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“EXCELLENCE THROUGH KNOWLEDGE” P A G E 88 Why Socio-economic Status, Violence and Parenting Play an Important Role in Chronic Disease Epidemiology: A Jamaican Perspective The paper elucidates how common socio-behavioural factors directly affect chronic disease epidemiology; the purpose of the paper is to describe why socio-economic status (SES), violence and parenting are determinants of non-communicable diseases. As such, the relationship between chronic disease and both individual and neighbourhood socio-economic status is explored, by reviewing pertinent scientific literature. Moreover, there is a clear exposition of how violence and poor parenting independently and collectively adversely affect the growth of chronic diseases, in poor and rich countries alike. Many examples are taken from Jamaican settings. Socioeconomic status (SES) refers to the position of an individual within a hierarchical social structure; it involves a combination of variables, including income, wealth, occupation, education, and place of residence. A challenge in conducting a review is that socioeconomic status is defined differently in various studies; as such, we should use the results about the relationship between SES and health outcomes cautiously. Researchers have studied individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) in predicting health outcomes (Lordan et al, 2012; Bartley 2010; Monsivais, Aggarwal, and Drewnowski, 2010; Bird et al, 2010; Dubowitz et al, 2008; Lagnase et al, 2004). In Jamaica, like many other countries, there is compelling evidence that indicates that there is a clear demarcation between various socioeconomic groups. For example, distinct privileges are available to children of the higher socioeconomic status (SES), such as safer communities and access to wealth, which leads to a greater probability of experiencing more wholesome life styles than children in the lower socioeconomic bracket (Bartley 2010). There is ample evidence that negative health outcomes are associated with exposure to adverse social conditions. It is noteworthy that the relationship between individual socio-economic status (SES) and psychological well-being has been well documented (Bartley 2010; Lordan et al, 2012). Childhood socioeconomic status helps predict adult cardiovascular morbidity, cardiovascular mortality, all-cause mortality and mortality due to a range of specific causes (Cohen et al, 2010). For example, there is evidence that lower childhood socioeconomic conditions place individuals at modest risk for adult cardiovascular disease and mortality, independent of adult SES (Politt et al, 2005, cited in Cohen et al, 2010). Research by Drakopoulos et al (2011) indicates that for “each Susan A. Muir College of Health Sciences SusanA. Muir