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The socioeconomic gradient in health refers to the observed correlation between an individual's socioeconomic status (SES) and their health outcomes. This concept highlights that individuals with higher SES typically experience better health outcomes compared to those with lower SES. This gradient suggests that as one moves up the socioeconomic ladder, indicators of health such as life expectancy, prevalence of disease, and access to healthcare services tend to improve.

This relationship can be attributed to various factors including access to resources, education, healthcare, and social support systems, which often vary across different socioeconomic groups. Individuals with higher SES may have more opportunities for preventive care, healthier lifestyles, and better living conditions, leading to improved health over their lifetimes. The implications of the socioeconomic gradient in health call attention to the need for interventions and policies aimed at reducing health disparities among different socioeconomic groups.

Cultural transmission, distal stimulus, and context effects pertain to different concepts that do not directly describe the quantitative relationship between SES and health outcomes, which is fundamentally captured by the phrase "socioeconomic gradient in health."