{"id":621,"date":"2013-08-21T19:35:12","date_gmt":"2013-08-21T19:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/content.scienceofecd.com\/secd-intro\/?page_id=621"},"modified":"2025-09-24T02:07:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T02:07:09","slug":"dh-2-2-the-gradient-effect","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/content.scienceofecd.com\/secd-intro\/dh-2-2-the-gradient-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"DH 2.2 The gradient effect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To fully understand trajectories and social determinants of health we need to be aware of socioeconomic gradients. The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and a variety of developmental health outcomes can be represented as a socioeconomic gradient.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n INTERACT<\/span>\n Understanding gradients<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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The gradient effect means that there are differences at every point along a line. There are many reasons for different outcomes but in general, the gradients show clearly that the health and well-being of populations are linked to different social settings and how resources are distributed within the population. For example, the poorest mothers have the least literate children and the wealthiest mothers have the most literate children. It is also notable that for every step in between the two extremes, the relationship between maternal poverty and literacy is there. Mothers who are slightly less poor have children with a slightly higher rate of literacy and so on up the scale so that every improvement in SES has an effect on the developmental outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to pay attention to these childhood gradients because they tend to set the path of the life course trajectory. In other words, they continue into adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the next clip, Dr. Clyde Hertzman continues his talk, \u201cEquity from the Start\u201d, (the first part is on Page DH 1.1) \u00a0and explains the social gradient in early child development.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n VIEW<\/span>\n Hertzman – social gradients in early child development (4:14)<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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