One of the most influential frameworks in health inequality research builds on a series of articles by Finn Diderichsen and colleagues. The model illustrates how an individual’s social position shapes both exposure and vulnerability to health risks, producing systematic inequalities in morbidity and mortality. It also shows how ill health can trigger unequal social and economic consequences, reinforcing these inequalities over time. Importantly, the model highlights where policy interventions can interrupt this cycle.
A new article by CHESS researcher Karl Gauffin, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health (SJPH), highlights the model’s continued relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also advocating for a more explicit consideration of social justice. Drawing on the work of political theorist Nancy Fraser, the article discusses social justice in terms of economic distribution and cultural recognition. Consequently, the question ‘Who is worthy of protection?’ adds a dimension of political prioritisation to the interaction between exposure and vulnerability, which, in the distribution of important goods such as vaccines, becomes a matter of great public health significance.
Illustrations:
The original framework by Diderichsen and colleagues
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