Mortality, morbidity and income inequality in Australia

一段时间以来积累的证据表明，个人的预期寿命受到其社会经济状况的影响。总的来说，收入高的人似乎活得更长。最近，一些证据表明，预期寿命不仅受到个人收入水平的影响，而且还受到他们在收入分配中的相对地位的影响。一些研究发现，当收入分配更加不平等时，死亡率往往更高，预期寿命更低。对这种联系有几种解释。一个是这种关联是一种统计上的假象。另一种是社会心理学，认为相对剥夺感和社会排斥感增加了对各种情况的敏感性。第三种解释是从社会资本的角度来解释的，这个术语指的是以各种形式参与志愿组织，以加强社区生活。第四种观点认为，物质匮乏是根本原因-收入不平等现象出现在学校、图书馆和卫生服务等社会基础设施水平较低的社区。该研究项目的主要目的是调查澳大利亚发病率、死亡率、收入和收入不平等之间的关系。该项目将试图找出刚才讨论的几种解释中哪一种得到澳大利亚证据的支持。该项目的结果将提高我们对社会经济地位与健康之间关系的理解，并将对旨在改善收入不平等对健康影响的不同政策的设计产生影响。

Evidence has been accumulating for some time indicates that an individual's life expectancy is affected by their socioeconomic circumstances. In general, it appears that people with higher incomes tend to live longer. More recently, some evidence has suggested that life expectancy is affected not only by a person's income level but also by their relative position in the income distribution. Some studies have found that, when income is more unequally distributed, mortality rates tend to be higher and life expectancy lower. Several explanations for this association have been advanced. One is that the association is a statistical artifact. Another is social-psychological, arguing that a sense of relative deprivation and social exclusion increases susceptibility to a variety of conditions. A third explanation is couched in terms of social capital, a term that refers to various forms of participation in voluntary organisations which strengthen community life. A fourth argues that it is material deprivation that is the underlying cause - income inequality is found in communities characterised by lower levels of provision of social infrastructure such as schools, libraries, and health services. The main purpose of this research project is to investigate the association between morbidity, mortality, income, and income inequality in Australia. The project will attempt to find which of the several explanations just discussed are supported by Australian evidence. The results of the project will enhance our understanding of the relationship between socioeconomic status and health, and will have implications for the design of different policies aimed at ameliorating the effects of income inequality on health.