INTL 340 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Social Comparison Theory, Social Inequality, Whitehall Study
2 Jul 2018
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Week 2 Class 2
Whitehall Studies, findings:
●Whitehall I: higher risk of death due to CVD for men in lower occupational grades
○Men in lower job classes also had higher risk of negative health behaviors
○But even after controlling for these behaviors, risk of death among men of
low social status was higher
○Health behaviors account for (explain) only about one third of higher death
risk
○Note: health “risk” behaviors correlate with social position, compounding
risk
●Whitehall II, findings
○for men and women, social position strongly correlated with morbidity and
mortality
○relationship holds for a wide range of health/illness conditions: pulmonary
disease, heart disease, stroke, cancer, depression, pain, subjective ratings of
health
○Health “risk” behaviors also correlate inversely with social position
●Whitehall studies—implications
○if health behaviors and access to medical care don’t fully explain disparities
in health and illness in populations, what does?
○social position predicts health outcomes
●Marmot 2006 figure 1
○outcome variable: relative risk of death
○gradiated relationship with death
●Marmot 2006 figure 2 (green graph)
○3 imperial statements of fact
○predictor variable: occupational level, job grade, social class measured as job
category
○outcome variable: mortality rate
○epidemiological measures
○general relationship between variables: lower occupational rank, higher
mortality rate
■higher job grade, lower death rate
■linear relationship along social hierarchy that death rates are
correlated with social position
●Whitehall II figure
○shows importance of health disparities
○health disparities persist even though overall people are living longer
●figure 2.13
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Document Summary
Whitehall i: higher risk of death due to cvd for men in lower occupational grades. Men in lower job classes also had higher risk of negative health behaviors. But even after controlling for these behaviors, risk of death among men of low social status was higher. Health behaviors account for (explain) only about one third of higher death risk. Note: health risk behaviors correlate with social position, compounding risk. For men and women, social position strongly correlated with morbidity and mortality. Relationship holds for a wide range of health/illness conditions: pulmonary disease, heart disease, stroke, cancer, depression, pain, subjective ratings of health. Health risk behaviors also correlate inversely with social position. Predictor variable: occupational level, job grade, social class measured as job category. General relationship between variables: lower occupational rank, higher mortality rate. Linear relationship along social hierarchy that death rates are correlated with social position. Health disparities persist even though overall people are living longer.
