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Case studies for Section 7, Health Inequalities and the Social Gradient.
In this case study, designed to be used with the movie Unnatural Causes, students evaluate proposals for a World Health Organization grant to improve population health in the Marshall Islands, examining the determinants of health, as well as health issues like tuberculosis. The early activities in the case are a bit simple for college students, but the simulation where students evaluate intervention proposals from the perspective of different stakeholders that is appropriate for the college classroom.
California Newsreel, Place Matters: Researching Our Neighborhoods
Students gather online data about their own neighborhoods to examine the impact of neighborhood on health outcomes. Instructors may also choose to include an interview component, where students interview neighborhood residents about their experiences. This case is designed to be used with the movie Unnatural Causes but could also function independently of the movie.
Leigh Gantner, PROGRESA: An Integrated Approach to Poverty Alleviation in Mexico
Students learn about Mexico’s Conditional Cash Transfer program, which gave cash incentives to rural poor families if their children attended school and health education sessions. Students consider the successes and challenges of this program and consider how it might be adapted to other contexts.
Lane et al., Racial and Ethnic Disparity in Birth Weight in Syracuse, NY
In this case, students examine the demographics of infant mortality in Syracuse, New York. They calculate infant mortality rates and relative risk for African-American and white infants. They also calculate attributable risk and population attributable risk for tobacco use. Another version of the case, set in North Carolina, is also available online.
Talbot and Rhatigan, Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment in Peru
This case study describes Partners in Health’s groundbreaking project to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Peru; the project included steps designed to mitigate economic barriers to treatment. This case is useful for helping students think about how the determinants of health might be addressed in an intervention. It could also be paired with Chapter 12, which discusses Partners in Health’s work in Haiti.