Health as a Socially Mediated Process

Theoretical and Practice Imperatives Emerging From Research on Health Inequalities

Abstract

Population-based studies on health disparities provide compelling evidence that inequities in health status over the life course accrue from social conditions. Our knowledge of how such conditions exert their effect on health, however, is limited. An examination of explanations for health disparities shows that a theoretical perspective that enables the exploration of the links between broader social processes (macro) and experience (micro) would offer valuable insights for practice. This article introduces a theoretical perspective informed by Bourdieu and Smith that has been used to undertake such an analysis and that opens up possibilities for new practice forums and foci.