Unequal health : how inequality contributes to health or illness

This book introduces students and researchers to the wealth of scientific information about health disparities among Americans. While the scientific research has burgeoned in recent years, the results are upsetting some firmly fixed beliefs regarding what people can or should do to improve their health. The book contrasts popular beliefs about the relevance of such factors as sex, race, poverty and health habits with research on those factors reported in the scientific literature. Budrys extends her analysis to more complicated topics, namely, access to medical care, genetics and stress. The final chapters of the book switch from a focus on the health of individuals to the health profile of whole populations. These chapters deal with research on the relationship between social inequality and health status - generally identified as social epidemiology or the study of population health. Budrys' synthesis of key research challenges basic tenets of the American belief system that promote the idea that all of us could improve our health significantly if we simply chose to do so. Her book shows health and well-being in America are directly tied to economic status - a relationship that extends well beyond obvious explanations related to poverty.