Читать книгу The Science of Health Disparities Research - Группа авторов - Страница 42

In this chapter, we outline major biological pathways through which environmental, behavioral, and social exposures influence health. We summarize the mechanisms through which disparate exposures to societal inequities and inequalities are manifested in the form of health disparities. The central theme in this discussion has been the concept of allostatic load and how alterations in the most basic aspects of the human experience (where and how we feel, sleep, and feed) provide the conduit through which unequal exposure to behavioral social stressors (e.g., poverty, social isolation, discrimination, and racism) culminates in disparate disease frequency and outcome. Though its linkage to specific diseases is beyond the scope of this chapter, the influence of allostatic load is one of the major gateways to chronic disease and disease conditions (cardiovascular, metabolic, and cancer). Understanding these biological physiological pathways identifies important areas for future investigation that will augment strategies for intervention, reveal mechanisms of differential disease susceptibility, and elucidate how these factors interact with behavioral, social, and environmental determinants to influence disease incidence and outcome.