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Ichiro KawachiAssociate Professor of Health and Social Behavior Address:
Department of Health and Social Behavior Education: |
Research Interests
Social Determinants of Health : This research seeks to link macro social forces -- such as income distribution, social cohesion and social capital, inequalities in political participation, and residential segregation -- to patterns of health and disease in populations. Studies in progress feature both ecologic and multi-level designs, with a variety of health outcomes (mortality, morbidity, quality of life). Psychosocial Risk Factors for Heart Disease: This research attempts to link psychosocial factors to risk of heart disease. These risk factors include: work environment (job stress, shift work); personality and negative emotions (anger, hostility, anxiety, and depression); as well as the protective effects of social networks and support. These studies are being carried out in four cohort studies: the Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II in women; the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and VA Normative Aging Study in men. Health-related Quality of Life: Studies in progress include prospective investigations of healthy aging in a large cohort of women (Nurses' Health Study); predictors of functional recovery following major illness, such as breast cancer and heart attack; and the role of work organization in predicting functional outcomes among working women. Smoking and Health :Studies include the effects of passive smoking on disease risk; the health effects of smoking so-called "low yield" cigarettes; and the impact of excise taxes on cigarette consumption.
Selected Publications
Kawachi I, Kennedy BP, Lochner K, Prothrow-Stith D. Social capital, income inequality, and mortality. American Journal of Public Health 1997;87:1491-1498
Kawachi I, Kennedy BP, Wilkinson RG. Income Inequality and Health: A Reader. New York: The New Press 1999.
Kawachi I, Kennedy BP, Glass R. Social capital and self-rated health: A contextual analysis. Am J Public Health 1999;89:1187-1193.
Kawachi I, Kennedy BP, Gupta V, Prothrow-Stith. Women's status and the health of women and men: A view from the States. Soc Sci Med 1999;48:21-32.
Fine JT, Colditz GA, Coakley EH, Moseley G, Manson JE, Willett WC, Kawachi I. A prospective study of weight change and health-related quality of life. JAMA 1999;282:2136-2142.
Cheng Y, Kawachi I, Coakley EH, Schwartz J. Colditz G. Association between psychosocial work characteristics and health functioning in American women: prospective study. Br Med J 2000;320: 1432-1436.
Berkman LF, Kawachi I. Social Epidemiology. New York: Oxford University Press 2000.
Kahn, R.S., Wise, P.H., Kennedy, B.P. & Kawachi, I. State income inequality, household income, and maternal mental and physical health: cross sectional national survey. Br Med J 2000;321:1311-1315.
Achat, H., Kawachi, I., Spiro, A.III, DeMolles, D.A, Sparrow, D.. Optimism and depression as predictors of physical and mental health functioning. The Normative Aging Study. Annals of Behavioral Medicine; 2000; 22(2):127-130.
Subramanian, S.V., Kawachi, I. & Kennedy, B.P. Does the state you live in make a difference? Multilevel analysis of self-rated health in the US. Soc Sci Med 2001;53:9-19.
Goodman, E., Adler, N.E., Kawachi, I., Frazier, A.L., Huang, B. & Colditz, G.A. Adolescents' perceptions of social status: Development and evaluation of a new indicator. Pediatrics 2001; 108(2): http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/108/2/e31.
Blakely, T.A., Kennedy, B.P. & Kawachi, I. Socioeconomic inequality in voting participation and self-rated health. American Journal of Public Health 2001; 91(1):99-104.
Kawachi, I. & Kennedy, B.P. The health of nations: Why inequality is harmful to your health. New York: The New Press. 2002
Blakely, T.A., Lochner, K. & Kawachi, I. Metropolitan area income inequality and self-rated health--a multi-level study. Soc Sci Med 2002;54:65-77.
Gilman, S.E., Kawachi, I., Fitzmaurice, G.M., & Buka, S.L. Socioeconomic status in childhood and the lifetime risk of major depression. International Journal of Epidemiology 2002;31:359-367.
Kawachi, I. & Berkman, L.F. Neighborhoods and health. New York: Oxford University Press 2003.
Lochner, K.A., Kawachi, I., Brennan, R.T. & Buka, S.L. Social capital and neighborhood mortality rates in Chicago. Soc Sci Med 2003;56:1797-1805.
Subramanian, S.V., Lochner, K. & Kawachi, I. Neighborhood differences in social capital: a compositional artifact or a contextual construct? Health and Place 2003;9:33-44.
Gilman, S.E., Kawachi, I., Fitzmaurice, G.M., & Buka, S.L. Family disruption in childhood and risk of adult depression. American Journal of Psychiatry 2003;160(5):939-946.
Internet Links
Useful websites for Ichiro Kawachi:
Harvard Center for Society and Health
