Citation

Cheng TL, Johnson SB, Goodman E. Pediatrics 2016; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston, Massachusetts; and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Academy of Pediatrics)

DOI

10.1542/peds.2015-2467

PMID

27244844

Abstract

Health disparities in the United States related to socioeconomic status are persistent and pervasive. This review highlights how social disadvantage, particularly low socioeconomic status and the health burden it brings, is passed from 1 generation to the next. First, we review current frameworks for understanding the intergenerational transmission of health disparities and provide 4 illustrative examples relevant to child health, development, and well-being. Second, the leading strategy to break the cycle of poverty in young families in the United States, the 2-generation approach, is reviewed. Finally, we propose a new 3-generation approach that must combine with the 2-generation approach to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage and eliminate health disparities.

Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Language: en