Inherited Health

Abstract

The evidence connecting social class to health outcomes is overwhelming. The lower one moves down the class hierarchy, the higher the incidence of disease and relative mortality. This suggests that something in the attitudes, knowledge and behaviour of the social classes has a direct consequence on their access to and use of health and social care resources. Alternatively, there may be something in how the social classes interact with health and care workers to account for such differentials. We look first at the various theoretical perspectives on class, which aids understanding systematic variations in social class and health.