What's Class Got to Do with It? The State of Health Data in the United States Today
In: Socialist review: SR, Band 23, Heft 1, S. 59-82
ISSN: 0161-1801
The US is unique among advanced capitalist countries in producing vital statistics with reference only to race, sex, & age -- not by class or income. Here, the limited US data resources that provide evidence of social class inequalities in health are reviewed, & the strengths & weaknesses of the British approach to measuring social class summarized. Possible alternative approaches to gathering data on social class & health in the US context are discussed. It is argued that educational level is an inadequate marker for socioeconomic position, contending that appropriate measures must take into account individual, household, & neighborhood markers of social class. These & other types of socioeconomic data are especially important for accurately describing & explaining social inequalities in health, including class-based inequalities, among women & across diverse racial/ethnic groups. 4 Tables. AA