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Focus & Focus+ 33(1), Fall/Winter 2016–2017

The five articles in this issue together support the contention that there are social determinants of health that are at least as influential as access to health care and individual behaviors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies these social determinants as “the conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play.” In the first article, Geoffrey Swain details how economic and social disadvantage affects health, and describes some policy approaches to improve health and reduce health inequities by addressing socioeconomic disadvantage. Next, Pamela Herd, Robert Schoeni, and James House look at the health effects of the Supplemental Security Income program on single elderly individuals, and find support for the theory that socioeconomic status is a fundamental cause of health differences. In the third article, Janet Currie reviews research that links health at birth to future outcomes, and identifies factors that can account for reductions in health inequality among infants and children. Next, Marni Brownell, Mariette Chartier, and Nathan Nickel evaluate receipt of an unconditional prenatal income supplement in Canada, and find it was associated with reduction in low birth weight and preterm births. Finally, Diana Hernández takes a qualitative view and, drawing from interviews of low-income families living in an inner-city neighborhood, describes the health implications of their strategies to respond to neighborhood safety risks, and suggests alternative approaches to enhance prospects for improved health and social change. Together, these articles provide support for the argument that social and economic policy is also health policy.

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