Paul Lemoine
9/22/2013
Class, Place, and Health
SOC 315-7103
Watch episode five of Place Matters. Why are zip code and street address good predictors
of population health? Be as specific as possible. Draw explicit examples from the film.
Write two fully developed paragraphs.
It is unbelievable to think of all the factors affecting population health.. I had a rough idea
on many of the disadvantages in poor communities, but I never would of thought the
settings would be as detrimental as they are. Looking into research data and demographics
of people in poverty is disgusting. Seeing in Video 5, the different percentages in
neighborhoods was insane. The video revealed a lot I didnt know, and really showed how
this inequality started, the reasons why it takes place, and how inequality is a major
determinant of health. Its focus and focal point which describes this question perfectly is
how “place matters.” How different areas place to place, zip code to zip code, address to
address, are different, and different in extreme ways. Factors such as education, work,
living conditions, industries, etc. In poor sectors people can be exposed to chemical agents,
crime/violence, tons of fast food, crappy housing, bad neighbors, multiple liqueur stores,
and much more. The video described how neighborhoods can go from one having a six
times (6x) higher chance of kids getting asthma, while another neighborhood has a 30%
chance that people will live longer lives. I never considered how many things affect those