According to the theory, SES functions as a “fundamental cause of disease” because it (1) involves access to important resources that allow individuals to avoid diseases and their consequences and (2) affects multiple risk factors and disease outcomes that change over time.
What is a fundamental cause in public health?
Fundamental cause theory suggests that persons of higher socioeconomic status have available a broad range of resources to benefit their health and therefore hold an advantage in warding off whatever particular threats to health exist at a given time.
Link developed the theory of fundamental causes. This theory seeks to outline why the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health disparities has persisted over time , particularly when diseases and conditions previously thought to cause morbidity and mortality among low SES individuals have resolved.
What is a fundamental cause of health disparities?
SES is a fundamental cause of health inequalities because it demonstrates four essential features: 1) SES influences multiple disease outcomes; 2) SES is tied to multiple risk factors for disease and death; 3) there is an association between SES and health because of a disparity in resources; and 4) new factors that ...
What is an example of a fundamental cause?
Not all fundamental causes are systems of exposure that only vary between populations. In the landmark paper that introduced Fundamental Cause Theory, Link and Phelan list job loss, crime victimization, and death of a loved one , along with socioeconomic status as examples of fundamental causes (Link and Phelan 1995).
What is a proximal risk factor?
A proximal risk factor is a risk factor that precipitates a disease, such as BPD . They represent an immediate vulnerability for a particular condition or event. Sometimes proximal risk factors cause or shape an event. Proximal Risk Factors in BPD.
Who came up with fundamental cause theory?
Link and Phelan (1995) developed the theory of fundamental causes to explain why the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and mortality has persisted despite radical changes in the diseases and risk factors that are presumed to explain it.
Second, we argue that social factors such as socioeconomic status and social support are likely “fundamental causes” of disease that, because they embody access to important resources, affect multiple disease outcomes through multiple mechanisms, and consequently maintain an association with disease even when ...
What are the four essential features of fundamental cause theory?
SES is a fundamental cause of health inequalities because it demonstrates four essential features: 1) SES influences multiple disease outcomes; 2) SES is tied to multiple risk factors for disease and death; 3) there is an association between SES and health because of a disparity in resources; and 4) new factors that ...
What are the sources of health inequities in our communities and nation?
The report describes nine determinants of health that are drivers of health inequities: income and wealth, housing, health systems and services, employment, education, transportation, social environment, public safety, and physical environment .
What challenges the fundamental cause theory?
Fundamental causes involve lack of access to resources that can be used to avoid risks or minimize the consequences of disease . Under Link and Phelan’s rubric, 3 criteria qualify a cause of disease as fundamental. First, fundamental causes tend to cause multiple diseases.
Is gender a fundamental cause?
As noted in the introduction, we thus use gender as a documented fundamental social cause of health inequality in this study to ascertain (1) the role it plays in both mental and physical health, and (2) the influence of gender on the mental–physical health link that suggests distinct pathways whereby mental health is ...
What is morbidity in public health?
Listen to pronunciation. (mor-BIH-dih-tee) Refers to having a disease or a symptom of disease, or to the amount of disease within a population. Morbidity also refers to medical problems caused by a treatment .
What body parts are proximal?
Proximal means nearer to the center (trunk of the body) or to the point of attachment to the body. If another reference point is given, such as the heart, the proximal point of another organ or extremity is the point closest to the heart, central rather than peripheral. Proximal is the opposite of distal.
What is the difference between distal and proximal influences?
... Distal influences refer to personal experiences in the past, historical events, and past cumulative life events or achievements (e.g., education), whereas proximal influences are defined as current individual, social, or economic resources (Brown & Anderson, 1991;Martin & Martin, 2002;Wheaton, 1994).
What are the two types of risk factors?
Broadly speaking, there are two main categories of risk: systematic and unsystematic . Systematic risk is the market uncertainty of an investment, meaning that it represents external factors that impact all (or many) companies in an industry or group.
