The Impact of Social Inequalities on Personal Health

Monica Budowski and Annette Scherpenzeel

Chapter 4 in Contemporary Switzerland, 2005, pp 81-101 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract Health care costs in Switzerland are among the highest worldwide. Revealing the contribution of social inequalities on personal health might point to less costly alternatives for public health. This paper analyzes the effects of social environment on individual health. A growing body of literature posits that social position and relationships are important for well-being. Material circumstances (deprivation, poverty, financial situation) are among the most well-examined factors regarding their impact on personal health. Recent research indicates that health also varies according to the social and material circumstances experienced during youth. Different social environments are considered to hold different risks for the individuals involved and entail different social policy measures. The Swiss Household Panel survey provides a unique data set collecting information on a variety of issues for same individuals over time. It provides a short-term (panel) and a longer-term (social origin) temporal perspective, and allows for a dynamic analysis of changes in health of individuals in Switzerland. A structural equation model identifies causal pathways. Implications for public health policies for individual health are discussed.

Keywords: Social Environment; Social Position; Social Inequality; Personal Health; Financial Situation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-52358-6_5

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.palgrave.com/9780230523586

DOI: 10.1057/9780230523586_5

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Palgrave Macmillan Books from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().