toxic substances (Hajat et al. 2013)
• Wealth can protect against health consequences of job loss, preventing:
  • Homelessness or housing insecurity
  • Food insecurity
  • Inability to pay for crucial services (e.g. child care, transportation, heat)

Stress and Health

• Persistent stress, even at low levels, can lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes by triggering biological mechanisms, including inflammation and malfunctioning of the immune system.
• The stress response involves a series of bodily processes, including the secretion of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands.
• Persistently high levels of cortisol over time can damage multiple organs and systems in the body, causing inflammation and/or dysregulating the immune system.
• Chronic stress can lead to immune system dysregulation, causing the adrenal glands to produce chronically high levels of cortisol even when the stress has ceased.

Wealth and Income as Protective Factors

• Higher income and/or greater wealth can protect individuals and families from the stress associated with financial hardship.
• Greater economic resources can provide protection from the health-damaging psychosocial effects of neighborhood violence or disorder, residential crowding, and constant struggles to meet daily challenges with inadequate resources.
• Wealth and income can improve health by providing access to social networks with healthy role models and norms and resources to share, such as employment opportunities.

Social Determinants of Health

• Perceived relative social status has been found to be strongly related to health, with individuals who perceive themselves as lower in social standing experiencing poorer health.
• Occupation and work environment have been identified as key factors affecting health, with variations in control over work and working conditions playing a major role in health differentials across socioeconomic groups.

Key Studies and Findings

• McEwen (2017): provided a scientific understanding of how persistent stress leads to chronic diseases.
• Juster, McEwen, and Lupien (2010): identified the biological mechanisms involved in the response to stress.
• Baum, Garofalo, and Yali (1999): found that greater economic resources can protect individuals and families from the stress associated with financial hardship.