Does racism harm health? Did child abuse exist before 1962? On explicit questions, critical science, and current controversies: an ecosocial perspective.

Research on racism as a harmful determinant of population health is in its infancy. Explicitly naming a long-standing problem long recognized by those affected, this work has the potential to galvanize inquiry and action, much as the 1962 publication of the Kempe et al. scientific article on the "battered child syndrome" dramatically increased attention to-and prompted new research on-the myriad consequences of child abuse, a known yet neglected social phenomenon.

Does economic inequality affect child malnutrition? The case of Ecuador.

Economic inequality has been hypothesized to be a determinant of population health, independent of poverty and household income. We examined the association between economic inequality and child malnutrition in Ecuador. Economic inequality was measured by the Gini coefficient of household per capita consumption, estimated from the 1990 Census.

Social capital and neighborhood mortality rates in Chicago.

Several empirical studies have suggested that neighborhood characteristics influence health, with most studies having focused on neighborhood deprivation or aspects of the physical environment, such as services and amenities. However, such physical characteristics are not the only features of neighborhoods that potentially affect health. Neighborhoods also matter because of the nature of their social organization.

Does racism harm health? Did child abuse exist before 1962? On explicit questions, critical science, and current controversies: an ecosocial perspective.

Research on racism as a harmful determinant of population health is in its infancy. Explicitly naming a long-standing problem long recognized by those affected, this work has the potential to galvanize inquiry and action, much as the 1962 publication of the Kempe et al. scientific article on the "battered child syndrome" dramatically increased attention to-and prompted new research on-the myriad consequences of child abuse, a known yet neglected social phenomenon.

Social inequality and child malnutrition in four Andean countries.

Objective: To analyze the effects of socioeconomic, regional, and ethnic conditions on chronic malnutrition in four Andean countries of South America: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Methods: The study was based on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for Colombia (1995), Peru (1996), and Bolivia (1997), and on a Living Standard Measurement Survey for Ecuador (1998). We developed an index of household socioeconomic status using categorical principal components analysis.

Social ties and mental health.

It is generally agreed that social ties play a beneficial role in the maintenance of psychological well-being. In this targeted review, we highlight four sets of insights that emerge from the literature on social ties and mental health outcomes (defined as stress reactions, psychological well-being, and psychological distress, including depressive symptoms and anxiety). First, the pathways by which social networks and social supports influence mental health can be described by two alternative (although not mutually exclusive) causal models-the main effect model and the stress-buffering model.

State-level income inequality and individual mortality risk: a prospective, multilevel study.

Objectives: Previous studies have linked state-level income inequality to mortality rates. However, it has been questioned whether the relationship is independent of individual-level income. The present study tests whether state-level income inequality is related to individual mortality risk, after adjustment for individual-level characteristics.

Socioeconomic inequality in voting participation and self-rated health.

Objectives: This study tested the hypothesis that disparities in political participation across socioeconomic status affect health. Specifically, the association of voting inequality at the state level with individual self-rated health was examined.

Methods: A multilevel study of 279,066 respondents to the Current Population Survey (CPS) was conducted.