Such work must reconcile the positive and negative consequences of social ties for health habits and establish who is most likely to experience these consequences (that is, variation by age and other demographic attributes). Recent sociological work has been path-breaking in connecting early life experiences to health outcomes later in life (Haas 2008, Hayward & Gorman 2004, Palloni 2006). New research on the unfolding role of social ties and health habits across the life course will contribute to our theoretical and empirical understanding of the impact of social circumstances on cumulative health processes.
