In Sickness and In Wealth Questions

1. Some individuals believe that the reason that Americans are not as healthy as Canadians is
that they lack universal health care coverage. Does the video support or contradict this
point of view?

contradict; low ses

2. What does the term “excess death” mean?

The notion of excess death says that you should be able to predict in any one time frame how many
people in a population will die.

3. Briefly describe the Whitehall studies that were mentioned in the video. What was the key
finding of these studies?

The farther from the top you are, the worser health you have

4. The video looked at different neighbourhoods in Louisville and looked at the socioeconomic
status of the individuals living there. Dr. Troutman noted in the video that there was a great
demarcation in the affluent vs. the impoverished regions in Louisville, and suggested that
“every place has a ninth street”.

a) Give 2 examples of businesses that you find in areas with lower socioeconomic
development. Fast Food
Liquor Stores
5. The video showed an interesting study looking at macaques and constant vigilance causing
increased levels of cortisol. How does this study relate to the racial discrimination amongst
African Americans in the US?

African Americans under stress due to racial discrimination, thus increased cortisol

6. Provide two arguments supporting the idea that “economic policy= health policy”.

During the 1960s to early ‘70s, the black-white gap in income narrowed and the black-white
gap on multiple indicators of health also narrowed

The poor are getting poorer and the middle class is getting squeezed. With what we know in terms of
health, that suggests that we will have even more health problems in the future.