Unequal Health asks why some individuals are living longer and enjoying better health than others. By contrasting popular beliefs about the relevance of such factors as sex, race, poverty, and health habits, Grace Budrys moves beyond factors that receive a great deal of media attention, such as smoking, diet, exercise, even genetic inheritance, and examines those factors that are far more difficult to identify and track, such as relative income and relative social status.
Introduces the uninitiated to scientific terms, sources, and research reports that focus on the health status of people in the U. S. and a number of other countries
Makes highly sophisticated research findings related to health accessible to persons without much background in the basic sciences
Challenges basic tenets of the American belief system that promote the idea that all of us could improve our health significantly if we simply changed our behavior
Outlines evidence showing that health status is directly related to economic status - a relationship that extends beyond obvious explanations related to the effects of poverty
