3.) Explaining health discrepancies Flashcards
What is SES?
Socioeconomic status
What types of individuals have better health?
Wealthy, educated, those with high social standing and white people
How can the Grossman Model explain health discrepancies?
The Marginal efficiency of capital (MEC) curve indicates a lifetime utility each individual unit of health capital creates. Different MEC curves imply different levels of health and different socio-economic groups may have different MEC curves, due to differences in health productivity, resources, health depreciation rate, total productive time and the rate of time discounting.
What is the Efficient Producer Hypothesis?
Health disparities exist because better-educated individuals are more effective producers of health than less well-educated individuals.
What is the thrifty phenotype hypothesis?
Barker hypothesis
Resource deprivation in utero and during infancy can lead to the activation of thrifty genes optimised for sparse conditions. They are then poorly adapted for abundant conditions and may develop obesity, diabetes and other disorders. Health disparities arise because poorer individuals are more likely to face this sort of deprivation early in life.
What is the direct income hypothesis?
Health disparities arise because the rich have more resources available to invest in health. Richer individuals have expanded PPFs. Staying healthy is more important as there time is more valuable, returns to health are greater, so MEC curve is higher
What is the Allostatic Load Hypothesis?
Those with more stress, mostly those of a lower SES, face a higher health depreciation rate delta and therefore choose a lower optimal health rate as a result, following the Grossman model.
What is allostatic load?
Cumulative phychological toll exacted on the body over time by efforts to adapt to life experiences.
What is the income inequality hypothesis?
Health disparities are caused by income inequality, which in and of itself is a source of allostatic load for the poor.
What is the access to care hypothesis?
Those who have limited access to care, the uninsured, Medicaid, those who do not have time, tend to have poorer health. Limited evidence to support this as health disparities exist amongst those with equal access.
What is the productive time hypothesis?
SES differences are caused by disparities in health. Worsening health diminishes productive time and ability to produce income. Particularly true for those with poor health.
What is Fuchs hypothesis?
Both health and SES disparities are simultaneously caused by innate differences in the willingness to delay gratification. Individuals with a lower rate of time discounting (more patient) invest more in both health and education.
What is a possible solution to health disparities?
Move towards a more equal society, redistribution of income.
