title: Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle of Disadvantage: The Three Generation Approach.
abstract: Health disparities in the United States related to socioeconomic status are persistent and pervasive. This review highlights how social disadvantage, particularly low socioeconomic status and the health burden it brings, is passed from 1 generation to the next. First, we review current frameworks for understanding the intergenerational transmission of health disparities and provide 4 illustrative examples relevant to child health, development, and well-being. Second, the leading strategy to break the cycle of poverty in young families in the United States, the 2-generation approach, is reviewed. Finally, we propose a new 3-generation approach that must combine with the 2-generation approach to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage and eliminate health disparities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; tcheng2@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Tina L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;
authors.forename: Sara B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston, Massachusetts; and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goodman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004505:Education, Nonprofessional; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D016487:Parenting; D011203:Poverty; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States