Health Disparities: Inflammatory Response, Immune Function, and Environmental(In)Congruence
Summary
Growing evidence indicates that increases in socioeconomic status (SES), a commonly understood protective factor that has been robustly linked to improvements in health, are associated with poorer physiological health among Black Americans in adulthood. The biological and social mechanisms underlying this relationship, however, are poorly understood, as well as the extent to which there may be physiological costs of mobility among other population groups. This project will create a novel database relevant for investigating the biosocial pathways underlying health, and evaluate the role of inflammatory response, immune function, and environmental incongruence in the relationship between upward mobility and physiological functioning among a nationally representative sample of young adults. The information resulting from this study will advance understandings of the complex and intergenerational patterns of health inequality, and create opportunities for researchers to conduct innovative, multilevel studies of health and well-being.