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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2009.168666v1 99/9/1544    most recent Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Farley, T. A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Farley, T. A. Related Collections Other Chronic Disease Community Health Health Policy Other Health Service Delivery Socioeconomic Factors

Thomas A. Farley, MD, MPH

The author is with the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA.

Correspondence: Correspondence should be sent to: Thomas A. Farley, MD, MPH, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St., TW-19, New Orleans, LA 70112 (e-mail: tfarley@tulane.edu). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the "Reprints/Eprints" link.

	Because this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

Studies showing a link between social inequities and poor health are convincing, although the mechanisms by which social factors exert their effect on health are unclear. The question that many who work in public health struggle with is what our role should be in addressing those social factors, as they cannot be solved with the commonly used tools of public health. For instance, income inequality will not be lessened as a result of restaurant inspections, immunizations, or health education. There are, however, policy and environmental changes that we can implement for which the benefits in reducing the leading causes of . . . [Full Text]