High Status Groups Research Articles

Effect of combined aquatic and cognitive training on quality of life, fall self-efficacy, and motor performance in aged with varying cognitive status: a proof-of-concept study.

With the increasing number of aged individuals, research pertaining to their cognitive functions and physical-motor has become exponentially imperative. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect com-bined aquatic and cognitive training on quality of life (QoL), fall self-effi-cacy and motor performance (static and dynamic balance) in aged with varying cognitive status levels. Thirty participants were assigned to a high cognitive status group (n=10), low cognitive status group (n=10), or nonintervention control group (n=10). Participants completed a 6-week motor-cognitive training regime with increasing intensity. QoL, fall self-efficacy, static balance, and dynamic balance were assessed. Preliminary results suggest proof-of-concept significant (P<0.05) im-provements were found in both the high and low cognitive status groups for static and dynamic balance and fall self-efficacy. However, QoL was only found to be significantly improved in the low cognitive status group. Aqua training along with cognitive training can effectively be used to prevent falls in the elderly and to improve their physical-motor perfor-mance. However, when attempting to improve QoL, the cognitive status of the individual should be considered.

Children’s evaluations of deviant peers in the context of science and technology: The role of gender group norms and status

Women are drastically underrepresented within computer science, which is in part informed by societal ideas of who can and should belong in the sciences. Less is known about how children evaluate their peers who challenge gendered expectations of who can and should take part in computer science. The current study asked children (N = 213; 110 girls) in middle childhood (Mage = 8.71 years; n = 108) and late childhood (Mage = 10.56 years; n = 105) to evaluate a gender-matched peer who challenged a group norm related to either computer science (male-gendered domain) or biology (less male-gendered domain). Male participants most negatively evaluated a peer who wanted to take part in a biology activity when the rest of the group wanted to do a programming activity. Furthermore, male participants expected their group to negatively evaluate this deviant peer in the programming condition. Mediation analysis revealed that for boys in the computer science condition, perceived group evaluation predicted individual evaluation. Female participants, in contrast, did not negatively evaluate someone who challenged a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) peer group norm. This study demonstrates that male peer groups may perpetuate the idea that computer science is for men through negative evaluation of in-group members who challenge those ideas and, in turn, maintain their dominant position as the high-status group. Achieving equity in the computer science field will require a greater understanding of these peer group norms.

Is it really just a joke? Gender differences in perceptions of sexist humor

AbstractBenign violation theory suggests humor mocking normative values is funny if the humor is non-threatening. Research suggests sexism toward women (versus men) is particularly threatening due to inequalities in social power. In Study 1, we examined whether men and women differ in how amused and offended they were by sexist humor. We predicted men would perceive sexist humor as more funny and less offensive than women would. In Study 2, we examined whether perceptions of threat were related to perceptions of sexist jokes. We predicted women would perceive more threat than men from sexist humor, which would lead to lower amusement and greater perceived offensiveness. Across both studies, jokes targeting women were perceived to be less funny, more offensive, and more sexist than jokes targeting men. Additionally, greater perceptions of threat were related to greater perceptions of jokes as offensive and sexist. However, women were not more threatened than men by sexist jokes. While these findings were not entirely consistent with our hypotheses, our findings suggest disparagement humor targeting lower-status groups is perceived more negatively than disparagement humor targeting higher-status groups and these perceptions may be inextricably rooted in threat posed to lower-status groups.

A method of estimating age of undocumented children and young adults of different socioeconomic status in Cambodia

A growing number of Cambodian children without legal documentary evidence of date of birth are vulnerable to exploitation. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of southern Chinese reference dataset for dental age estimation on Cambodian children and young adults of different socioeconomic status. Dental panoramic tomographs (DPT) of 371 Cambodian children and young adults belonging to lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES) groups were analyzed. All the left maxillary and mandibular permanent teeth including the third molars were scored based on Demirjian's classification of tooth development stages. Chronological age (CA) was calculated from the date of birth and date of exposure of radiograph. The mean age of attainment for each stage of development was obtained from the southern Chinese reference dataset. Dental age (DA) was calculated by averaging the mean age scores for all the teeth. Paired t-test and correlation analysis were conducted to measure associations between the chronological age and the dental age for males and females in the lower and higher socio-economic status groups. Underestimation of age was observed in both SES groups using the southern Chinese reference dataset. For the higher SES group, the difference between the chronological and dental age (CA-DA) was 0.26 years for females and 0.11 years for males. The difference was statistically significant only in females (p < 0.05). In the low SES group, the results showed a difference of 0.07 years in females and 0.01 years in males; the differences were not statistically significant in both sexes (p > 0.05). A strong correlation was observed between the CA and DA in both sex and SES groups ranging from 0.969 to 0.988 (p < 0.05). The southern Chinese dental reference dataset can be used to estimate the age of undocumented Cambodian male and female children and young adults of both higher and lower SES.

Ripples of structural economic transformation: The changing social geographies of Dutch metropolitan regions

Socio-economic inequality across countries and urban regions is on the rise across the Global North. Even in formerly strong welfare states, such as the Netherlands, we now see the effects of sustained marketization and liberalization. Rising social inequality can manifest spatially and become reflected in the changing social geography of urban regions. However, the way in which structural changes affect the social geography of an urban region is highly contingent on the historically grown characteristics of that region, particularly the housing market structure and the labour market. Based on detailed register data on income and wealth of individual households for the four largest Dutch metropolitan areas, this paper describes the shifting spatial inequalities between high and lower status groups, unravelling changing patterns of concentrated affluence and poverty within the metropolitan regions of Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague-Rotterdam, and Eindhoven. We demonstrate that spatial patterns and moreover recent trends are quite differentiated between the four urban regions. We argue that these trajectories should be linked to the different urban profiles which are defined by their positions in global networks, the diversity of the economy, and the way in which national and local policies buffered or catalysed demographic and economic trends. Economically multi-layered and well connected cities, such as Utrecht and Amsterdam are most successful economically, spurring gentrification in the core and a push to the periphery of lower status groups. More mono-layered economies such as The Hague and Rotterdam do not experience widespread gentrification and retain poor inner-cities and relatively affluent suburbs.

Factors Influencing the Quality of Life of Korean Elderly Women by Economic Status.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether there are differences in the factors affecting the quality of life (QOL) of elderly women in South Korea according to their perceived economic status. Methods: Data were extracted from the Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2016. The participants were 879 women over the age of 65 years, who were divided into three groups: high, medium, and low based on their perceived economic status. The study variables were classified into three categories: general characteristics, physical factors, and psychological factors. General characteristics included age, education level, employment, activity restriction, frequency of breakfast/week, frequency of lunch/week, and frequency of dinner/week. Physical factors included disease status, weight change, consumption of alcohol, number of days of walking per week, duration of walking at a time, body mass index (BMI), and discomfort due to changes in hearing. Psychological factors included stress, subjective body awareness, subjective health status, depressive symptoms, and QOL. Complex sample crosstabs and chi-square tests were conducted, and regression was performed to examine the association between the variables by economic status. Results: The factors that influenced the QOL of elderly women with low economic status were arthritis, alcohol consumption, subjective health status, and depressive symptoms, with an explanatory power of 54.3% (F = 14.94, p < 0.001). The factors that influenced the QOL of the medium economic status group were activity restriction, frequency of dinner/week, arthritis, number of days of walking per week, BMI, stress, subjective health status, and depressive symptoms, with an explanatory power of 48.6% (F = 9.82, p < 0.001). For the high economic status group, influential factors were age, restricted activity, arthritis, number of days of walking per week, stress, and depressive symptoms with an explanatory power of 49.0% (F = 69.76, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study identified different factors that contributed to the QOL of elderly women by economic status.

Access and Outcomes Among Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Patients in a Large Integrated Health System.

BackgroundHypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited cardiomyopathy. Current guidelines endorse management in expert centers, but patient socioeconomic status can affect access to specialty care. The effect of socioeconomic status and specialty care access on HCM outcomes has not been examined.Methods and ResultsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study that examined outcomes among HCM patients receiving care in the Yale New Haven Health System between June 2011 and December 2017. Patients were assigned to lower or higher socioeconomic status groups (LSES/HSES) based on medical insurance provider and to receivers of specialty care (SC) at Yale's Inherited Cardiomyopathy clinic or general cardiology care (GC). The primary outcome was all‐cause death, and the secondary outcome was all‐cause hospitalization. We identified 953 HCM patients; 820 (86%) were HSES and 133 (14%) were LSES. Forty‐three (4.5%) patients died from cardiac and noncardiac causes. LSES patients within the general cardiology care cohort had significantly higher all‐cause mortality compared with HSES patients (adjusted hazard ratio, [95% CI]=10.06 [4.38–23.09]; P<0.001). This was not noted in the specialty care cohort (adjusted hazard ratio, [95% CI]=2.87 [0.56–14.73]; P=0.21). The moderator effect of specialty care on mortality difference between LSES versus HSES, however, did not reach statistical significance (hazard ratio, 0.29 [0.05–1.77]; P=0.18). Specialist care was associated with increased hospitalization (adjusted hazard ratio, [95% CI]=3.28 [1.11–9.73]; P=0.03 for LSES; 2.19 [1.40–3.40]; P=0.001 for HSES).ConclusionsSocioeconomically vulnerable HCM patients had higher mortality when not referred to specialty care. Further study is needed to understand the underlying causes.

Group status, geographic location, and the tone of media coverage: Jews and Muslims in New York Times and Guardian Headlines, 1985\u20132014

Studies demonstrate that both group status and geographic location influence media coverage of immigrants, ethnic groups, and marginalized communities. We examine a systematic sample of headlines about Muslims and Jews from The New York Times and The Guardian between 1985 and 2014 to understand these two factors. We find that headlines about Jews have a more positive tone than those about Muslims, and that headlines about each group situated within the newspaper’s country—such as American Jews or British Muslims—have a more positive tone than those set in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region—such as MENA Jews or MENA Muslims. These findings provide independent confirmation of prevailing research on group status and on the differences between coverage of domestic and foreign events. We expand this research agenda by intersecting these two strands of scholarship to examine the interaction between group status and geographic location, comparing the tone of headlines about lower-status domestic groups—such as Muslims in the United States or Great Britain—to that of the higher-status foreign group of Jews in the MENA region. We find that there is no meaningful difference between the portrayal of American Muslims and MENA Jews in The New York Times, but that Guardian headlines are significantly more positive toward British Muslims compared to MENA Jews. We explore these cross-national differences to show how the relationship between group status and geography is context specific.

Socioeconomic inequality in smoking and its determinants in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The role of socioeconomic inequality and related factors has not been well reported in tobacco consumption. To investigate the socioeconomic inequality in smoking and its associated factors in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Data were collected from surveillance for noncommunicable diseases in 2005, which included 89 404 people aged 15-65 years. Economic status was defined by principal component analysis on variables related to socioeconomic status. Concentration index and slope index of inequality were used to determine the inequality value. The gap between the high and low economic status groups was decomposed using the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method for explained and unexplained components. The total prevalence of smoking was 17.0%; 28.0% in males, and 5.8% in females, 15.8% in urban and 19.1% in rural areas. The concentration index was -0.032 in the whole of country; -0.098, in males, -0.246 in females, 0.014 in urban and -0.059 in rural areas and varied in different provinces of country. The smoking rate was 18.0% for the first quintile and 13.5% for the fifth quintile, a gap of 4.5%. The major part of this gap was related to differences in education level, sex, marital status and age in economic groups. There was a pro-rich socioeconomic inequality in smoking, especially in females and in the southern provinces. Increase in education level and empowering females of low socioeconomic status are sound interventions for alleviating inequality and for tobacco control.

Estimation of the Prevalence of Tobacco Consumption among Rural Women in South India using Mixed Methods Analysis.

Background:Tobacco consumption is a public health problem in Tamil Nadu.Objectives:The current study was done to estimate the prevalence of tobacco consumption among rural women and to identify the sociodemographic characteristics with high prevalence of tobacco consumption.Materials and Methods:It was a community-based cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among women ≥18 years of age. Mixed methods were employed to obtain the comprehensive picture about the substance use among women. Multistage random sampling method was used to interview 210 women using a semi-structured and pretested schedule. This was followed by key informant interviews, in which nine women were interviewed. Frequency distributions and Chi-square test were employed to study the association. In addition, manual content analysis was done to identify the reasons for the initiation of tobacco consumption and the measures to curb the practice.Results:The prevalence of tobacco consumption among the women was estimated as 15.2%. Women in the lower socioeconomic status group showed a higher prevalence of tobacco consumption than the middle and high socioeconomic status group. All 32 (100%) women were consuming tobacco products in the smokeless forms. Further, 28 (87.5%) women were not willing to quit tobacco consumption.Conclusion:The prevalence of tobacco consumption among the women was estimated to be above expectation of the national figures. Lower socioeconomic class and poor educational status were found to be major determinants for tobacco consumption among rural women.

Flexible employment policies, temporal control and health promoting practices: A qualitative study in two Australian worksites.

For four decades, theories of job demand-control have proposed that higher occupational status groups have lower health risks due to the stress accompanying jobs featuring high demands but high control. This research examines whether Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) can improve the health prospects of a range of workers by giving greater control over work time arrangements. Our setting is Australia, where FWAs were introduced in 2009. In line with these early studies alongside studies of work-life balance, we expected to observe that workers with access to control over daily work times could better control the activities outside of work that influence chronic disease. Using a practice sociology approach, we compared the accounts of twenty-eight workers in blue and white collar industries with differing degrees of work time flexibility. The findings do not contradict early theories describing occupational differences of job demand-control dynamics and their relationship to health risks. However, this study suggests that a) time demands and strains have increased for a broad sweep of workers since the 1980s, b) the greater control of higher occupational status groups has been eroded by the high performance movement, which has attracted less scrutiny than FWAs, and c) more workers are forced to adapt their daily lives, including their approach to health, to accommodate their job demands. Job insecurity further impedes preventative health practices adoption. What might appear to be worker-controlled flexibility can-under the pressures of job insecurity and performance expectations without time limits-transform into health-eroding unpredictability. The answer however is not greater flexibility in the absence of limits on the well-documented precursors of work stress: long hours, job insecurity and intensity-related exhaustion. While there have been welcome developments in job demand-control-health conceptualizations, they typically ignore the out-of-work temporal demands that workers face and which compound on-the-job demands. Redesign of the temporalities of working life within worksites need to be accompanied by society-level policies which address caring responsibilities, gender equality as well as broad labour market conditions.

Estereotipos y valoración de Grupos Sociales Peruanos en una muestra de Personas de sectores sociales privilegiados de Lima

Background: Peruvian society is characterized by its ethnical, cultural and socioeconomic diversity, which leads to complex intergroup relations. Objective: To contribute to understanding this phenomenon, the present study aims to examine the stereotypical representations and prejudice towards different Peruvian social groups by high-socioeconomic-status group members from Lima. Method: The research used a mixed-method design for complementing two different approaches: a quantitative one, where questionnaires were administered to a sample of 90 participants; and a qualitative one, in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants. Results: The results showed that the participants identified high- and low-status groups in the Peruvian society, and hold ambivalent stereotypical representations towards them. The participants identified and valued White Peruvians as high-status group members, who are competent and developed but also corrupt. On the other hand, they identified and valued Amazonian and African Peruvians to a lesser extent, who are considered as low-status, undeveloped but joyful groups. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the importance of social class attributes used in the formation of stereotypical representations and prejudice towards different Peruvian social groups.

Leisure Practices of Russian Employees as a Factor of Their Human Potential Formation

In the analysis of the human potential of employees in modern Russia, the broad interpretation of human capital is used, including, in addition to educational characteristics, a more diverse range of indicators. Human potential is considered as a set of basic personal characteristics (education, health, Internet), which are significantly influenced by leisure practices. On the basis of the concept of R. Stebbins the typology of modern leisure practices from the point of view of their influence on human potential is offered. Based on the analysis of the data of an all-Russian survey conducted in October 2018 by the Institute of sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, it is concluded that leisure practices in modern Russian society enshrine social differentiation. This is manifested in the fact that representatives of higher-status professional groups (entrepreneurs, managers, specialists) not only have better human potential than representatives of low-status professional groups (workers), but also more often they participate in such forms of leisure that contribute to the preservation and growth of human potential.

Collectivism and Individualism in Status Hierarchies: Socialization and Social Identity Explanations

Social scientists have produced major theoretical and empirical advances documenting the importance of group status in shaping the group members’ perceptions of themselves and of society at large. Evidence is accumulating showing that members of high-status groups favor individualistic and autonomous self-conceptions and worldviews, whereas members of low-status groups turn to more collectivistic and less personalized ones. This paper reports on research that has examined this phenomenon with a focus on social class divisions. It outlines two main explanations that have been developed to account for this self-group discrepancy in status hierarchies. One explanation rests on the long run diverging socialization processes that take place in high and low social classes. A complementary explanation is based on social identity dynamics. It suggests that such orientations result from differing motivations among members of high-status and low-status groups: While the former aim to protect a positive social identity, the latter must cope with a social identity threat.

The Preoperative Inflammatory Status Affects the Clinical Outcome in Cardiac Surgery.

Aims: There are many reasons for the increase in post-operative mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing surgery. In fact, an activated inflammatory state before cardiac surgery, can potentially worsen the patient’s prognosis and the effects of this preoperative inflammatory state in the medium-term remains unknown. Methods: There were 470 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery, and were divided in three groups according to the median values of preoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen (FBG): The first group was the low inflammatory status group (LIS) with 161 patients (CRP < 0.39 mg/dL and FBG < 366 mg/dL); the second was the medium inflammatory status group (MIS) with 150 patients (CRP < 0.39 mg/dL and FBG ≥ 366 mg/dL or CRP ≥ 0.39 mg/dL and FBG < 366 mg/dL,); and the third was the high inflammatory status group (HIS) with 159 patients (CRP ≥ 0.39 mg/dL and FBG ≥ 366 mg/dL,). Results: The parameters to be considered for the patients before surgery were similar between the three groups except, however, for age, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and the presence of arterial hypertension. The operative mortality was not significantly different between the groups (LIS = 2.5%, MIS = 6%, HIS = 6.9%, p = 0.16) while mortality for sepsis was significantly different (LIS = 0%, MIS = 1.3%, HIS = 3.7%, p = 0.03). The infections were more frequent in the HIS group (p = 0.0002). The HIS group resulted in an independent risk factor for infections (relative risk (RR) = 3.1, confidence interval (CI) = 1.2–7.9, p = 0.02). During the 48-months follow-up, survival was lower for the HIS patients. This HIS group (RR = 2.39, CI = 1.03–5.53, p = 0.05) and LVEF (RR = 0.96, CI = 0.92–0.99, p = 0.04) resulted in independent risk factors for mortality during the follow-up. Conclusions: The patients undergoing cardiac surgery with a preoperative highly activated inflammatory status are at a higher risk of post-operative infections. Furthermore, during the intermediate follow-up, the preoperative highly activated inflammatory status and LVEF resulted in independent risk factors for mortality.

Aḥkām concerning the ahl al-bayt

Abstract Although Islamic law generally identifies all free Muslim males as equal members of society, irrespective of race or ancestry, a peculiar exception is made for those who claim patrilineal descent from the Arab chieftain Hāshim b. ‘Abd Manāf, the great-grandfather of the Prophet Muḥammad. Drawing on hagiography and ḥadīth, Sunni and Shi‘i authors ascribe special nobility, privileges and customs to members of the clan of Hāshim. Jurists also incorporated their adoration of and respect for the Prophet’s family into their views of Islamic law. In particular, since the Prophet Muḥammad was revered as an individual who was pure (ṭāhir, zakī), some jurists held that Hāshimids possessed the same purity. The Prophet’s identities as an Arab and as a Qurashī also conferred certain legal privileges on members of these groups. After noting parallels to other high-status groups in early Muslim society, I examine more than a dozen laws that classical Sunni and Twelver Shi‘i jurists characterized as specific to the Prophet’s progeny and Household (ahl al-bayt).

Positive Attitudes of Low-Status Groups towards High-Status Groups

Bu çalışmanın temel amaçlarından biri toplumsal yapı içerisinde düşük sosyal konumda bulunan grupların üyelerinin yüksek sosyal konumdaki gruplara yönelik dış grup tarafgirliği olarak kavramlaştırılan tutumuna farklı açıklama getiren araştırma bulgularını derlemek ve bu bulguları özsaygı, kontrol algısı, süreklilik kimlik motivasyonları temelinde tartışmaktır. Çalışma kapsamında derlenen araştırma bulguları Temel Uyuşma Yanlılığı (TUY) ve Terör Yönetimi Kuramı (TYK) bağlamında ele alınmıştır. TUY eğilimi ile ilgili yapılan çalışmaların bulguları düşük statülü grupların içinde bulunduğu dezavantajlı konumun sorumluluğunu kendilerine yüklemelerinin nedeninin temel bir motivasyon olan kontrol algısı ile ilgili olabileceğini; üst statülü grupların konumlarıyla ilgili başarılarını onların içsel özelliklerine atfetmelerinin ise onlardan gelebilecek olası tehditleri öngörme ve bunlara karşı tedbirli olmayla alakalı olabileceğini göstermektedir. TYK bağlamında incelenen çalışma bulguları da düşük statülü grupların sosyal eşitsizlik üreten sistemi (toplumsal yapıyı) destekleme sebebinin bu yapının kendilerinin hayatına bir düzen, süreklilik ve anlam getirerek başta özsaygı olmak üzere çeşitli ihtiyaçlarını tatmin etmesi ile ilgili olabileceğini göstermektedir.

Changes in patterns of the double burden of undernutrition and overnutrition in Nepal over time.

Knowledge regarding nutrition transition in Nepal remains limited. This systematic review examined the shifts in undernutrition and overnutrition in Nepal during the past two decades. We searched PubMed for studies and reports published between January 1, 2000, and June 30, 2018. Publications with a sample size greater than or equal to 500 that reported prevalence of nutritional status were included. Six large national reports and 36 studies met study inclusion criteria and were included. Overall, available nationally representative data remained limited. The Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2001 to 2016 showed that underweight prevalence decreased from 26.7% to 17.2% and prevalence of overweight/obesity increased from 6.5% to 22.1% among women of reproductive age (15-49years). In preschool children, prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight decreased from 57.2% to 35.8%, 11.2% to 9.7%, and 42.7% to 27.0%, respectively. Prevalence of overweight/obesity was low among children and was higher in higher socio-economic status (SES) groups. The overweight-obesity/underweight ratios indicate a shift from undernutrition to overnutrition problem; it was more evident in urban areas and higher SES groups. In conclusion, Nepal is experiencing a nutrition transition. More research is warranted to address this shift, and well-tailored public health efforts need to combat the double burden of overweight/obesity and undernutrition.

Only When Others Are Watching: The Contingent Efforts of High Status Group Members

This research examines how an individual’s place in the status hierarchy affects their willingness to expend effort on group tasks, why this occurs, and a contingency governing this relationship. Among firefighter teams (Study 1), MBA student workgroups (Study 2), and undergraduates in the laboratory (Study 3), we find that the relationship between status and effort, through performance expectations, is contingent on the perceived visibility of one’s efforts (i.e., task visibility). When task visibility is high, greater status leads to higher performance expectations. When task visibility is low or absent, this relationship was not present. Overall, our findings help paint a more complete picture of the relationship between status, performance expectations, and effort in workgroups while also furthering our understanding of the psychological experience of status. Data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2018.3103 . This paper was accepted by Greta Hsu, organizations.

Potential health and equity co-benefits related to the mitigation policies reducing air pollution from residential wood burning in Athens, Greece

Athens, Greece has been in economic and social crises after the 2008 global recession, resulting in an increase in wood burning as a cheaper method of residential heating in the winter. Reducing wood burning emissions is a source-specific method to address air quality degradation, and indirectly climate change, through instituting policies aimed at human health co-benefits. In this work, we investigate and quantify the potential health co-benefits from policies reducing outdoor particulate matter (PM) pollution from residential wood burning by assessing the pollution conditions during the 2015 calendar year in Athens, Greece, emphasizing vulnerable populations. We conducted a systematic literature search to extract data regarding effective improvements to outdoor PM due to wood burning interventions, and get a range of potential ambient PM reduction estimates regarding realistic benefits from different interventions. We applied a health impact assessment methodology and used existing Athens specific data to calculate the preventable daily average non-accidental deaths associated with reducing PM, additionally considering low and high socioeconomic status (SES) groups. We found that the reduction in outdoor PM concentration showed the potential to benefit lower SES groups as much as 13.5 times more than the high SES group, representing an opportunity for policies to improve not only the health of the total population but also improve environmental equity and health disparities.