Thinking Socially About Health -- Thinking Socially About Health -- Social Networks, Social Isolation, and Health -- The AIDS Epidemic -- Poverty, Social Inequality, and Health -- How Does Social Inequality Bring About Differences in Health? -- Inequality Internationally -- The Political Economy of Health: Adding Global and Power Dimensions to Social Influences on Health -- How This Book Is Organized -- Theoretical Foundations for Studying Health Inequalities -- Explaining Variations in Population Health -- Foundations for a Social Science of Health and Inequalit -- The Two Transitions of Developed Countries -- Labor Force-Health Relationships -- Theoretical Foundations for Understanding Gender Differences in Health -- Social Hierarchy's Effects on Mind and Body -- Social Cohesion and Income Inequality -- A Political Economy Approach to Health -- The World Economic System -- A Global Model of Social Influences on Health -- Health and Inequality: Principles and Examples -- Policies Matter! -- Thinking Globally About Health -- Global Trends -- Regional Trends in World Health -- 6 Gender, Race, and Ethnic Influences on Health -- Gender and Health -- A Global Approach to Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health 109 7 Mental Health: Social and Global Issues 120 Major Categories of Mental Illness 121 A Cross-National Study of Mental Illness: Clues to the Global Prevalence and Correlates of Mental Illness -- Poverty, Unemployment, and Job Insecurity -- Social Support and Mental Health 128 Alienation and Social Exclusion -- A Global Perspective on Mental Health -- Underdevelopment and Health -- Underdevelopment and Health -- Characteristics of Countries in the World Economic System -- Inequality and Human Needs -- Health and Life Expectancy on the Periphery -- Causes of Underdevelopment and Poor Health: African Countries -- The Policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund -- Programs That Improve Quality of Life and Health for the Poor -- Prospects for Improvement? -- Development and Health: Promise and Limitations -- Approaches to Development -- Refining the "Wealth Equals Health" Formula: Six Dynamics -- Principle -- Recipe for Healthy Development: Mix in Social Welfare and Equality-enhancing Policies -- Policies for Building Healthy Societies -- Tackling HIV/AIDS -- Making Societies Healthier -- What Can We Do as Individuals? -- App Principles as Sociological Health Patterns

Includes bibliographical references (p. 217-231) and index.

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