Relative deprivation and recovery from first acute myocardial infarction

Citation

MacLeod M, Graham E & Johnston M (2001) Relative deprivation and recovery from first acute myocardial infarction. Economic and Social Research Council. Research Findings from the Health Variations Programme, 8. Health Variations Programme. http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/projects/hvp/pdf/fd8.pdf

Abstract
The fact that inequalities in health exist in the UK is well-documented. However, there is little agreement as to whether spatial patterns are a consequence of the geographical distribution of various groups or whether there is an additional effect of context. Much of the available empirical evidence that seeks to address this issue has two important and related limitations: (a) conclusions are general because of the health measures typically employed; and (b) the suggested explanations for the spatial patterns in health inequality are largely speculative because little attention has been given to underlying mechanisms. Our study represents the first detailed investigation of the mechanisms that link social deprivation to a particular health outcome (recovery from first acute myocardial infarction (MI)) via its impact on psychological factors known to be associated with health.