Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction / Michael Marmot -- Social organization, stress, and health / Eric Brunner, Michael Marmot -- Early life / Michael Wadsworth, Suzie Butterworth -- The life course, the social gradient, and health / David Blane -- Health and labour market disadvantage: unemployment, non-employment, and job insecurity / Mel Bartley ... [et al.] -- Health and the psychosocial environment at work / Michael Marmot ... [et al.] -- Transport and health / Mark McCarthy -- Social support and social cohesion / Stephen A. Stansfeld -- Food is a political issue / Aileen Robertson ... [et al.] -- Poverty, social exclusion, and minorities / Mary Shaw ... [et al.] -- Social patterning of individual health behaviours: the case of cigarette smoking / Martin J. Jarvis, Jane Wardle -- The social determination of ethnic/racial inequalities in health / James Y. Nazroo, David R. Williams -- Social determinants of health in older age / Anne McMunn ... [et al.] -- Neighbourhoods, housing, and health / Mai Stafford, Mark McCarthy -- Social determinants, sexual behaviour, and sexual health / Anne M. Johnson ... [et al.] -- Ourselves and others - for better or worse: social vulnerability and inequality / Richard G. Wilkinson.

This text gives an authoritative overview of the social and economic factors which are known to be the most powerful determinants of population health in modern societies.