The Impact of Socio-Economic Status on Self-Rated Health: Study of 29 Countries Using European Social Surveys (2002–2008)

Abstract

Studies show that the association between socio-economic status (SES) and self-rated health (SRH) varies in different countries, however there are not many country-comparisons that examine this relationship over time. The objective of the present study is to determine the effect of three SES measures on SRH in 29 countries according to findings in European Social Surveys (2002–2008), in order to study how socio-economic inequalities can vary our subjective state of health. In line with previous studies, income inequalities seem to be greater not only in Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian countries, but especially in Eastern European countries. The impact of education is greater in Southern countries, and this effect is similar in Eastern and Scandinavian countries, although occupational status does not produce significant differences in southern countries. This study shows the general relevance of socio-educational factors on SRH. Individual economic conditions are obviously a basic factor contributing to a good state of health, but education could be even more relevant to preserve it. In this sense, policies should not only aim at reducing income inequalities, but should also further the education of people who are in risk of social exclusion.

Autoavaliação do estado de saúde e fatores associados: um estudo em trabalhadores bancários

“…A Considerando os resultados do modelo final ajustado, verificou-se que, em relação às variá-veis sociodemográficas, diferentemente dos resultados de estudos nacionais 24,25 e internacionais 26,27 , esse estudo não encontrou diferenças na percepção de saúde com o aumento da idade, escolaridade ou sexo. No entanto, nível socioeconômico mais elevado mostrou-se positivamente associado à melhor autoavaliação de saúde, corroborando com a literatura disponível 25,27,28 , inclusive com pesquisa envolvendo esse mesmo grupo de trabalhadores 22 .…”

“…No entanto, nível socioeconômico mais elevado mostrou-se positivamente associado à melhor autoavaliação de saúde, corroborando com a literatura disponível 25,27,28 , inclusive com pesquisa envolvendo esse mesmo grupo de trabalhadores 22 .…”

Information and communication technology demands at work: the association with job strain, effort-reward imbalance and self-rated health in different socio-economic strata

“…Due to previous observations of social gradients in the psychosocial work environment and in self-rated health (Alvarez-Galvez et al 2013; Hoven and Siegrist 2013), an additional aim was to evaluate the association between work-related stress measures and self-rated health, separately in different SES strata.…”

The Associations Between Socioeconomic Status and Lifestyle Factors in European Adolescents: A Population-based Study

“…". Responses were arranged across the five-item Likert scale: (1) very poor, (2) poor, (3) fair, (4) good and (5) excellent [28]. We binarised the outcome, where responses "very poor"…”

“…For instance, a few studies have reported, that adults with higher monthly income were more likely to be overweight/obese [1,4]. Moreover, one recent study showed that relatively high educational attainment was associated with lower risk of mortality and cardiovascular diseases [2]. Also, low income was associated with mental disorders in general population [5].…”