FRHD 3090 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Statistical Significance, Child Benefit, Data Set

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Family Relations and Human Development
• Course: FRHD 3090
• Professor: Michelle Preyde

Document Summary

The life course, the social gradient, and health. The life course may be regarded as combining biological and social elements which interact with each other. Individual biological development takes place within a social context which structures life chances so that advantages and disadvantages tend to cluster cross-sectionally and accumulate longitudinally. A person whose working environment is free of hazards is likely to reside in good-quality housing, to live in an area of little air pollution, and to have an income that permits a varied diet. Perinconceptual intake of folic acid influences strongly the risk of fetal neural tube defects and the sharp social gradient in these defects most plausibly arises from low incomes and the consequent restriction of dietary choice. Parental social class is a predictor of birth weight and, as noted, birth weight is associated with a range of health outcomes in later life.