#17---Social Class Gradient of Disease

These writing assignments are meant to help you think about the readings and to prepare you for class discussions. For that reason, when you write a response it is important that you give your opinions and that you relate your thoughts to the reading. Remember that these are exam questions and that they are graded as such. You ought to write them as though you are writing questions on a midterm or a final exam.

Respond to one of the following questions by writing a response on the class Discussion Board on Blackboard at least one hour before class on the date the question is listed. Put your name in the text of the question and give the question number as listed below. Without these I can't tell who wrote the question or what you are responding to. You then have until Midnight on the following Sunday of that week to revise your response if you wish to do so and to submit it for grading. To submit your responses, send them via email to milofsky@bucknell.edu.

Your final version of this question is due by midnight, Sunday, November 1.

The Syme and Berkman article provide a very good overview and framework for the material covered in the film. However, to properly answer some of the questions on the list today you'll have to see the film to fill in the blanks.

17-1. How does the social class gradient of disease relate to the radical model of human services?

17-2. There are very few perfect correlations in social science yet with the social class gradient of disease we see one. What is the correlation and why does it occur?

17-3. The social class gradient of disease has two general sources, causes that are specifically associated with living conditions and behaviors associated with social class differences and causes that appear caused simply by inequality. Review the evidence in the film and the reading and explain what it means to talk about these differences in causation.

17-4 Important causes of the social class gradient of disease are factors that remain once we control for variables that differ by social class and that produce lear differences in health—things like rates of smoking and drinking, rates of obesity, and explosure to environmental pollution related to where one's works or lives. Let's talk about the variation related to inequality that remains once we control for obvious negative health effects. Why would inequality cause poorer health as people move down social class gradient?

17-5 My friend David Riemer from Milwaukee is using the film to argue that the most important thing government leaders can do to improve health in his city is to eliminate poverty. He believes this can be done by more effective implementation of government programs and new policies that would not be hard to put in place with current legislation. But do you agree with Riemer, that simply reducing income inequality would significantly improve health for poor people?