title: Rethinking the relationship between socio-economic status and health: Making the case for sociological theory in health inequality research.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to analyse previous explanations of social inequality in health and argue for a closer integration of sociological theory into future empirical research.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examine cultural-behavioural, materialist, psychosocial and life-course approaches, in addition to fundamental cause theory. Giddens' structuration theory and a neo-materialist approach, inspired by Bruno Latour, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, are proposed as ways of rethinking the causal relationship between socio-economic status and health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Much of the empirical research on health inequalities has tended to rely on explanations with a static and unidirectional view of the association between socio-economic status and health, assuming a unidirectional causal relationship between largely static categories. We argue for the use of sociological theory to develop more dynamic models that enhance the understanding of the complex pathways and mechanisms linking social structures to health.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Emil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Øversveen
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Håvard T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Rydland
authors.affiliation: 2 Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bambra
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Terje A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Eikemo
mesh_terms: D036262:Empirical Research; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; D012923:Social Class; D064890:Social Determinants of Health; D066269:Social Theory
keywords: Social inequalities in health; fundamental cause theory; health inequalities research; medical sociology; neo-materialism; public health research; social determinants; sociological theory; structuration theory