Social Distribution of Health Paper Social Sciences Essay (Essay Sample)

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Social Distribution of Health in the United States
Social inequality manifests in the distribution of health in the United States. The fundamental cause theory and the cumulative inequality theory illustrate the social distribution of health, particularly in the United States where gender, class, and racial issues are still significant. The fundamental cause theory delves in the socioeconomic status of individuals whereas the cumulative inequality theory explains various axioms connected to social systems. This paper employs such theoretical frameworks as the cumulative inequality theory and the fundamental cause theory to illustrate how morbidity and mortality vary across race/ethnicity, sex/gender, and class.
Fundamental Cause Theory
The fundamental cause theory attributes the health disparities to the socioeconomic status (SES) of individuals. Phelan and Bruce, who were the originators of the theory, hypothesized that socioeconomic status encompasses a broad range of factors that influence health either positively or adversely. Regardless of other existing mechanisms, such socioeconomic factors as prestige, money, beneficial social connections, knowledge, and power affect the health of an individual significantly (Phelan, Link, and Tehranifar S28). It means that individuals who lack knowledge, money, or power may suffer from adverse health conditions irrespective of the level of vaccinations, health care, and screening technology. The low socioeconomic status communities are more vulnerable to communicable diseases because of insufficient resources to tackle the fundamental causes.