BEYOND CLASS, RACE, AND ETHNICITY - DEPRIVATION AND HEALTH IN BRITAIN

The concepts of class, race, and ethnicity figure prominently in healt h services research in Britain. Occupational class has been employed f or nearly a century to investigate social inequalities in health and a ccess to care. More recently, researchers have identified differences in health status and utilization between ethnic groups. This article e xamines how these constructs;are defined in Britain and identifies som e key research associated with them. It also draws attention to the co nsiderable problems in using class and ethnicity to stratify the popul ation. The authors conclude that a new approach that directly measures individuals' material and social resources needs to be developed.