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From: "Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC)" <ruglucia at PAHO.ORG>
EQUIDAD at LISTSERV.PAHO.ORG

The Influence Of Income On Health: Views Of An Epidemiologist

Does money really matter? Or is it a marker for something else?


Michael Marmot, professor and head of the Department of Epidemiology
and
Public Health, and director of the International Centre for Health and
Society, at University College London. He was a member of the
Scientific
Advisory Committee, which prepared the 1998 Independent Inquiry into
Inequalities in Health, under the leadership of Sir Donald Acheson. In
2000
Marmot was awarded a knighthood "for services to epidemiology and
understanding health inequalities." - Health Affairs, 2002

Available online as PDf file [16p.] at:
http://www.healthaffairs.org/readeragent.php?ID=/usr/local/apache/sites
/heal
thaffairs.org/htdocs/Library/v21n2/s7.pdf


ABSTRACT:

 "..... Income is related to health in three ways: through the gross
national product of countries, the income of individuals, and the
income
inequalities among rich nations and among geographic areas.



A central question is the degree to which these associations reflect a
causal association. If so, redistribution of income would improve
health.
This paper discusses two ways in which income could be causally related
to
health: through a direct effect on the material conditions necessary
for
biological survival, and through an effect on social participation and
opportunity to control life circumstances. The fewer goods and services
are
provided publicly by the community....."