[Reducing income inequity and boosting social capital: new responsibilities in social epidemiological research].
This paper focuses on the fact that there are not only large inequalities in health between but also within countries. The question is raised as to whether these two types of health inequalities are caused by similar processes, and whether understanding these processes could lead to new strategies for reducing such differences. Many studies in Germany have demonstrated that mortality and morbidity are much higher for low-status as compared to high-status population groups. These health inequalities are usually explained by differences in working and living conditions, in health behaviour and in health services utilisation. For some years there has been an extensive discussion in the international Public Health community on health inequalities between countries and on how they can be explained by income inequalities, with the term "social capital" becoming a central issue. This debate has been largely neglected in Germany, but such groundwork now offers an important opportunity for a more comprehensive discussion in this country as well.
Mielck
A
A
GSF-Institut für Medizinische Informatik und Systemforschung (MEDIS), Neuherberg. mielck@gsf.de
Bloomfield
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D012106:Research; D012922:Social Change