Open AccessSocial Determinants and the Decline of Cardiovascular Diseases: Understanding the Links
Author(s) -
Sam Harper,
John Lynch,
George Davey Smith
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
annual review of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.239
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1545-2093
pISSN - 0163-7525
DOI - 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031210-101234
Subject(s) - disease , social determinants of health , cardiovascular health , gerontology , medicine , public health , environmental health , pathology
This article reviews the historical declines in cardiovascular mortality and provides an overview of the contribution of social and economic factors to disease change. We document the magnitude of declines in cardiovascular diseases and the major role of changes in conventional risk factors, and we review the contributions of social determinants to changes in disease rates. We conclude by arguing that understanding patterns and trends of social inequalities in cardiovascular disease and its risk factors requires consideration of the specific intersections of health and social exposures acting across the life course in different settings, in both time and place.