title: Social inequalities in health: a proper concern of epidemiology.
abstract: Social inequalities are a proper concern of epidemiology. Epidemiological thinking and modes of analysis are central, but epidemiological research is one among many areas of study that provide the evidence for understanding the causes of social inequalities in health and what can be done to reduce them. Understanding the causes of health inequalities requires insights from social, behavioral and biological sciences, and a chain of reasoning that examines how the accumulation of positive and negative influences over the life course leads to health inequalities in adult life. Evidence that the social gradient in health can be reduced should make us optimistic that reducing health inequalities is a realistic goal for all societies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Equity, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL, London, UK. Electronic address: m.marmot@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marmot
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Equity, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D004813:Epidemiology; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D012923:Social Class; D064890:Social Determinants of Health; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Epidemiology; Social determinants of health; Social inequalities in health