Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pathology
Open Access

Abstract

The United States is stratified on the basis of class and there is both upward and downward mobility. An individual’s social class is determined by three factors: Education, occupation and income. It is often assumed that there are three social classes in the United States: Upper, middle and lower but this method of categorization is simplistic and does not give an accurate picture of America in the 21st century, as values, behaviors, morbidity & mortality, even weight, differ significantly by social class. This presentation will contain explanations of the American stratification system as it currently exists, along with descriptions of the key demographic variables of each social class. This presentation will focus on health issues faced by Americans in various social classes and will illuminate how social class can affect one’s health with emphasis on the interaction between maternal & child health, obesity, life expectancy, poverty and geographic location.

Biography

Carol Apt has received her PhD in Sociology from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, MA in Sociology from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) and BA in Sociology from Indiana University in Indianapolis, Indiana. She also has a Certificate of French Studies from Ecole Lemania in Lausanne, Switzerland. She is currently a Professor of Sociology at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, where she has been for the last 15 years. During that time she has taught Medical Sociology, Human Sexuality, Cultural Anthropology, Social Problems and the Sociology of Genocide, among others. She is also a Member of the South Carolina Medical Association Bioethics Committee and the Ethics Committee of The Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg, South Carolina. In addition, she is the host of a live, call-in radio talk show called ‘Talk to Me,’ which is broadcast on 90.3 FM-WSSB, also in Orangeburg. During her show she addresses listeners’ questions about sexuality and relationships.

Email: capt@scsu.edu