[1][2][3][4] The term developed by Centric Lab[5] aims to unify societal factors with the biological underpinnings of health inequities – the unfair and avoidable differences in health status and risks between social groups of a population — such that these inequalities can be investigated in a holistic manner.
For example, studies show Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups inhabit more deprived[8] and environmentally polluted neighbourhoods.
[9] Through this, these groups experience prolonged exposure to physical (e.g., air pollution[10]) and psychosocial (e.g., discrimination[11]) stressors resulting in chronic stress.
In turn, these stress-related biological differences increase the risk of disease and poorer health outcomes.
Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety have been linked to biological inequity factors such as air pollution,[27][28] noise pollution[29][30] and area deprivation[31][32] Measures of Biological inequity such as psychosocial stress and environmental stress have been shown to correlate with COVID-19 mortality rates, suggesting possible increased exposure to COVID-19 or increased vulnerability to the virus.