Barnett Ross, Moon Graham, Kearns Robin
Department of Geography, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Soc Sci Med. 2004 Jul;59(1):129-43. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2003.10.010.
This study tests a generalisation of the 'Wilkinson' thesis that the greater a nation's income inequality, the poorer the average national health status. We consider the effect of socio-economic inequality upon ethnic variations in smoking in New Zealand. Analysis of Maori and Pakeha (New Zealanders of European descent) smoking rates from the 1996 Census is conducted for 73 Territorial Local Authority areas in New Zealand, disaggregated by gender and rural-urban location. Partial correlation is used to control for absolute levels of deprivation and examine the independent effect of ethnic social inequality upon smoking rates. The level of social inequality between Maori and Pakeha has an independent effect on Maori smoking rates. Pakeha smoking rates by contrast are more sensitive to variations in absolute rather than relative deprivation. The effect of inequality is greatest for Maori women, especially among urban residents. By contrast, among Maori men the effects are greatest in rural areas. The results provide some qualified support for the Wilkinson thesis and suggest that policies which address fundamental issues of social inequality will play a small, but significant, role in helping to reduce high smoking rates amongst Maori.
本研究检验了“威尔金森”论点的一个普遍观点，即一个国家的收入不平等程度越高，国民的平均健康状况就越差。我们考察了社会经济不平等对新西兰吸烟情况中种族差异的影响。对新西兰73个地方当局地区1996年人口普查中毛利人和欧洲裔新西兰人（帕克哈）的吸烟率进行了分析，按性别和城乡位置进行了分类。偏相关用于控制贫困的绝对水平，并检验种族社会不平等对吸烟率的独立影响。毛利人和帕克哈之间的社会不平等程度对毛利人的吸烟率有独立影响。相比之下，帕克哈的吸烟率对绝对贫困而非相对贫困的变化更为敏感。不平等对毛利女性的影响最大，尤其是在城市居民中。相比之下，在毛利男性中，影响在农村地区最为显著。研究结果为威尔金森论点提供了一定程度的支持，并表明解决社会不平等基本问题的政策在帮助降低毛利人高吸烟率方面将发挥虽小但重要的作用。
