Lack of Social Support and Its Role on Self-Perceived Health in a Representative Sample of Spanish Adults. Another Aspect of Gender Inequality

Abstract

Self-perceived health has been used as a good estimator of health status and receiving affection can be a determining factor for good self-perceived health. The aim of the present study was to assess whether lack of social support (measured through Duke scale, which ranges from 11 to 55) was associated with poorer health status measured as self-perceived health, and whether that association was different between women and men. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2017 Spanish National Health Survey. A descriptive study was performed, and logistic regression models were applied using self-perceived health as a dependent variable. Mean Duke score was 47.6 for men and 47.9 for women (p = 0.016). Moreover, 36.3% of women and 27.6% of men reported poor self-perceived health (p < 0.001). The multivariate analysis revealed that lower scores in Duke-UNC social support scale were associated with poorer health status. That association was higher in women than in men. Poor self-perceived health was also associated with low level of education and obesity, especially among women. There was gender inequality as regards health status associated with lack of social support. These results can help design prevention strategies to improve health.

Gender differences in perceived health in relation to working conditions and socio-economic status in Spain, 2014-2017

“…Firstly, our results show that a low educational attainment level is a risk factor for women, but not for men. In agreement with previous studies [20-22, 57], we found that women’s health is further improved by the intrinsic rewards of education, as they have fewer other resources from which they can draw in the absence of a degree. Whenever women are able to complete an education, their health is improved, often at a higher rate than for men.…”

“…Educational level has been proven to be a major social determinant of health. Most analyses confirm that high educational attainment is commonly linked to improved health and increased longevity with good health, when comparisons are drawn with individuals with low levels of education [18][19][20]. However, the specifics of how the benefits of education are unevenly distributed among women and men are not sufficiently explained, and the conclusions attained are far from unanimous.…”

“…Previous research has concluded that lower educational levels are particularly detrimental to the perceived health of women when compared with similarly characterized men [19, 21-23]. A recent analysis carried out in Spain among an adult population established that the association between low educational level and poor self-perceived health was particularly strong among women [20]. However, an analysis of the active population in Spain failed to find gender disparities concerning the effect of education on health, although it showed that women’s health is lower among less educated individuals, mainly due to job insecurity and the specific characteristics of households [18].…”

Self-assessment of the health status and leisure activities of individuals on haemodialysis

“…When an individual www.nature.com/scientificreports/ mentions not having this type of leisure, the chances of a negative self-assessment of health can be close to three times higher. A possible explanation for this relationship is that a worse self-rated health status is associated with less social support 28 , and individuals in solitude have a negative association with leisure activities 29 . Haemodialysis requires a routine of long hours in health services and generates difficulties in maintaining leisure activities of the social type at the same frequency and intensity experienced before the beginning of treatment, which can generate unstable psychological conditions and a decrease in the quality of life 30 .…”

Variation in perceived health across gender, working status, educational level, and regional health care expenditure in Spain (2014–2017)

“…A recent analysis carried out in Spain among an adult population established that, for women, the association between low educational level and poor self-perceived health was particularly strong [22]. According to several cross-sectional studies, the correlation between inequality and having received a lower level of education becomes more marked in the case of women [23,24].…”