The Stratification System of the United States: Correlations between Social Class and Health Carol Apt, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology South Carolina State University Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA 1

Social Classes Education, occupation, income 1. Upper Class (Old Money) 2. New Money 3. Middle Class (White Collar) 4. Working Class (Blue Collar) 5. Working Poor 6. Poverty Level 2

People Living in Poverty in the United States (2012) For a family of four, $23,550/year 15% of all Americans, or 1 out of every 7 people 9.7% Non-Hispanic Whites 25% Hispanics 27.2% Blacks 3

Being at the Bottom of the Social Ladder can be Hazardous to Your Health Poorer overall health status - higher rates of infant mortality - poorer nutritional status - lower life expectancy 4

Maternal and Child Health Health insurance Prenatal care Alcohol/smoking Teenage pregnancy Second-hand smoke Reluctance to breast feed obesity 5

Nutritional Status Fat, cholesterol, sodium, calories, fast food Less stigma against overweight people Definitions of what is/looks healthy Fried food Difficult to acquire healthy foods Misunderstanding of what constitutes a healthy diet 6

Life Expectancy by State American men: 75; American women: Mississippi: lowest life expectancy, 75 years; highest poverty rate, 20.1%; highest obesity rate, 34.4% 2. West Virginia: 2 nd lowest life expectancy, 75.4 years; 43 rd out of 50 states in poverty rate, 15.4%; 2 nd highest rate of obesity 3. Alabama: 3 rd lowest life expectancy, 75.4 years; 47 out of 50 states in poverty rate, 16.7%; 3 rd highest obesity rate, 30.1% 7

Life Expectancy by State, Continued 4. Louisiana: 4 th lowest life expectancy, 75.7 years; 49 out of 50 states in poverty, 18.3%; 4 th highest rate of obesity, 29.5% South Carolina: 42 nd out of 50 states in life expectancy, 77.0 years; 41 out of 50 in poverty rate, 15.0%; 5 th highest rate of obesity, 29.2% All above states are in the DEEP South 8

What Contributes to Life Expectancy? Social relationships with friends and family Being in frequent contact Engaging in shared activities Doing things to help other people Relationships provide social support We influence each other Women & less masculine men Poverty & stress negatively affect relationships 9

What Else Contributes to Life Expectancy? Chronic stress of living in poverty Stress can damage the immune system Stress can damage the heart Fight or flight What to do when your friends and family members are also under chronic stress? 10

Writing Research Papers in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Carol Apt, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology South Carolina State University Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA 11

Before You Write, Ask Yourself, Who Will Read My Research Paper? This depends on: To what journal/publication will I submit it What is my topic? What knowledge or expertise is required? How generalizable are my findings? In what language will I write it? 12

What Language Will I use? Icelandic, with 330,000 native speakers English, spoken by 2 billion people in 75 countries English is the language of international business, academic conferences, science and technology. Over 2.3 of the world’s scientists read English. 13

Writing in English for an International Audience Isn’t Easy Largest vocabulary Spoken differently from country to country British American lift elevator boot (of a car) trunk (of a car) chips French fried potatoes Bangers & mash sausages & mashed potatoes 14

Words are spelled differently British American flavour flavor colour color 15

Languages Change over Time, Especially in Large, Technologically Advanced Societies The internet: sexting, phishing Language usage differs according to region, race, ethnicity North South drawers (where you underwear put underwear) I stay in Bowman I live in Bowman I’ll see you on tomorrow 16

Beware of: Abbreviations: BRB, SMH American slang: a person can be hot or cool A thing can be hot Don’t beat around the bush New age technology: state-of-the-art, cutting edge, leading edge, most sophisticated Assumptions that readers will be familiar with your country 17

Also Beware of: Make sure variables and terms are explained and the same ones used throughout. Relationship satisfaction, interpersonal satisfaction, marital relationships, husband- wife relationship 18

The Abstract Purpose is to get someone to read your work Has to conform to the requirements of the publication/conference It includes: 1. Background 2. Methods 3. Results 4. Conclusions 19