期刊名称：Socius: Sociological Research For a Dynamic World
印刷版ISSN：2378-0231
出版年度：2018
卷号：4
期号：4
DOI：10.1177/2378023118771462
语种：English
出版社：SAGE Publications
摘要：Although established theoretical models suggest that socioeconomic inequalities in physical health are partially mediated or explained by exposures to environmental toxins, there is little empirical evidence to support these processes. Building on previous research, we analyze data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2007–2008) to formally test whether associations between socioeconomic status and self-rated physical health are mediated by direct biological assessments of environmental toxins. We find that the embodiment of environmental toxins is disproportionate in individuals of lower socioeconomic status. Although toxins in general and lead in particular are unrelated to self-rated health, socioeconomic differences in self-rated physical health are partially mediated by embodied cadmium. Our mediation analyses suggest that education and income may promote physical health by reducing exposures to cadmium. This study contributes to previous work by bridging the fields of social epidemiology and environmental inequality and by formally testing established theoretical models.
