3 Social Stratification, Health Inequality & Structural Competency – Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing core concepts from the lecture on social stratification, health inequality, and structural competency.

Life Expectancy

The average number of years a newborn is expected to live, used to compare population health across countries or groups.

Under-5 Mortality Rate

The number of deaths of children under age five per 1,000 live births; a key indicator of population health.

Social Stratification

The hierarchical ranking of social groups within a society that produces unequal access to resources and opportunities.

Social Mobility

Movement of individuals or groups between positions in a social hierarchy over time.

Health Inequality

Measurable differences in health status, outcomes, or access to care between social groups.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

A composite measure of income, education, and occupation that strongly predicts health outcomes.

Absolute Income Hypothesis

The idea that poorer health results primarily from having a low individual or household income.

Relative Income Hypothesis

The argument that income inequality itself—and one’s position within that unequal distribution—drives health differences.

Material & Environmental Explanations

The view that health gaps arise from material deprivation—e.g., poor housing, pollution, unsafe work, limited insurance.

Cultural/Behavioral Explanations

The perspective that lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, alcohol, stress, or inactivity create health disparities.

Gini Index

A 0-to-1 measure of income inequality where 0 equals perfect equality and 1 equals maximum inequality.

Poverty Incidence

The percentage of a population living below a defined poverty threshold after taxes and transfers.

Structural Competency

The ability of health professionals to recognize and address how social, economic, and policy structures shape health and illness.

Social Determinants of Health

The conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that drive health outcomes.

Structural Violence

Social, economic, and political systems that systematically harm individuals or groups, leading to illness and early death.

Structural Vulnerability

A heightened risk of poor health that stems from one’s position in social and economic hierarchies, not personal choices.

Equality

Providing the same resources or opportunities to everyone, regardless of differing needs.

Equity

Allocating resources based on specific needs to achieve fair health outcomes among different groups.

Social Justice

Fair distribution of benefits, burdens, and risks, addressing root structural causes of inequality.

Health Gap

The measurable difference in health outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged social groups.

Policy–Economic System–Hierarchy Loop

Interlinked social structures that generate poverty and inequality, thereby worsening health.

Intrapersonal Intervention

Changes a person makes to language, attitudes, or knowledge to reduce bias in clinical care.

Interpersonal Intervention

Actions in direct interactions—such as using interpreters—that account for structural influences on patients.

Organizational/Clinic-Level Intervention

Institution-based strategies like low-cost services or free medications to mitigate structural barriers.

Community-Level Intervention

Collaboration with community leaders and networks to share health resources and knowledge.

Policy-Level Intervention

Advocacy for laws or regulations that redistribute resources and reduce structural health inequities.

Nursing Advocacy

Nurses acting on behalf of patients, families, or society to protect rights and improve health conditions.

Social Advocacy in Nursing

Nursing efforts extending beyond individual care to address social justice issues at the societal level.

National Nurses United (NNU)

The largest U.S. nurses’ union, known for policy advocacy such as Medicare-for-All and safe staffing ratios.

Safe Staffing Ratios

Legislated or negotiated limits on the number of patients per nurse to ensure quality and safety of care.

Environmental Justice

A movement, supported by health professionals, that seeks equitable protection from climate and environmental hazards.

Structural Competency Working Group

Interdisciplinary group (UC Berkeley, UCSF, SMU) promoting curricular tools to teach about structural influences on health.