Library Bulletin – Journal Articles – February 2010
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HEALTH INEQUALITIES
HOLLIGAN, Christopher Peter and DEUCHAR, Ross. Territorialities in Scotland: perceptions of young people in Glasgow. Journal of Youth Studies Vol 12, No 6 - December 2009: 731-746
Abstract: This paper presents the results of an exploratory, small-scale qualitative research enquiry into the perceptions and experiences of young people in communities afflicted by deprivation in Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. The context within which we address this focus contains a culture reputed to involve sectarianism, territoriality and gangs. Glasgow has a reputation for being a 'hard place'. The official crime statistics are consistent with comparatively high levels of violent crime impacting upon this culture. We adopted semi-structured interviews in order to explore young people's perspectives as well as those working with them in youth venues. Most of the data collection took place in 'youth centres' close to the two stadiums of the major Scottish football clubs, namely Rangers and Celtic. Social capital theory is incorporated into the analysis of the results. The findings suggest that territoriality is the dominant parameter shaping their experience of and perceptions regarding neighbourhood areas, a conclusion endorsed by recent research about religious intermarriage.
KONDO, Naoki and SEMBAJWE, Grace and others. Income inequality, mortality, and self rated health: meta-analysis of multilevel studies. British Medical Journal 21 November 2009: 1178-1181
Abstract: Objective: To provide quantitative evaluations on the association between income inequality and health. Design Random effects meta-analyses, calculating the overall relative risk for subsequent mortality among prospective cohort studies and the overall odds ratio for poor self rated health among cross sectional studies. Data sources: PubMed, the ISI Web of Science, and the National Bureau for Economic Research database. Review methods: Peer reviewed papers with multilevel data. Results: The meta-analysis included 59 509 857 subjects in nine cohort studies and 1 280 211 subjects in 19 cross sectional studies. The overall cohort relative risk and cross sectional odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) per 0.05 unit increase in Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, was 1.08 (1.06 to 1.10) and 1.04 (1.02 to 1.06), respectively. Meta-regressions showed stronger associations between income inequality and the health outcomes among studies with higher Gini (0.3), conducted with data after 1990, with longer duration of follow-up (>7 years), and incorporating time lags between income inequality and outcomes. By contrast, analyses accounting for unmeasured regional characteristics showed a weaker association between income inequality and health. Conclusions: The results suggest a modest adverse effect of income inequality on health, although the population impact might be larger if the association is truly causal. The results also support the threshold effect hypothesis, which posits the existence of a threshold of income inequality beyond which adverse impacts on health begin to emerge. The findings need to be interpreted with caution given the heterogeneity between studies, as well as the attenuation of the risk estimates in analyses that attempted to control for the unmeasured characteristics of areas with high levels of income inequality.
LAHELMA, Eero and LALLUKKA, Tea and others. Social class differences in health behaviours among employees from Britain, Finland and Japan: the influence of psychosocial factors. Health and Place Vol 16, No 1 - January 2010: 61-70
Abstract: This study aims to examine social class differences in smoking, heavy drinking, unhealthy food habits, physical inactivity and obesity, and work-related psychosocial factors as explanations for these differences. This is done by comparing employee cohorts from Britain, Finland and Japan. Social class differences in health behaviours are found in the two western European countries, but not in Japan. The studied psychosocial factors related to work, work-family interface and social relationships did not explain the found class differences in health behaviours.
MATHESON, Anna and DEW, Kevin and others. Complexity, evaluation and the effectiveness of community-based interventions to reduce health inequalities. Health Promotion Journal of Australia Vol 20, No 3 - December 2009: 221-2126
Abstract: Reducing health inequalities has been part of the New Zealand government's agenda since the early 1990s. As a result, interventions have been implemented nationally with the explicit goal of reducing health inequalities. This paper describes findings from a comparative case study of two community-based interventions - carried out in different New Zealand communities. Complexity theory was used as an analytic tool to examine the case data, and provided a systematic way in which to explore 'local' issues by taking a 'whole system' perspective. The findings showed that two important influences on the successful implementation of the interventions were the existence and capacity of local organisations and their relationships with government agencies. The analysis provided a dynamic picture of shared influences on the interventions in different communities and in doing so offered insight into intervention effectiveness. It is argued in this article that, for examining intervention effectiveness, it is essential to have a theoretical understanding of the behaviour of the complex system in which they are implemented. This theoretical understanding has implications for the appropriate design of interventions to reduce health inequalities, and in turn should lead to more meaningful ways to evaluate them.
SCOTT-SAMUEL, Alex and STANISTREET, Debbi and others. Hegemonic masculinity, structural violence and health inequalities. Critical Public Health Vol 19, No 3-4 - September-December 2009: 287-292
Abstract: There is persuasive evidence that the reduction of health inequalities can only be achieved by addressing their fundamental causes as opposed to the diseases through which they are expressed or the immediate precursors of those diseases. This explains both the persistence of health inequalities over time and the failure of policies which only target their immediate manifestations to have any lasting impact. Fundamental causes of health inequalities are thought to include: inequalities in power, money, prestige, knowledge and beneficial social connections. The aim of this discussion is to consider the impact of hegemonic masculinity in determining unequal social and political relations which are deleterious to the health of both men and women on a global scale.
WILLIAMS, Robert and ROBERTSON, Steve and others. Men's health, inequalities and policy: contradictions, masculinities and public health in England. Critical Public Health Vol 19, No 3-4 - September-December 2009: 475-488
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to consider 'New' Labour's socio-economic and health policies, discuss how they influence preventive health strategies aimed at men, and identify the implications for managers, researchers and practitioners working to improve public health in the primary care sector in England. Policy, theoretical work and empirical research are analysed, critically, to develop the arguments in the paper. Although men may be perceived as a 'hard to reach group', insufficient consideration has been given to how health policy facilitates or restricts successful preventive health work with men. The 'gender duty', which has recently been introduced in England, presents an opportunity to build on earlier successful public health work with men. There is some evidence that innovative public health strategies, informed by an understanding of gender, with men are being developed. This may enable primary care trusts to more successfully, and creatively, target and engage men in health improvement activities. However, the current dominant ideology in public health policy in England is grounded in a perspective that emphasises biomedical, neo-liberal and psychological explanations of health and which neglects the relationship between gender and health inequalities. Recognition of the links between gender, poverty, and the concomitant inequalities, is a priority when planning preventive health work with men. If such inequalities are to be redressed, social and economic policies underpinned by values of equity and social justice are needed, incorporating a more nuanced understanding of the role of gender in health.