Social determinants of health : a comparative approach / Alan Davidson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: The Conventional Understanding of Health and its Alternative -- 1. Thinking about Individual and Population Health -- 2. Population Health and Social Epidemiology -- 3. Income, Inequality, and Health -- 4. Childhood and the Transition to Adulthood -- 5. Social Support, Social Capital, and Social Exclusion -- 6. Health of Aboriginal Peoples -- 7. Gender and Health -- 8. Employment, Working Conditions, and Health -- 9. Housing and Neighbourhood -- 10. Food, Food Insecurity, Obesity, and Nutrition -- 11. Social Patterning of Behaviour -- 12. The Politics of Population Health -- --

Introduction: The Conventional Understanding of Health and Its Alternative -- How We Understand Threats to Our Health -- A New Perspective on Our Health: Rise of an Alternative View -- Health Inequalities -- The Basis of Health Inequalities -- What Lies Ahead -- 1. Thinking about Individual and Population Health -- Levels of Analysis -- Individual Level Analysis of Health and Disease -- Origins of Population Health -- Some Notes on Terms -- Theoretical Considerations -- 2. Population Health and Social Epidemiology -- The Emergence of the Field "Social Epidemiology" -- Geoffrey Rose and the Population Health Perspective -- The Impact of Recent Studies on Thinking about Health -- The Gradient in Health -- The Building Blocks of Theory -- Theoretical Considerations -- 3. Income, Inequality, and Health -- The Gradient in Health -- Understanding the Complex Relationship between Income and Health -- The Inequality Hypothesis under Assault -- What Are We to Make of the Literature on Inequality and Health? -- The Importance of Keeping Materialist Arguments Separate from Ones about Hierarchy and -- Control -- Income and Income Distribution -- Public Programs and Services -- Poverty and Its Mitigation -- Lower Taxes or More Public Spending? -- Theoretical Considerations -- 4. Childhood and the Transition to Adulthood -- Early Childhood -- Animal Studies -- Contributions from Psychology -- Early Childhood Policy -- A Note on the Public School System -- Older Children and Teens -- Theoretical Considerations -- 5. Social Support, Social Capital, and Social Exclusion -- Social Norms, Predictability, and Human Health -- Social Networks -- Social Support and Health -- Social Cohesion -- Social Capital -- Sense of Community Belonging -- Social Exclusion -- Theoretical Considerations -- 6. Health of Aboriginal Peoples -- Who Are the Aboriginal Peoples? -- The Health of Aboriginal Peoples -- Understanding the Determinants of Aboriginal Health -- A Story of Dramatic Improvement -- Theoretical Considerations -- 7. Gender and Health -- The Health of Women and Men -- The Effects of Marriage on Health -- Distress among Women -- Gender Equity -- Education and the Health of Women and Their Communities -- Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered People -- Theoretical Considerations -- 8. Employment, Working Conditions, and Health -- The Centrality of Employment to Adult Health -- Health and Jobs -- Unemployment and Health -- Changes in the Nature of Employment -- Working Conditions and Health -- Policies Affecting Employment, Earnings, Job Benefits, and Working Conditions -- Theoretical Considerations -- 9. Housing and Neighbourhood -- Homes and Health -- Neighbourhood and Health -- Urban Design, the Built Environment, and Physical Activity -- Housing Policy and Health -- Theoretical Considerations -- 10. Food, Food Insecurity, Obesity, and Nutrition -- Diet and the Health of Populations -- What Is a Healthy Diet? The Canada Food Guide -- The Relative Cost of Healthy Foods -- Obesity -- Diet and Health -- Policies and Programs -- 11. Social Patterning of Behaviour -- Human Behaviour and Its Context -- Healthy Lifestyles -- Theoretical Considerations -- 12. The Politics of Population Health -- Models of Health -- Globalization and Human Health -- Population Health and Politics.

"Social Determinants of Health: A Comparative Approach introduces the various elements that determine the health of individuals in their communities. The text takes a macro-level approach, focusing on population health rather than strictly on individual health. Social Determinants of Health focuses on "Anglo-American" countries-Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia-examining the commonalities and differences socially, economically, and politically."--Publisher's website.