Diverse Populations and Age

Social epidemiologist and social scientist have in recent past focused they attention on a

growing range of cultural and social variables as the history of health. The social and cultural

variables include the socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, culture, and spirituality. These

variables interact with both inherited characteristics and behavioral characteristics to influence

an individual’s health.

Socioeconomic Status and health

In most cases there three indicators used to measure socioeconomic status, and these are

occupational status, education attainment, and income. Each of these measures can capture a

unique aspect of an individual social position. Additionally, each measure potential is linked to

health behavior via a unique mechanism. These measures interact with one another and mutually

influence each other over the life course thus shaping the health outcomes of an individual at

various social organization levels. Social, economic status is associated with causing low birth

weight, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis and cancer (Wolfe, 2012). The

low-income level is related to poor food quality, less consumption of fruits and vegetables and

healthy food. Poor education means that people are not aware of how to live healthy lifestyles.

According to researchers low-SES children living in the urban neighborhood were more likely to

have asthma due to crowding. As for the adults above the age of 45 years, exposure to residential

crowding and noise is linked to reading deficit and poorer long term memory. Hypertension

among young adults is also common for low-SES young adults.