Theories of disease distribution and the politics of public health data: An ecosocial perspective

Why bother about theory when working for social justice and public health? Because theory is fundamental to describing, explaining, and altering population patterns of health, including the magnitude of health inequities – and it is likewise key for understanding the politics of public health data. Traced to its Greek roots, “theory” involves both vision and insight; the Greek word “theoria” refers to seeing inwards, such that to theorize is to use our mind's eye systematically, following articulated principles, to discern meaningful patterns among both ideas and observations. It consequently is theory that enables us to make the invisible visible and to see gaps – in constructs, in variables, and in the data themselves. Translated to the realm of public health, in this presentation, I will discuss key features of epidemiologic theories of disease distribution, compare the overall dominant biomedical and lifestyle frameworks to those of diverse theoretical trends in social epidemiology – including sociopolitical, psychosocial, and ecosocial approaches – and then provide conceptual and empirical examples demonstrating why theory matters for analyzing and addressing the public's health. At issue are harms done if the theories employed ignore societal determinants of health, disregard levels, and focus on the wrong timeframes. Hence: theory is imperative for sound data illuminating and strengthening the links between social justice and public health -- in societal, historical, and ecologic context.