How Exactly do Politics Play a Part in Determining Health? New Perspectives on an age old Issue

This editorial comments on the study by Page et al on the influence of political patterns on suicide rates in New South Wales. The authors used Durkheim’s theory of social integration to examine predictors of suicide. They also accounted for confounding factors such as war, economics, environmental hazards, & the availability of sedatives. Evidence from this study & others seems to suggest that party political affiliation, as much as participation in the political process, may be a sensitive barometer of health status. (10 refs.)