INRICH Member Profile Card
Frank Elgar
McGill University
Frank received BA (Honours) and MSc degrees in experimental psychology from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a PhD in developmental psychology from Dalhousie University and has previously worked in university and government settings in Canada and Britain. At McGill University, Frank is cross-appointed to Douglas Institute (Department of Psychiatry) and Institute for Health and Social Policy in the Faculty of Medicine.
Type of member: Regular
Telephone: +01 514 398 1739
Email Address: frank.elgar@mcgill.ca
Mailing Address: Institute for Health and Social Policy McGill University, 1130 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 1A3
Collaborative Projects
I collaborate with Kate Pickett (University of York) on studies of income inequality and child health.
Current research interests
My research on social inequalities in child health is a blend of health psychology and social epidemiology. Collaborations in the WHO Health Behaviour of School-aged Children study examine the social and economic determinants of health and human development, focusing primarily on income inequality, social capital and socioeconomic disparities in health.
Research priorities
Pathways and mechanisms: Cumulative and additive social risk exposures (e.g. transient v. persistent poverty). Intergenerational influences. | Methodological issues: Methods for examining change over time including longitudinal effects studies. Need to study social gradients as well as poverty. Multi-level studies - Society, Family & Individual. | Other:
Mining international data on child health and development.
Selected publications
Elgar, F. J., Pförtner, T., Moor, I., Clercq, B. D., Stevens, G. W., & Currie, C. (2015). Socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health 2002–2010: a time-series analysis of 34 countries participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. The Lancet, 385(9982), 2088-2095. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(14)61460-4 http://www.centrelearoback.org/inrich/assets/documents/Elgar_Lancet_AdolecentHealth34countries2015.pdf
Elgar, F. J., Pickett, K. E., Pickett, W., Craig, W., Molcho, M., Hurrelmann, K., & Lenzi, M. (2012). School bullying, homicide and income inequality: a cross-national pooled time series analysis. International Journal of Public Health, 58(2), 237-245. doi:10.1007/s00038-012-0380-y