Lay perceptions of health and environmental inequalities and their associations to mental health
Abstract Health inequalities are very well documented in epidemiological research: rich people live longer and have fewer diseases than poor people. Recently, a growing amount of evidence from environmental sciences confirms that poor people are also more exposed to pollution and other environmental...
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Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz
2015-11-01
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doaj-28240d61e36b4a7c9f0fafda2acbec612020-11-24T22:49:10ZengEscola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo CruzCadernos de Saúde Pública1678-44642015-11-0131112342235210.1590/0102-311X00105714S0102-311X2015001302342Lay perceptions of health and environmental inequalities and their associations to mental healthMaria Luisa LimaRita MoraisAbstract Health inequalities are very well documented in epidemiological research: rich people live longer and have fewer diseases than poor people. Recently, a growing amount of evidence from environmental sciences confirms that poor people are also more exposed to pollution and other environmental threats. However, research in the social sciences has shown a broad lack of awareness about health inequalities. In this paper, based on data collected in Portugal, we will analyze the consciousness of both health and environmental injustices and test one hypothesis for this social blindness. The results show, even more clearly than before, that public opinion tends to see rich and poor people as being equally susceptible to health and environmental events. Furthermore, those who have this equal view of the world present lower levels of depression and anxiety. Following cognitive adaptation theory, this “belief in an equal world” can be interpreted as a protective positive illusion about social justice, particularly relevant in one of the most unequal countries in Europe.http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2015001302342&lng=en&tlng=enDesigualdades em la SaludInequidad SocialAmbiente |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Maria Luisa Lima Rita Morais |
spellingShingle |
Maria Luisa Lima Rita Morais Lay perceptions of health and environmental inequalities and their associations to mental health Cadernos de Saúde Pública Desigualdades em la Salud Inequidad Social Ambiente |
author_facet |
Maria Luisa Lima Rita Morais |
author_sort |
Maria Luisa Lima |
title |
Lay perceptions of health and environmental inequalities and their associations to mental health |
title_short |
Lay perceptions of health and environmental inequalities and their associations to mental health |
title_full |
Lay perceptions of health and environmental inequalities and their associations to mental health |
title_fullStr |
Lay perceptions of health and environmental inequalities and their associations to mental health |
title_full_unstemmed |
Lay perceptions of health and environmental inequalities and their associations to mental health |
title_sort |
lay perceptions of health and environmental inequalities and their associations to mental health |
publisher |
Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz |
series |
Cadernos de Saúde Pública |
issn |
1678-4464 |
publishDate |
2015-11-01 |
description |
Abstract Health inequalities are very well documented in epidemiological research: rich people live longer and have fewer diseases than poor people. Recently, a growing amount of evidence from environmental sciences confirms that poor people are also more exposed to pollution and other environmental threats. However, research in the social sciences has shown a broad lack of awareness about health inequalities. In this paper, based on data collected in Portugal, we will analyze the consciousness of both health and environmental injustices and test one hypothesis for this social blindness. The results show, even more clearly than before, that public opinion tends to see rich and poor people as being equally susceptible to health and environmental events. Furthermore, those who have this equal view of the world present lower levels of depression and anxiety. Following cognitive adaptation theory, this “belief in an equal world” can be interpreted as a protective positive illusion about social justice, particularly relevant in one of the most unequal countries in Europe. |
topic |
Desigualdades em la Salud Inequidad Social Ambiente |
url |
http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2015001302342&lng=en&tlng=en |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT marialuisalima layperceptionsofhealthandenvironmentalinequalitiesandtheirassociationstomentalhealth AT ritamorais layperceptionsofhealthandenvironmentalinequalitiesandtheirassociationstomentalhealth |
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