>From ieberstn@coss.fsu.edu Thu Jun 30 12:50:30 1994 Return-Path: ieberstn@coss.fsu.edu Received: from garnet.acns.fsu.edu (garnet.acns.fsu.edu [128.186.6.137]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.6.9/8.6.9/CNS-3.5) with SMTP id MAA07108 for ; Thu, 30 Jun 1994 12:50:28 -0600 Received: from [128.186.39.110] (ieberstein.coss.fsu.edu) by garnet.acns.fsu.edu with SMTP (5.65c/25-eef) id AA17942; Thu, 30 Jun 1994 14:50:27 -0400 X-Nupop-Charset: English Date: Thu, 30 Jun 94 14:41:42 EST From: "Isaac W. Eberstein" Sender: ieberstn@garnet.acns.fsu.edu Reply-To: ieberstn@coss.fsu.edu Message-Id: <52902.ieberstn@coss.fsu.edu> To: ppn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: RE: introduction Here is my response to the original posting, which I did not copy. ------------------------- There is actually a great deal of "theoretically developed" material on mortality, although the Marxist model per se has not been the paradigm of choice for many of us working in the area. Of late there has been an emphasis on individual decision making in regard to lifestyle, but there has always been a lot of sociological and public health attention to more structural explanations which you may find more appealing. The emphasis on, e.g., race or racism as an explanation for B:W differentials in infant mortality, is one example. Work on residential segregation and infant mortality, maternal age and infant mortality, or poverty and infant mortality or other examples. The fact is that these sociological influences are further removed from the event of death and, as such, are of less interest in policy terms than are more immediate factors like prenatal care. Also, it is true that lifestyle factors (like smoking, etc) are mortality risks; to deny/ ignore that fact would relegate sociological analysis to irrelevance. The question is how to integrate structure and lifestyle in a manner consistent with both sociological and public health realities. Good luck on your quest. If I can be of specific help, let me know. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Isaac W. (Ike) Eberstein VOICE: 904/644-7108 Population Center FAX: 904/644-8818 Florida State University email: ieberstn@coss.fsu.edu Tallahassee, FL 32306-4063 HOME: 904/386-3383