What Are the Affects of Ses on Health, Behavior, and Education?

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Gazella, Karolyn. "The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Health." Psychology Today. 11 Jan. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.

In her article, “The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Health,” Karolyn A Gazella wrote about the impact of socioeconomic status on health. In her book she references the journal Ethnicity and Disease (Winter 2011) who found that increased obesity is linked to income poverty level, receipt of food stamps, and lower income in general. These lower income levels typically equate to poorer food quality and little to no consumption of nutrients from fruits and vegetables. In a study in the journal Sleep Medicine researchers found that people with the least amount of education had the most issues with sleep due to their profession and/or lifestyle. A lack of sleep can weaken the immune system, increase obesity, and increases risk of developing heart disease. Gazella also believes that low socioeconomic status, defined as less than a high school education and/or earning less that $12000 annually, is an independent risk factor for the development of heart disease. Next the author explains her idea, “the duh factor”. She says:

“Perhaps its obvious that if people cant afford healthy organic foods or fresh fruits and vegetables, they will often opt for cheaper fast food that will make them fatter and sicker. Maybe its even obvious that lower-income workers or blue-collar laborers are destined to get stuck with night shifts or swing shifts that will likely impair their sleep quality. ”

She believes that these obvious socioeconomic factors should be widely considered in research as independent risk factors for disease. Gazella then goes on to discuss how the country is dealing with these issues. She discusses the assumption that if we spend more money on high tech treatments and sophisticated medications, the health system will be improved and in turn improve general health. She refutes this idea stating, “it does not address the glaring gap between those with a lower SES who don't have access to these high tech treatments and fancy new drugs and those who do”. The author states that her focus is in the information realm and specifically on enhancing education regarding disease prevention and living life with vitality. She hopes to educate people about why it’s important to eat organic, avoid fast food, exercise more, and find healthy ways to relax and build a sold health foundation built on awareness, information, and action.

Sewell, William H."Socioeconomic Status, Intelligence, and Attainment of Higher Education." American Sociology Association. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

The scholarly article, “Socioeconomic Status, Intelligence, and the Attainment of Higher Education”, written by William H. Sewell and Vimal P. Shah from the University of Wisconsin, is a study on randomly selected high school seniors about the relative influences of socioeconomic status on their intelligence and attainment of higher education. The authors begin by stating that the educational system plays an important role in the distribution of personnel to various occupational positions. He explains how the educational system sorts people according to differences in valued abilities and channels them into streams of training which helps develop capacity and encourages them to aspire to adult roles that utilize their talents. He goes on to list several factors on a students eventual educational experiences other than the ability of the student such as, the level and quality of education available in one’s community, differential access to educational facilities, differences in motivations, values, or attitudes, and the willingness and ability of his parents and significant others to provide support. The authors mention the “social mobility” in America that attempts to force students to attend school until the legal dropout age. They explain how beyond high school graduation, there is a point where further education is a privilege of some rather than a right of all individuals whose intellectual capabilities qualify. They also referenced studies that report that many students with high intelligence are unlikely to aspire to a college education or go to college. The authors refer to these individuals as “cross-pressured” or low in status but high in ability. They believe these individuals in many cases are encouraged by the ideology of equal opportunity and the existence of a great diversity of colleges and universities that fit the financial and intellectual capacities of most students. The authors conclude:

“Consequently, studies of college plans and college attendance have tended to stress the influence of socioeconomic status, while those of college graduation have tended to emphasize the influence of ability.” They continue on to explain that the probability of enrolling in college decreases more sharply as one goes down the ability scale from socially and economically favored to less favored. After entering college the situation changes as the student has already overcome most of the obstacles their home environment offered. The authors believe that college success is most dependent upon the students ability.