Social Science & Medicine
Volume 60, Issue 7 , April 2005,


Does social inequality matter? Changing ethnic socio-economic disparities
and Maori smoking in New Zealand, 1981–1996

Ross Barnetta, , , Jamie Pearcea and Graham Moonb

aDepartment of Geography, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800,
Christchurch, New Zealand
bInstitute for the Geography of Health, University of Portsmouth,
Portsmouth, UK

Available online 12 October 2004.

Abstract
This paper builds on an earlier study of the effects of inequality on
smoking by explicitly incorporating a temporal dimension. We examine the
effects of changing levels of inequality upon ethnic variations in smoking
rates in New Zealand for the period 1981 to 1996. This was a period of
rapid structural change in New Zealand's economy and welfare state, changes
which had a disproportionate effect on Maori. While Maori smoking rates
declined during this period, the gap in smoking levels between Maori and
Pakeha (persons of European descent) increased. The results suggest that
levels of social inequality between Maori and Pakeha have an independent
effect on Maori smoking rates and that communities which experienced
increased social inequality during both the 1980s and 1990s were more
likely to have higher Maori smoking rates. Controlling for confounders, the
effect of increased ethnic inequality on smoking was particularly evident
for Maori women (net R2=0.150) compared to Maori men (net R2=0.079).
Neverthele
ss, absolute rather than relative socio-economic deprivation remains the
most important predictor of smoking.

Keywords: Smoking; Ethnic inequality; Maori; New Zealand
Corresponding author. Tel.: +64-3-364-2987x7915; fax: +64-3-364-2907.

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Neighbourhood inequality, neighbourhood affluence and population health

Feng Houa, ,  and John Mylesb,

aSocio-economic and Business Analysis Branch, Statistics Canada, 24 H, RH
Coats Building, 120 Parkdale Avenue, Ottawa, Ont., Canada K1A 0T6
bDepartment of Sociology, University of Toronto, 725 Spadina Ave., Toronto,
Ont., Canada M5S 2J4

Available online 17 November 2004.

Abstract
While there is now considerable evidence that the neighbourhood income
levels (poverty/affluence) exert an independent effect on health, there is
little evidence that neighbourhood income inequality is consequential, net
of individual-level socio-economic resources. We show that the usual
explanation for the absence of an independent effect of neighbourhood
inequality—the assumption of economic homogeneity at the neighbourhood
level—cannot account for this result. The authors use hierarchical models
that combine individual micro-data from Statistics Canada's 1996/97
National Population Health Survey (NPHS) with neighbourhood and city-level
socio-economic characteristics from the 1996 Census of Canada to estimate
the effects of neighbourhood affluence and income inequality on
self-reported health status. The findings indicate that the negative
“ecological” correlation between average neighbourhood health and
neighbourhood income inequality is the result not only of compositional
differences among individuals but also of contextual neighbourhood effects
associated with low and high inequality neighbourhoods.

Keywords: Neighbourhood; Income inequality; Poverty; Health; Canada


The authors names are listed alphabetically.
Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 613 951 4337; fax: +1 613 951 5403.
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Self-reported job insecurity and health in the Whitehall II study:
potential explanations of the relationship

Jane E. Ferriea, , , Martin J. Shipleya, Katherine Newmanb, Stephen A.
Stansfeldc and Michael Marmota

aInternational Centre for Health and Society and Department of Epidemiology
and Public Health, University College London Medical School, 1-19
Torrington Place, London WC1E 6BT, UK
bDepartment of Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University, UK
cDepartment of Psychiatry, Queen Mary University of London, UK

Available online 30 November 2004.

Abstract
This paper examines the potential of demographic, personal, material and
behavioural characteristics, other psychosocial features of the work
environment and job satisfaction to explain associations between
self-reported job insecurity and health in a longitudinal study of British
white-collar civil servants. Strong associations were found between
self-reported job insecurity and both poor self-rated health and minor
psychiatric morbidity. After adjustment for age, employment grade and
health during a prior phase of secure employment, pessimism, heightened
vigilance, primary deprivation, financial security, social support and job
satisfaction explained 68% of the association between job insecurity and
self-rated health in women, and 36% in men. With the addition of job
control, these factors explained 60% of the association between job
insecurity and minor psychiatric morbidity, and just over 80% of the
association with depression in both sexes.

Keywords: Job insecurity; Health; Whitehall II study; UK

Corresponding author. Tel.: +0171-504-5643; fax: +0207-813-0288.