1. Work is central to social status, one of the most powerful predictors of heath outcomes.

A current resurgence of interest and proliferation of research in public health addresses the large disparities in health among U.S. citizens that depend upon individuals’ social standing. Health and wealth go together, and poor health outcomes are clustered at the low end of the social spectrum. The very strong linear relationship between positive health and higher social status (referred to more technically as socioeconomic status or SES) holds in every society, past and present, where it has been measured.³ Socioeconomic status is typically determined as a function of a person’s education, occupation, income or a combination of these factors. Since education influences occupation and occupation in turn affects income, there is considerable overlap among these three factors.

The knowledge that education, occupation and income directly influence SES, and in doing so affect health outcomes, places a new, critical importance on advancing individuals’ SES as a means of reducing health disparities. It is important to note that there are exceptions to the linear relationship between high SES and positive health for some health outcomes and populations. Overall, however, the robust relationship between social standing and health makes a strong case for the importance of education and training, economic development, job placement, retention and advancement as strategies for improving long-term health outcomes.