This open access book applies insights from the network perspective in health research to explain the reproduction of health inequalities. It discusses the extant literature in this field that strongly correlates differences in social status with health behaviours and outcomes, and add to this literature by providing a coherent theoretical explanation for the causes of these health inequalities. It also shows that much research is needed on the precise factors and the social and socio-psychological mechanisms that are at play in creating and cementing social inequalities in health behaviours. While social support and social relations have received considerable attention within social and behavioural science research on health inequalities, this book considers the whole network of interpersonal relations, structures and influence mechanisms. This is the perspective of the social network analytical approach which has recently gained much attention in health research. The chapters of this book cover state-of-the-art research, open research questions, and perspectives for future research. The book provides network analyses on health inequalities from the perspective of sociology, psychology, and public health and is of interest to a wide range of scholars, students and practitioners trying to understand how health inequalities are reproduced across generations.

In diesem Buch wird die Perspektive der soziologischen, psychologischen und gesundheitswissenschaftlichen Netzwerkforschung für die Erklärung des Zusammenhangs zwischen sozialen und gesundheitlichen Ungleichheiten fokussiert. Unterschiedliche theoretische und methodische Zugänge werden vorgestellt, der internationale und der nationale Forschungsstand werden aufgearbeitet und eine Reihe von Forschungslücken benannt. Das Buch soll als Ausgangspunkt für eine neue Perspektive in der gesundheitssoziologischen Forschung zur Entstehung und Persistenz gesundheitlicher Ungleichheiten dienen und dabei die Rolle sozialer Netzwerke hervorheben. Der Inhalt Theoretische und methodische Grundlagen • Lebenslauf • Ungleichheitsdimensionen • Desiderata: Soziale Netzwerk und gesundheitliche Ungleichheiten – welche Fragen bleiben offen? Die Herausgeber  PD Dr. Andreas Klärner ist Wissenschaftlicher Rat am Thünen-Institut für Ländliche Räume und Privatdozent an der Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Rostock. PD Dr. Markus Gamper ist Akademischer Rat am Institut für vergleichende Bildungsforschung und Sozialwissenschaften der Universität zu Köln.  Dr. Sylvia Keim - Klärner ist Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Thünen-Institut für Ländliche Räume in Braunschweig. Dr. Irene Moor ist Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Institut für Medizinische Soziologie (IMS) an der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg. Prof. Dr. Holger von der Lippe ist Professor für Entwicklungspsychologie an der Fakultät Naturwissenschaften der MSB Medical School Berlin. Dr. Nico Vonneilich ist Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Institut für Medizinische Soziologie (IMS) des Universitätsklinikums Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE).

This open access book applies insights from the network perspective in health research to explain the reproduction of health inequalities. It discusses the extant literature in this field that strongly correlates differences in social status with health behaviours and outcomes, and add to this literature by providing a coherent theoretical explanation for the causes of these health inequalities. It also shows that much research is needed on the precise factors and the social and socio-psychological mechanisms that are at play in creating and cementing social inequalities in health behaviours. While social support and social relations have received considerable attention within social and behavioural science research on health inequalities, this book considers the whole network of interpersonal relations, structures and influence mechanisms. This is the perspective of the social network analytical approach which has recently gained much attention in health research. The chapters of this book cover state-of-the-art research, open research questions, and perspectives for future research. The book provides network analyses on health inequalities from the perspective of sociology, psychology, and public health and is of interest to a wide range of scholars, students and practitioners trying to understand how health inequalities are reproduced across generations.