De Gruyter Handbook of Social Epidemiology

Although interest in social epidemiology has grown exponentially over the past three decades, there is a glaring need for an edited handbook that provides a contemporary, comprehensive, and state-of-the-art interdisciplinary survey of established and emerging areas of study to better support the training and research activity of scholars and students.

The De Gruyter Handbook of Social Epidemiology is an indispensable reference work that brings together the contributions of leading social epidemiologists from around the world. Our interdisciplinary approach represents a range of approaches to social epidemiology, including anthropology, demography, gerontology, medicine, psychology, public health, social work, and sociology. By highlighting established and emerging areas within the field of social epidemiology, this volume offers an invaluable resource for scholars and students who are interested in the ways in which population health intersects with aging, socioeconomic determinants, race and ethnicity, migration, sex and gender, sexual orientation, social relationships, religion, neighborhood context, environmental ecology, area income inequality, and political determinants.

• First handbook of social epidemiology
• The most comprehensive and interdisciplinary survey of the field
• Highlights emerging areas such as Race and Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation and Environmental Inequality

Terrence D. Hill is a Professor of Sociology at The University of Texas at San Antonio. His research examines social inequalities in health and human suffering. He is especially interested in how social factors contribute to health disparities. To date, he has published over 180 peer-reviewed manuscripts in outlets like Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Social Science & Medicine, The Journals of Gerontology, The Gerontologist, American Journal of Public Health, Labour Economics, and Social Work. According to Google Scholar, his work has been cited over 10,000 times.

Tarani Chandola is a Chair Professor of Medical Sociology at the University of Hong Kong where he is the head of the department of Sociology and the director of the Methods Hub in the Faculty of Social Sciences. He is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. His research is primarily on the social determinants of health, focusing on health inequalities and psychosocial factors, and the analysis of longitudinal cohort studies. 

Ginny Garcia-Alexander is a demographer and data analyst at FLO Analytics (Portland, OR) with nearly twenty years of experience as an educator and researcher in higher education. Her work as a social demographer centers on investigations of factors affecting population health. In her career, she has used a variety of quantitative methods and demographic techniques to analyze large-scale datasets like the American Community Survey and Decennial Census.

If epidemiology is a basic science of public health, then social epidemiology is a basic science of social determinants of health. This remarkable handbook builds on the evidence of social influences on health to take us to theoretical and political considerations necessary for achieving greater health equity. It will be a boon to students and practitioners alike.

Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the Institute of Health Equity and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London

The De Gruyter Handbook of Social Epidemiology sets the agenda for the next generation of researchers in the field of social epidemiology. The collection provides a comprehensive and inter-disciplinary survey of topics relevant to contemporary society, including migration, sex and gender, sexual orientation, religion, and the political determinants of health. Students and practicing scholars alike are bound to find material here to inspire their next set of research questions.

Ichiro Kawachi, John L. Loeb & Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Social Epidemiology, Harvard University

This new and timely handbook offers an excellent summary of scientific evidence on core areas of research in social epidemiology. In twelve sections, each covering four chapters, topics ranging from aging, sex and gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic inequality to macro-level political and environmental aspects are highlighted in competent, yet well comprehensible ways by renowned international experts. Addressing emerging issues as well, this publication will take the scientific development of the field forward. I strongly recommend this book as an indispensable resource for scholars, students, and a wider interested readership.

Johannes Siegrist, Professor Emeritus of Medical Sociology, Heinrich-Heine-University