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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Diab Rep. 2013 Dec;13(6):850–859. doi: 10.1007/s11892-013-0427-3

Table 1. Key Terms and Definitions for Social Epidemiology.

Term Definition
Social determinants Living and working conditions and systems for addressing health and illness that are shaped by social, economic and political structures (World Health Organization. Social determinants of health: key concepts (1).
Health disparities Potentially avoidable health differences across population groups with poorer health outcomes observed among socially disadvantaged groups (2).
Multi-level approach Integration of factors at different levels of organization into studying health outcomes (3).
Life-course approach Study of influences of factors in different stages of life, including those encountered in utero and in childhood on health in later life periods. Factors in prior generations are also sometimes considered in relation to the health of the offspring (4).
Social environment Social factors within groups, neighborhoods, workplaces and other contexts to which individuals belong, including the extent and nature of social connections, social norms and attitudes, social disorder, safety, and other features of the social organization of groups and places(5).
Physical environment Environmental substances and hazards (e.g., air pollution, chemical toxicants) as well as factors related to “man-made built environment”, including buildings, sidewalks, streets, public spaces, physical barriers, and access to healthy food outlets.(5).