Chapter 4: Neoliberalism, Social Inequity, Disease, and Death - Social Determinants of Health

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, theoretical approaches, life course mechanisms, forms of capital, and major social determinants of health from Chapter 4 study notes.

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

Social and economic conditions that influence health, illness, disability, and mortality across individuals and populations.

Inequality

A difference between people or groups, which does not automatically mean the difference is unfair.

Inequity

An inequality considered unfair or unjust from a social-justice perspective.

Disparity

Differences in outcomes, such as health status or life expectancy, that can result from underlying social inequity.

Intersectionality

The concept that social characteristics and inequalities (e.g., gender, income, employment, education) interact simultaneously rather than operating independently.

Materialist Approach

An approach to health focused on whether an individual directly possesses the actual resources necessary for health, such as nutritious food, clean water, adequate housing, and stable income.

Neo-Materialist Approach

An approach to health that extends beyond individual resources to examine how fairly society distributes material and social resources through public policies and social programs.

Social Capital

Resources that people obtain through their social environment, relationships, communities, and social position.

Natural Capital

A category of capital comprising environmental conditions, parks, and green spaces.

Human Capital

A category of capital comprising education and childcare access.

Material Capital

A category of capital comprising employment, occupation, and income.

Social/Cultural Capital

A category of capital comprising social support and freedom from discrimination.

Psychological Capital

A category of capital comprising well-being, optimism, and self-esteem.

Bodily Capital

A category of capital comprising physical characteristics and physical functioning.

Life Course Approach

A theoretical framework arguing that the health effects of poverty, inequality, exclusion, and disadvantage accumulate and build over an individual's lifetime.

Pathway Effects

A life course mechanism wherein early experiences set an individual on a specific trajectory that influences subsequent educational, employment, and health opportunities.

Latency Effects

A life course mechanism wherein an event or exposure occurring during an early developmental period results in health consequences that manifest later in life.

Cumulative Effects

A life course mechanism wherein advantages or disadvantages repeatedly collect over time, creating a growing compound effect on health.

Neoliberalism

A dominant political-economic ideology centered on markets, individualism, and competition, emphasizing personal responsibility over state resource redistribution.

Food Security

Reliable access to sufficient, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food.

Poverty

A state involving persistent difficulty meeting basic human needs such as food, housing, clothing, transportation, education, and healthcare.

Housing Insecurity

A spectrum of inadequate living conditions encompassing absolute homelessness, temporary sheltering, living in vehicles, doubling up with others, or being at immediate risk of housing loss.

Marxist Analysis of Health

An analytical perspective focusing on the dynamic between workers, owners, labour, and profit under capitalism, highlighting how cost-minimization harms worker safety, wages, and health.

Morbidity

The state or rate of illness and disease within a population.

Mortality

The state or rate of death within a population.