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Correlation Between Major Health Disparities And Indicators Of Socio Economic Status

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Sociologists propose that the similar correlation between major health disparities and indicators of socio-economic status can be explained by the concept of class. Class is a social concept created by describing the unequal distribution of wealth, power and resources. The concept proposes that it is a hierarchal system that classifies people into lower, middle and upper class, however these terms can be used interchangeably with others such as working and elite classes. The disparities in health, mentioned above, and indicators of class include measures such as mortality, morbidity and disability rates.

Individuals tend to affiliate themselves with a certain social class. Only 5% of Australian’s claim they have no class affiliation (Western and Baxter, 2011). Class creates social divisions within a population. People who share classes also tend to share similar life opportunities. Example of these are private or public health care, fine dining restaurants or take-away shops, private or public schools, and exclusive or overcrowded suburbs.

An individual’s set of social determinants strongly contributes to defining their class, and vice versa, class aids in determining what types of social determinants an individual will enjoy. Social determinants are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age in. A person in a low social class would be expected to be born into a family with a low socio-economic status, live in a geographically disadvantaged

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