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The Sociobiologic Integrative Model (SBIM): Enhancing the Integration of Sociobehavioral, Environmental, and Biomolecular Knowledge in Urban Health and Disparities Research

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Abstract

Disentangling the myriad determinants of disease, within the context of urban health or health disparities, requires a transdisciplinary approach. Transdisciplinary approaches draw on concepts from multiple scientific disciplines to develop a novel, integrated perspective from which to conduct scientific investigation. Most historic and contemporary conceptual models of health were derived either from the sociobehavioral sciences or the biomolecular sciences. Those models deriving from the sociobehavioral sciences generally lack detail on involved biological mechanisms whereas those derived from the biomolecular sciences largely do not consider socioenvironmental determinants. As such, advances in transdisciplinary characterizations of health in complex systems like the urban environment or health disparities may be impeded. This paper suggests a sociobiologic organizing model that encourages a multilevel, integrative perspective in the study of urban health and health disparities.

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Acknowledgment

This research was supported by funding from the National Institute of Aging (5U01AG018033), National Cancer Institute (5U01CA086308), and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (ES03819). Dr. Alberg is a recipient of a KO7 award from the National Cancer Institute (CA73790).

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  1. Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

    M. Chris Gibbons

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  1. M. Chris Gibbons
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  2. Malcolm Brock
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  3. Anthony J. Alberg
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  4. Thomas Glass
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  5. Thomas A. LaVeist
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  7. David Levine
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Correspondence to M. Chris Gibbons.

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Gibbons and Fox are with the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA; Brock, Baylin, and Levine are with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Gibbons, Alberg, LaVeist, Levine, and Fox are with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Brock, Alberg, and Baylin are with the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Baltimore, MD, USA; Gibbons and LaVeist are with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Studies, Baltimore, MD, USA; Glass is with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center on Aging and Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.

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Gibbons, M.C., Brock, M., Alberg, A.J. et al. The Sociobiologic Integrative Model (SBIM): Enhancing the Integration of Sociobehavioral, Environmental, and Biomolecular Knowledge in Urban Health and Disparities Research. J Urban Health 84, 198–211 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-006-9141-7

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