The article by Vickie L. Shavers, PhD, discusses the measurement of socioeconomic status (SES) in health disparities research. SES is often implicated as a contributor to health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities, women, and the elderly. However, the measurement of SES has been inconsistent due to issues such as the lack of precision and reliability of measures, difficulty in collecting individual SES data, the dynamic nature of SES over a lifetime, and the classification of specific population groups. The article reviews various SES measures, including compositional and contextual approaches, and their strengths and limitations. Compositional measures focus on individual characteristics like occupation, education, and income, while contextual measures consider the social and economic conditions of the community. The article also highlights the importance of considering the life course of SES and the need for multilevel analyses to understand the interplay between individual and contextual factors. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of choosing the appropriate SES measure based on the population and outcomes under study to effectively address health disparities.The article by Vickie L. Shavers, PhD, discusses the measurement of socioeconomic status (SES) in health disparities research. SES is often implicated as a contributor to health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities, women, and the elderly. However, the measurement of SES has been inconsistent due to issues such as the lack of precision and reliability of measures, difficulty in collecting individual SES data, the dynamic nature of SES over a lifetime, and the classification of specific population groups. The article reviews various SES measures, including compositional and contextual approaches, and their strengths and limitations. Compositional measures focus on individual characteristics like occupation, education, and income, while contextual measures consider the social and economic conditions of the community. The article also highlights the importance of considering the life course of SES and the need for multilevel analyses to understand the interplay between individual and contextual factors. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of choosing the appropriate SES measure based on the population and outcomes under study to effectively address health disparities.