Researching income and income distribution as determinants of health in
Canada: gaps between theoretical knowledge, research practice, and policy
implementation

D. Raphael, J. Macdonald, R. Colman, R. Labonte, K. Hayward, R. Torgerson,
Health Policy (2005). 72, 217-232.

Full text at:

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Abstract
The research identified gaps in Canadian knowledge and research activity
concerning the roles that income and its distribution play in Canadians’
population health. 241 Canadian research studies on income and health were
considered along eight taxonomies: conceptualization of income or its
proxies; theoretical underpinnings; income distribution measures; health
measures; who/what was studied, pathways mediating between income and
health; complexity of these pathways; research design; and presence of
policy implications. The study identified the following areas of weakness:
(a) poor conceptualization of income and the means by which it influences
health; (b) lack of longitudinal studies of the impact of income-related
issues upon health across the life-span; (c) lack of linked data bases that
allow complex analyses of how income and related issues contribute to
health and well-being, and (d) little inter-disciplinary work in
identifying pathways mediating the income and health relationship. Advances
in health policy to address the health effects of income and its
distribution requires a research infrastructure that draws upon recent
theoretical developments in the area and is able to access data sources to
test these advanced conceptualizations.