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"The contributors to this edited volume explore the degree to which racial health disparities affect death rates in America's 30 largest cities. By examining mortality statistics related to leading causes of death, they are able to show that each of the cities in question has some serious work to do and that in many places the differences are more or less pronounced than in others"--
This book seeks to involve recognized researchers in the social scientific study of health, medicine and religion, which has burgeoned across the past twenty years, toward more general theoretical development within the field, particularly with respect to the elderly and disadvantaged.
This book is a compilation of population-based research on the relationships of religion to family life and health.
Illustrates the hidden challenges embedded within the evangelical adoption movement. For over a decade, prominent leaders and organizations among American Evangelicals have spent a substantial amount of time and money in an effort to address what they believe to be the “Orphan Crisis” of the United States. Yet, despite an expansive commitment of resources, there is no reliable evidence that these efforts have been successful. Adoptions are declining across the board, and both foster parenting and foster-adoptions remain steady. Why have evangelical mobilization efforts been so ineffective? To answer this question, Samuel L. Perry draws on interviews with over 220 movement leaders and gra...
In their later years, Americans of different racial and ethnic backgrounds are not in equally good-or equally poor-health. There is wide variation, but on average older Whites are healthier than older Blacks and tend to outlive them. But Whites tend to be in poorer health than Hispanics and Asian Americans. This volume documents the differentials and considers possible explanations. Selection processes play a role: selective migration, for instance, or selective survival to advanced ages. Health differentials originate early in life, possibly even before birth, and are affected by events and experiences throughout the life course. Differences in socioeconomic status, risk behavior, social relations, and health care all play a role. Separate chapters consider the contribution of such factors and the biopsychosocial mechanisms that link them to health. This volume provides the empirical evidence for the research agenda provided in the separate report of the Panel on Race, Ethnicity, and Health in Later Life.
The 1980s opened a discussion of the varying nature of health in different segments of the United States. Falling under the rubric of "health disparities," a great deal of research has been published demonstrating the substantial differences in health status within a population. The causes of health disparities are varied and not always clear but most researchers agree that disparities are a reflection of social and economic inequities and political injustice. One of the obstacles to addressing disparities is the lack of meaningful health data especially for vulnerable populations, which is often nonexistent despite being a critical factor for informing health programs and policies at the lo...
This edited collection focuses on the global growth of privatisation and private sector medicine in both developed and lesser developed countries, and the impact of this on patients, health workers, managers and policy-makers. Drawing upon sociological theories, concepts and insights, as well as experts from several countries with extensive experience in researching the field either nationally or internationally, the collection offers a unique perspective on healthcare services and healthcare systems: a view from those trying to access healthcare services, working inside health systems, or responsible for managing and organising services. Collectively, the chapters contribute an international perspective on the navigation of healthcare systems, and addresses the growing salience of ‘choice’ between public and private medicine in a variety of different national systems and contexts.
A comprehensive guidebook to the current methodologies and practices used in health surveys A unique and self-contained resource, Handbook of Health Survey Methods presents techniques necessary for confronting challenges that are specific to health survey research. The handbook guides readers through the development of sample designs, data collection procedures, and analytic methods for studies aimed at gathering health information on general and targeted populations. The book is organized into five well-defined sections: Design and Sampling Issues, Measurement Issues, Field Issues, Health Surveys of Special Populations, and Data Management and Analysis. Maintaining an easy-to-follow format,...
The Handbook of Sociology of Aging is the most comprehensive, engaging, and up-to-date treatment of developments within the field over the past 30 years. The volume represents an indispensable source of the freshest and highest standard scholarship for scholars, policy makers, and aging professionals alike. The Handbook of Sociology of Aging contains 45 far-reaching chapters, authored by nearly 80 of the most renowned experts, on the most pressing topics related to aging today. With its recurring attention to the social forces that shape human aging, and the social consequences and policy implications of it, the contents will be of interest to everyone who cares about what aging means for in...
As the population of older Americans grows, it is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Differences in health by racial and ethnic status could be increasingly consequential for health policy and programs. Such differences are not simply a matter of education or ability to pay for health care. For instance, Asian Americans and Hispanics appear to be in better health, on a number of indicators, than White Americans, despite, on average, lower socioeconomic status. The reasons are complex, including possible roles for such factors as selective migration, risk behaviors, exposure to various stressors, patient attitudes, and geographic variation in health care. This volume, produced by a multidisciplinary panel, considers such possible explanations for racial and ethnic health differentials within an integrated framework. It provides a concise summary of available research and lays out a research agenda to address the many uncertainties in current knowledge. It recommends, for instance, looking at health differentials across the life course and deciphering the links between factors presumably producing differentials and biopsychosocial mechanisms that lead to impaired health.