Race, socioeconomic status, and health: complexities, ongoing challenges, and research opportunities.

PubMed

Williams, David R; Mohammed, Selina A; Leavell, Jacinta; Collins, Chiquita

2010-02-01

This paper provides an overview of racial variations in health and shows that differences in socioeconomic status (SES) across racial groups are a major contributor to racial disparities in health. However, race reflects multiple dimensions of social inequality and individual and household indicators of SES capture relevant but limited aspects of this phenomenon. Research is needed that will comprehensively characterize the critical pathogenic features of social environments and identify how they combine with each other to affect health over the life course. Migration history and status are also important predictors of health and research is needed that will enhance understanding of the complex ways in which race, SES, and immigrant status combine to affect health. Fully capturing the role of race in health also requires rigorous examination of the conditions under which medical care and genetic factors can contribute to racial and SES differences in health. The paper identifies research priorities in all of these areas.

Infant Temperament: Stability by Age, Gender, Birth Order, Term Status, and SES

PubMed Central

Bornstein, Marc H.; Putnick, Diane L.; Gartstein, Maria A.; Hahn, Chun-Shin; Auestad, Nancy; O’Connor, Deborah L.

2015-01-01

Two complementary studies focused on stability of infant temperament across the first year and considered infant age, gender, birth order, term status, and socioeconomic status (SES) as moderators. Study 1 consisted of 73 mothers of firstborn term girls and boys queried at 2, 5, and 13 months of age. Study 2 consisted of 335 mothers of infants of different gender, birth order, term status, and SES queried at 6 and 12 months. Consistent positive and negative affectivity factors emerged at all time-points across both studies. Infant temperament proved stable and robust across gender, birth order, term status, and SES. Stability coefficients for temperament factors and scales were medium to large for shorter (<9 months) inter-assessment intervals and small to medium for longer (>10 months) intervals. PMID:25865034

Sex Differences in Language Across Early Childhood: Family Socioeconomic Status does not Impact Boys and Girls Equally

PubMed Central

Barbu, Stéphanie; Nardy, Aurélie; Chevrot, Jean-Pierre; Guellaï, Bahia; Glas, Ludivine; Juhel, Jacques; Lemasson, Alban

2015-01-01

Child sex and family socioeconomic status (SES) have been repeatedly identified as a source of inter-individual variation in language development; yet their interactions have rarely been explored. While sex differences are the focus of a renewed interest concerning emerging language skills, data remain scarce and are not consistent across preschool years. The questions of whether family SES impacts boys and girls equally, as well as of the consistency of these differences throughout early childhood, remain open. We evaluated consistency of sex differences across SES and age by focusing on how children (N = 262), from 2;6 to 6;4 years old, from two contrasting social backgrounds, acquire a frequent phonological alternation in French – the liaison. By using a picture naming task eliciting the production of obligatory liaisons, we found evidence of sex differences over the preschool years in low-SES children, but not between high-SES boys and girls whose performances were very similar. Low-SES boys’ performances were the poorest whereas low-SES girls’ performances were intermediate, that is, lower than those of high-SES children of both sexes but higher than those of low-SES boys. Although all children’s mastery of obligatory liaisons progressed with age, our findings showed a significant impeding effect of low-SES, especially for boys. PMID:26696938

Childhood socioeconomic status and childhood maltreatment: Distinct associations with brain structure

PubMed Central

Lawson, Gwendolyn M.; Camins, Joshua S.; Wisse, Laura; Wu, Jue; Duda, Jeffrey T.; Cook, Philip A.; Gee, James C.; Farah, Martha J.

2017-01-01

The present study examined the relationship between childhood socioeconomic status (SES), childhood maltreatment, and the volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala between the ages of 25 and 36 years. Previous work has linked both low SES and maltreatment with reduced hippocampal volume in childhood, an effect attributed to childhood stress. In 46 adult subjects, only childhood maltreatment, and not childhood SES, predicted hippocampal volume in regression analyses, with greater maltreatment associated with lower volume. Neither factor was related to amygdala volume. When current SES and recent interpersonal stressful events were also considered, recent interpersonal stressful events predicted smaller hippocampal volumes over and above childhood maltreatment. Finally, exploratory analyses revealed a significant sex by childhood SES interaction, with women’s childhood SES showing a significantly more positive relation (less negative) with hippocampus volume than men’s. The overall effect of childhood maltreatment but not SES, and the sex-specific effect of childhood SES, indicate that different forms of stressful childhood adversity affect brain development differently. PMID:28414755

Variations in the Recruitment of Syntactic Knowledge Contribute to SES Differences in Syntactic Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leech, Kathryn A.; Rowe, Meredith L.; Huang, Yi Ting

2017-01-01

Average differences in children's language abilities by socioeconomic status (SES) emerge early in development and predict academic achievement. Previous research has focused on coarse-grained outcome measures such as vocabulary size, but less is known about the extent to which SES differences exist in children's strategies for comprehension and…

Gender differences in socioeconomic inequality of alcohol-attributable mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Probst, Charlotte; Roerecke, Michael; Behrendt, Silke; Rehm, Jürgen

2015-05-01

The present analysis contributes to understanding the societal distribution of alcohol-attributable harm by investigating socioeconomic inequality and related gender differences in alcohol-attributable mortality. A systematic literature search was performed on Web of Science, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and ETOH from their inception until February 2013. Articles were included when they reported data on alcohol-attributable mortality by socioeconomic status (SES), operationalised as education, occupation, employment status or income. Gender-specific relative risks (RR) comparing low with high SES were pooled using random effects meta-analyses. Gender differences were additionally investigated in random effects meta-regressions. Nineteen articles from 14 countries were included. For women, significant RRs across all measures of SES, except employment status, were found, ranging between 1.75 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-2.54; occupation] and 4.78 (95% CI 2.57-8.87; income). For men, all measures of SES showed significant RRs ranging between 2.88 (95% CI 2.45-3.40; income) and 12.25 (95% CI 11.45-13.10; employment status). While RRs for men were in general slightly higher, only for occupation this gender difference was above chance (P = 0.01). Results refer to deaths 100% attributable to alcohol. The results are predominantly based on data from high-income countries, limiting generalisability. Alcohol-attributable mortality is strongly distributed to the disadvantage of persons with a low SES. Marked gender differences in this inequality were found for occupation. Possibly male-dominated occupations of low SES were more strongly related to risky drinking cultures compared with female-dominated occupations of the same SES. © 2014 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

The Relations of Migrant Status and Parenting to Chinese Adolescents' Adjustment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Guangzhen; Eisenberg, Nancy; Liang, Zongbao; Li, Yi; Deng, Huihua

2017-01-01

The main goals of the present study were (a) to compare Chinese migrant and nonmigrant adolescents on mean levels of parenting, positive adjustment, and academic functioning, and to assess whether socioeconomic status (SES) accounted for any obtained differences, (b) to examine whether the relations of SES and migrant status to youths' positive…

Socioeconomic status and alcohol-related behaviors in mid- to late adolescence in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

PubMed

Kendler, Kenneth S; Gardner, Charles O; Hickman, Matt; Heron, Jon; Macleod, John; Lewis, Glyn; Dick, Danielle M

2014-07-01

Prior studies of the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and alcohol consumption and problems in adolescence have been inconclusive. Few studies have examined all three major SES indicators and a broad range of alcohol-related outcomes at different ages. In the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort, we examined (by logistic regression, with differential weighting to control for attrition) the relationship between family income and parental education and occupational status, and five alcohol outcomes assessed at ages 16 and 18 years. At age 16, high SES-as indexed by income and education-significantly predicted frequent alcohol consumption. Low SES-as measured by education and occupational status-predicted alcohol-related problems. At age 18, high SES-particularly income and education-significantly predicted frequent alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking and, more weakly, symptoms of alcohol dependence. All three measures of SES were inversely related to high-quantity consumption and alcohol behavioral problems. In adolescents in the United Kingdom, the relationship between SES and alcohol-related behaviors is complex and varies as a function of age, SES measure, and specific outcome. High SES tends to predict increased consumption and, in later adolescence, heavy episodic drinking and perhaps symptoms of alcohol dependence. Low SES predicts alcohol-related behavioral problems and, in later adolescence, high-quantity alcohol consumption.

Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors in Young People of Differing Socio-Economic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Non-Eleri; Cooper, Stephen-Mark; Williams, Simon P.; Baker, Julien S.; Davies, Bruce

2005-01-01

This study determined the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors in young people of differing socio-economic status (SES). A cohort of 100 boys and 108 girls, aged 12.9, SD 0.3 years drawn of differing SES were assessed for CHD risk factors. Measurements included indices of obesity, blood pressure, aerobic fitness, diet, blood…

Can personality traits and intelligence compensate for background disadvantage? Predicting status attainment in adulthood.

PubMed

Damian, Rodica Ioana; Su, Rong; Shanahan, Michael; Trautwein, Ulrich; Roberts, Brent W

2015-09-01

This study investigated the interplay of family background and individual differences, such as personality traits and intelligence (measured in a large U.S. representative sample of high school students; N = 81,000) in predicting educational attainment, annual income, and occupational prestige 11 years later. Specifically, we tested whether individual differences followed 1 of 3 patterns in relation to parental socioeconomic status (SES) when predicting attained status: (a) the independent effects hypothesis (i.e., individual differences predict attainments independent of parental SES level), (b) the resource substitution hypothesis (i.e., individual differences are stronger predictors of attainments at lower levels of parental SES), and (c) the Matthew effect hypothesis (i.e., "the rich get richer"; individual differences are stronger predictors of attainments at higher levels of parental SES). We found that personality traits and intelligence in adolescence predicted later attained status above and beyond parental SES. A standard deviation increase in individual differences translated to up to 8 additional months of education, $4,233 annually, and more prestigious occupations. Furthermore, although we did find some evidence for both the resource substitution and the Matthew effect hypotheses, the most robust pattern across all models supported the independent effects hypothesis. Intelligence was the exception, the interaction models being more robust. Finally, we found that although personality traits may help compensate for background disadvantage to a small extent, they do not usually lead to a "full catch-up" effect, unlike intelligence. This was the first longitudinal study of status attainment to test interactive models of individual differences and background factors. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Adolescent socio-economic and school-based social status, health and well-being

PubMed Central

Sweeting, Helen; Hunt, Kate

2014-01-01

Studies of adults and adolescents suggest subjective socio-economic status (SES) is associated with health/well-being even after adjustment for objective SES. In adolescence, objective SES may have weaker relationships with health/well-being than at other life stages; school-based social status may be of greater relevance. We investigated the associations which objective SES (residential deprivation and family affluence), subjective SES and three school-based subjective social status dimensions (“SSS-peer”, “SSS-scholastic” and “SSS-sports”) had with physical symptoms, psychological distress and anger among 2503 Scottish 13–15 year-olds. Associations between objective SES and health/well-being were weak and inconsistent. Lower subjective SES was associated with increased physical symptoms and psychological distress, lower SSS-peer with increased psychological distress but reduced anger, lower SSS-scholastic with increased physical symptoms, psychological distress and anger, and lower SSS-sports with increased physical symptoms and psychological distress. Associations did not differ by gender. Objective and subjective SES had weaker associations with health/well-being than did school-based SSS dimensions. These findings underline the importance of school-based SSS in adolescence, and the need for future studies to include a range of school-based SSS dimensions and several health/well-being measures. They also highlight the need for a focus on school-based social status among those working to promote adolescent health/well-being. PMID:25306408

Effect of cross-level interaction between individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status on adult mortality rates.

PubMed

Winkleby, Marilyn; Cubbin, Catherine; Ahn, David

2006-12-01

We examined whether the influence of neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) on mortality differed by individual-level SES. We used a population-based, mortality follow-up study of 4476 women and 3721 men, who were predominately non-HIspanic White and aged 25-74 years at baseline, from 82 neighborhoods in 4 California cities. Participants were surveyed between 1979 and 1990, and were followed until December 31, 2002 (1148 deaths; mean follow-up time 17.4 years). Neighborhood SES was defined by 5 census variables and was divided into 3 levels. Individual SES was defined by a composite of educational level and household income and was divided into tertiles. Death rates among women of low SES were highest in high-SES neighborhoods (1907/100000 person-years), lower in moderate-SES neighborhoods (1323), and lowest in low-SES neighborhoods (1128). Similar to women, rates among men of low SES were 1928, 1646, and 1590 in high-, moderate-, and low-SES neighborhoods, respectively. Differences were not explained by individual-level baseline risk factors. The disparities in mortality by neighborhood of residence among women and men of low SES demonstrate that they do not benefit from the higher quality of resources and knowledge generally associated with neighborhoods that have higher SES.

Influence of socio-economic status on habitual physical activity and sedentary behavior in 8- to 11-year old children.

PubMed

Drenowatz, Clemens; Eisenmann, Joey C; Pfeiffer, Karin A; Welk, Greg; Heelan, Kate; Gentile, Douglas; Walsh, David

2010-04-27

While socio-economic status has been shown to be an important determinant of health and physical activity in adults, results for children and adolescents are less consistent. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine whether physical activity and sedentary behavior differs in children by socio-economic status (SES) independent of body mass index. Data were from two cohorts including 271 children (117 males; 154 females) in study 1 and 131 children in study 2 (63 males; 68 females). The average age was 9.6 and 8.8 years respectively. Height and body mass were assessed according to standard procedures and body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) was calculated. Parent-reported household income was used to determine SES. Habitual, free-living physical activity (PA) was assessed by a pedometer (steps/day) in study 1 and accelerometer (time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA) in study 2. Self-reported time spent watching TV and on the computer was used as measure of sedentary behavior. Differences in PA and sedentary behavior by SES were initially tested using ANOVA. Further analyses used ANCOVA controlling for BMI, as well as leg length in the pedometer cohort. In study 1, mean daily steps differed significantly among SES groups with lower SES groups approximating 10,500 steps/day compared to about 12,000 steps/day in the higher SES groups. These differences remained significant (p < 0.05) when controlling for leg length. Lower SES children, however, had higher body mass and BMI compared to higher SES groups (p < 0.05) and PA no longer remained significant when further controlling for BMI. In study 2 results depended on the methodology used to determine time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Only one equation resulted in significant group differences (p = 0.015), and these differences remained after controlling for BMI. Significant differences between SES groups were shown for sedentary behavior in both cohorts (P < 0.05) with higher SES groups spending less time watching TV than low SES groups. Children from a low SES show a trend of lower PA levels and spend more time in sedentary behavior than high SES children; however, differences in PA were influenced by BMI. The higher BMI in these children might be another factor contributing to increased health risks among low SES children compared to children from with a higher SES.

All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality by Socioeconomic Status Among Employed Persons in 27 US States, 1984–1997

PubMed Central

Steenland, Kyle; Hu, Sherry; Walker, James

2004-01-01

Objectives. We investigated mortality differences according to socioeconomic status (SES) for employed persons in 27 states during 1984–1997. Methods. SES was determined for persons aged 35–64 years according to the “usual occupation” listed on their death certificates. We used US Census denominator data. Results. For all-cause mortality, rate ratios from lowest to highest SES quartile for men and women were 2.02, 1.69, 1.25, and 1.00 and 1.29, 1.01, 1.07, and 1.00, respectively. Percentage of all deaths attributable to being in the lowest 3 SES quartiles was 27%. Inverse SES gradients were strong for most major causes of death except breast cancer and colorectal cancer. Heart disease mortality for highest and lowest SES quartiles dropped 45% and 25%, respectively, between 1984 and 1997. Conclusions. Mortality differences by SES were sustained through the 1990s and are increasing for men. PMID:15249312

Does socioeconomic status predict course and outcome in patients with psychosis?

PubMed

Samele, C; van Os, J; McKenzie, K; Wright, A; Gilvarry, C; Manley, C; Tattan, T; Murray, R

2001-12-01

We examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and course and outcome of patients with psychosis. Two hypotheses were examined: a) patients with higher best-ever SES will have better course and outcome than those with lower best-ever SES, and b) patients with greater downward drift in SES will have poorer course and outcome than those with less downward drift. Data were drawn from the baseline and 2-year follow-up assessments of the UK700 Case Management Trial of 708 patients with severe psychosis. The indicators of SES used were occupational status and educational achievement. Drift in SES was defined as change from best-ever occupation to occupation at baseline. For the baseline data highly significant differences were found between best-ever groups and negative symptoms (non-manual vs. unemployed--coef -10.5, p=0.000, 95% CIs 5.1-15.8), functioning (non-manual vs. unemployed--coef -0.6, p=0.000, 95% CIs 0.3 to -0.8) and unmet needs (manual vs. unemployed - coef 0.5, p=0.004, 95% CIs 0.2-0.9). No significant differences between best-ever groups were found for days in hospital, symptoms, perceived quality of life and dissatisfaction with services. Significant differences for clinical and social variables were found between drift and non-drift SES groups. There were no significant findings between educational groups and clinical and social variables. Best-ever occupation, but not educational qualifications, appeared to predict prognosis in patients with severe psychosis. Downward drift in occupational status did not result in poorer illness course and outcome.

Socioeconomic Status, Structural and Functional Measures of Social Support, and Mortality

PubMed Central

Stringhini, Silvia; Berkman, Lisa; Dugravot, Aline; Ferrie, Jane E.; Marmot, Michael; Kivimaki, Mika; Singh-Manoux, Archana

2012-01-01

The authors examined the associations of social support with socioeconomic status (SES) and with mortality, as well as how SES differences in social support might account for SES differences in mortality. Analyses were based on 9,333 participants from the British Whitehall II Study cohort, a longitudinal cohort established in 1985 among London-based civil servants who were 35–55 years of age at baseline. SES was assessed using participant's employment grades at baseline. Social support was assessed 3 times in the 24.4-year period during which participants were monitored for death. In men, marital status, and to a lesser extent network score (but not low perceived support or high negative aspects of close relationships), predicted both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Measures of social support were not associated with cancer mortality. Men in the lowest SES category had an increased risk of death compared with those in the highest category (for all-cause mortality, hazard ratio = 1.59, 95% confidence interval: 1.21, 2.08; for cardiovascular mortality, hazard ratio = 2.48, 95% confidence interval: 1.55, 3.92). Network score and marital status combined explained 27% (95% confidence interval: 14, 43) and 29% (95% confidence interval: 17, 52) of the associations between SES and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, respectively. In women, there was no consistent association between social support indicators and mortality. The present study suggests that in men, social isolation is not only an important risk factor for mortality but is also likely to contribute to differences in mortality by SES. PMID:22534202

Socioeconomic status, physical fitness, self-concept, attitude toward physical education, and academic achievement of children.

PubMed

Aktop, Abdurrahman

2010-04-01

The goal was to analyze the physical fitness, self-concept, attitudes toward physical education, and academic achievement of Turkish elementary school children by socioeconomic status. 198 (101 boys, 97 girls) students from Grades 7 and 8 completed the Children's Attitude Inventory towards Physical Education, the Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale, and Eurofit Physical Fitness Test Battery. Significant differences were found between the groups of Low and High socioeconomic status (SES) in terms of physical fitness and academic achievement. While the Low SES group had higher mean scores on physical fitness, mean academic achievements of the High SES group were higher. Mean differences in height, self-concept, and children's attitudes toward physical education by socioeconomic status were not statistically significant. Particular attention should be paid to physical fitness in children of high socioeconomic status and the academic achievement of children with low socioeconomic status.

The relative effect of mammographic screening on breast cancer mortality by socioeconomic status

PubMed Central

Ripping, Theodora M.; van der Waal, Danielle; Verbeek, André L.M.; Broeders, Mireille J.M.

2016-01-01

Abstract Breast cancer incidence and mortality are higher in women with a high socioeconomic status (SES). The potential to prevent death from breast cancer is therefore greater in the high SES group. This does, however, require that the effectiveness of screening in the high SES group is equal to or greater than the effectiveness in the low SES group. The aim of this study is to assess the relative effectiveness of mammographic screening on breast cancer mortality by SES. In Nijmegen, the Netherlands, women are invited to participate in biennial mammographic screening since 1975. Postal code is collected at each round and is used to calculate the SES of each woman based on the SES indicator of the Netherlands Institute for Social Research. The Dutch average was used to classify the SES score of each woman as either high or low. We designed a case-control study to investigate the effect of mammographic screening in women aged 50 to 75, 40 to 75, and 50 to 69 years, and calculated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Among the women invited to the mammographic screening program in Nijmegen, 10% had a high SES. In women aged 50 to 75 years, the breast cancer death rate was 38% lower in screened women than in unscreened women. The ORs for women with high SES (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.31–2.19) and low SES did not differ significantly (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.47–0.78). Mammographic screening reduces breast cancer mortality, but we did not observe a significant difference in the relative effectiveness of screening by SES. If the effectiveness of mammographic screening is indeed not dependent on SES status, the absolute number of breast cancer deaths prevented by mammographic screening will be greater in the high SES than low SES group, because women with a high SES have a greater risk of breast cancer death. PMID:27495038

Can Parenting Practices Explain the Differences in Beverage Intake According to Socio-Economic Status: The Toybox-Study

PubMed Central

Pinket, An-Sofie; De Craemer, Marieke; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Deforche, Benedicte; Cardon, Greet; Androutsos, Odysseas; Koletzko, Berthold; Moreno, Luis A.; Socha, Piotr; Iotova, Violeta; Manios, Yannis; Van Lippevelde, Wendy

2016-01-01

Previous research indicated that preschoolers of lower socioeconomic status (SES) consume less healthy beverages than high SES preschoolers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of parenting practices in the relationship between SES and plain water, soft drink and prepacked fruit juice (FJ) consumption in European preschoolers. Parents/caregivers of 3.5 to 5.5 years old (n = 6776) recruited through kindergartens in six European countries within the ToyBox-study completed questionnaires on socio-demographics, parenting practices and a food frequency questionnaire. Availability of sugared beverages and plain water, permissiveness towards sugared beverages and lack of self-efficacy showed a mediating effect on SES-differences in all three beverages. Rewarding with sugared beverages significantly mediated SES-differences for both plain water and prepacked FJ. Encouragement to drink plain water and awareness significantly mediated SES-differences for, respectively, plain water and prepacked FJ consumption. Avoiding negative modelling did not mediate any associations. Overall, lower SES preschoolers were more likely to be confronted with lower levels of favourable and higher levels of unfavourable parenting practices, which may lead to higher sugared beverage and lower plain water consumption. The current study highlights the importance of parenting practices in explaining the relation between SES and both healthy and unhealthy beverage consumption. PMID:27669290

Race, Socioeconomic Status and Health: Complexities, Ongoing Challenges and Research Opportunities

PubMed Central

Williams, David R.; Mohammed, Selina A.; Leavell, Jacinta; Collins, Chiquita

2012-01-01

This paper provides an overview of racial variations in health and shows that differences in socioeconomic status (SES) across racial groups are a major contributor to racial disparities in health. However, race reflects multiple dimensions of social inequality and individual and household indicators of SES capture relevant but limited aspects of this phenomenon. Research is needed that will comprehensively characterize the critical pathogenic features of social environments and identify how they combine with each other to affect health over the life course. Migration history and status are also important predictors of health and research is needed that will enhance understanding of the complex ways in which race, SES, and immigrant status combine to affect health. Fully capturing the role of race in health also requires rigorous examination of the conditions under which medical care and genetic factors can contribute to racial and SES differences in health. The paper identifies research priorities in all of these areas. PMID:20201869

Interpersonal conflict and depression among Japanese workers with high or low socioeconomic status: findings from the Japan Work Stress and Health Cohort Study.

PubMed

Inoue, Akiomi; Kawakami, Norito

2010-07-01

Research that focuses on the relationship between interpersonal conflict at work (i.e., intragroup conflict and intergroup conflict) and depression that also considers differences in socioeconomic status (SES) is limited. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationship between interpersonal conflict at work and depression at different levels of SES. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a total of 17,390 males and 2923 females employed in nine factories located in several regions of Japan. These participants were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire that included self-reported measures of interpersonal conflict at work (intragroup conflict and intergroup conflict), SES (education and occupation), worksite support (supervisor support and coworker support), depression (assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression [CES-D] scale), and other demographic covariates. Those who had scores of 16 + on the CES-D scale (4066 males and 873 females) were classified as experiencing depression. The association of interpersonal conflict with depression was significantly greater among males of a high SES (i.e., higher educational status and non-manual workers) than males of a low SES (i.e., lower educational status and manual workers) after adjusting for demographic variables, supervisor support, and coworker support. More specifically, the association of intergroup conflict with depression was significantly greater among males of a high SES than males of a low SES. However, this pattern was not observed in females. The current study suggests that males of a higher SES are more vulnerable to interpersonal conflict at work in terms of developing depression than males of a lower SES. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Choice of measure matters: A study of the relationship between socioeconomic status and psychosocial resources in a middle-aged normal population

PubMed Central

Festin, Karin; Ekberg, Joakim; Kristenson, Margareta

2017-01-01

Psychosocial resources may serve as an important link to explain socioeconomic differences in health. Earlier studies have demonstrated that education, income and occupational status cannot be used interchangeably as indicators of a hypothetical latent social dimension. In the same manner, it is important to disentangle the effect of measuring different constructs of psychosocial resources. The aim of this study was therefore to analyse if associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and psychosocial resources differ depending on the measures used. A cross-sectional population-based study of a random sample (n = 1007) of middle-aged individuals (45–69 years old, 50% women) in Sweden was performed using questionnaire and register data. SES was measured as education, occupation, household income and self-rated economy. Psychosocial resources were measured as social integration, social support, mastery, self-esteem, sense of coherence (SOC) and trust. Logistic regression models were applied to analyse the relationships controlling for the effects of possible confounders. The measures of SES were low or moderately correlated to each other as were the measures of psychosocial resources. After controlling for age, sex, country of birth and employment status, household income and self-rated economy were associated with all six psychosocial resources; occupation was associated with three (social integration, self-esteem and trust) and education with two (social integration and self-esteem). Social integration and self-esteem showed a significant and graded relationship with all SES measures; trust was associated with all SES measures except education, whereas SOC and mastery were only associated with household income and self-rated economy. After controlling for other SES measures, no associations with psychosocial resources remained for education or occupation. In conclusion, associations between SES and psychosocial resources did differ depending on the measures used. The findings illustrate the importance of the choice of measure when investigating SES as well as psychosocial resources. PMID:28832585

Adolescent Socioeconomic and School-Based Social Status, Smoking, and Drinking

PubMed Central

Sweeting, Helen; Hunt, Kate

2015-01-01

Purpose Relationships between subjective social status (SSS) and health-risk behaviors have received less attention than those between SSS and health. Inconsistent associations between school-based SSS and smoking or drinking might be because it is a single measure reflecting several status dimensions. We investigated how adolescent smoking and drinking are associated with “objective” socioeconomic status (SES), subjective SES, and three dimensions of school-based SSS. Methods Scottish 13–15 years-olds (N = 2,503) completed questionnaires in school-based surveys, providing information on: “objective” SES (residential deprivation, family affluence); subjective SES (MacArthur Scale youth version); and three school-based SSS dimensions (“SSS-peer”, “SSS-scholastic” and “SSS-sports”). We examined associations between each status measure and smoking (ever and weekly) and drinking (ever and usually five or more drinks) and investigated variations according to gender and age. Results Smoking and heavier drinking were positively associated with residential deprivation; associations with family affluence and subjective SES were weak or nonexistent. Both substances were related to each school-based SSS measure, and these associations were equally strong or stronger than those with deprivation. Although SSS-peer was positively associated with both smoking and (especially heavier) drinking, SSS-scholastic and SSS-sports were negatively associated with both substances. There were no gender differences in the associations and few according to age. Conclusions Subjective school-based status has stronger associations with adolescent smoking and drinking than “objective” or subjective SES. However, different dimensions of school-based status relate to adolescent smoking and drinking in opposing directions, meaning one measure based on several dimensions might show inconsistent relationships with adolescent substance use. PMID:26095407

Adolescent Socioeconomic and School-Based Social Status, Smoking, and Drinking.

PubMed

Sweeting, Helen; Hunt, Kate

2015-07-01

Relationships between subjective social status (SSS) and health-risk behaviors have received less attention than those between SSS and health. Inconsistent associations between school-based SSS and smoking or drinking might be because it is a single measure reflecting several status dimensions. We investigated how adolescent smoking and drinking are associated with "objective" socioeconomic status (SES), subjective SES, and three dimensions of school-based SSS. Scottish 13-15 years-olds (N = 2,503) completed questionnaires in school-based surveys, providing information on: "objective" SES (residential deprivation, family affluence); subjective SES (MacArthur Scale youth version); and three school-based SSS dimensions ("SSS-peer", "SSS-scholastic" and "SSS-sports"). We examined associations between each status measure and smoking (ever and weekly) and drinking (ever and usually five or more drinks) and investigated variations according to gender and age. Smoking and heavier drinking were positively associated with residential deprivation; associations with family affluence and subjective SES were weak or nonexistent. Both substances were related to each school-based SSS measure, and these associations were equally strong or stronger than those with deprivation. Although SSS-peer was positively associated with both smoking and (especially heavier) drinking, SSS-scholastic and SSS-sports were negatively associated with both substances. There were no gender differences in the associations and few according to age. Subjective school-based status has stronger associations with adolescent smoking and drinking than "objective" or subjective SES. However, different dimensions of school-based status relate to adolescent smoking and drinking in opposing directions, meaning one measure based on several dimensions might show inconsistent relationships with adolescent substance use. Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adolescent socio-economic and school-based social status, health and well-being.

PubMed

Sweeting, Helen; Hunt, Kate

2014-11-01

Studies of adults and adolescents suggest subjective socio-economic status (SES) is associated with health/well-being even after adjustment for objective SES. In adolescence, objective SES may have weaker relationships with health/well-being than at other life stages; school-based social status may be of greater relevance. We investigated the associations which objective SES (residential deprivation and family affluence), subjective SES and three school-based subjective social status dimensions ("SSS-peer", "SSS-scholastic" and "SSS-sports") had with physical symptoms, psychological distress and anger among 2503 Scottish 13-15 year-olds. Associations between objective SES and health/well-being were weak and inconsistent. Lower subjective SES was associated with increased physical symptoms and psychological distress, lower SSS-peer with increased psychological distress but reduced anger, lower SSS-scholastic with increased physical symptoms, psychological distress and anger, and lower SSS-sports with increased physical symptoms and psychological distress. Associations did not differ by gender. Objective and subjective SES had weaker associations with health/well-being than did school-based SSS dimensions. These findings underline the importance of school-based SSS in adolescence, and the need for future studies to include a range of school-based SSS dimensions and several health/well-being measures. They also highlight the need for a focus on school-based social status among those working to promote adolescent health/well-being. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Abilities That Mediate SES's Effect on Elementary Mathematics Learning: The Uruguayan Tablet-Based Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valle-Lisboa, Juan; Cabana, Álvaro; Eisinger, Robert; Mailhos, Álvaro; Luzardo, Mario; Halberda, Justin; Maiche, Alejandro

2016-01-01

In unequal societies the effectiveness of formal education depends on the socioeconomic status (SES) of students. Studies have shown that poverty affects the development of the brain in ways that might compromise future learning, thus increasing the differences between groups with different SES. Interest is growing in the development of tools that…

Development of selective attention in preschool-age children from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds.

PubMed

Hampton Wray, Amanda; Stevens, Courtney; Pakulak, Eric; Isbell, Elif; Bell, Theodore; Neville, Helen

2017-08-01

Although differences in selective attention skills have been identified in children from lower compared to higher socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, little is known about these differences in early childhood, a time of rapid attention development. The current study evaluated the development of neural systems for selective attention in children from lower SES backgrounds. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were acquired from 33 children from lower SES and 14 children from higher SES backgrounds during a dichotic listening task. The lower SES group was followed longitudinally for one year. At age four, the higher SES group exhibited a significant attention effect (larger ERP response to attended compared to unattended condition), an effect not observed in the lower SES group. At age five, the lower SES group exhibited a significant attention effect comparable in overall magnitude to that observed in the 4-year-old higher SES group, but with poorer distractor suppression (larger response to the unattended condition). Together, these findings suggest both a maturational delay and divergent developmental pattern in neural mechanisms for selective attention in young children from lower compared to higher SES backgrounds. Furthermore, these findings highlight the importance of studying neurodevelopment within narrow age ranges and in children from diverse backgrounds. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Asthma and Ethnic Minorities: Socioeconomic Status and Beyond

PubMed Central

Forno, Erick; Celedón, Juan C.

2009-01-01

Purpose of review We aim to discuss current insights into our understanding of the mechanisms by which socioeconomic status (SES) influences the prevalence and severity of asthma in ethnic minorities. In addition, we review potential risk factors for ethnic disparities in asthma that are not mediated by SES. Recent findings Exposures and factors correlated with ethnicity through SES (e.g. indoor and outdoor air quality, smoke exposure, and access to healthcare) are likely to explain a significant proportion of the observed ethnic differences in asthma morbidity. However, other factors correlated with ethnicity (e.g., genetic variation) can impact ethnic disparities in asthma independently of and/or interacting with SES-related factors. Summary SES is a rough marker of a variety of environmental/behavioral exposures and a very important determinant of differences in asthma prevalence and severity among ethnic minorities in the U.S. However, SES is unlikely to be the sole explanation for ethnic disparities in asthma, which may also be due to differences in genetic variation and gene-by-environment interactions among ethnic groups. PMID:19326508

Socioeconomic Status Modifies Interest-Knowledge Associations among Adolescents.

PubMed

Tucker-Drob, Elliot M; Briley, Daniel A

2012-07-01

Researchers have recently taken a renewed interest in examining the patterns by which noncognitive traits and cognitive traits relate to one another. Few researchers, however, have examined the possibility that such patterns might differ according to environmental context. Using data from a nationally representative sample of approximately 375,000 students from 1,300 high schools in the United States, we examined the relations between socioeconomic status (SES), interests, and knowledge in eleven academic, vocational/professional, and recreational domains. We found little support for the hypothesis that SES-related differences in levels of interest mediate SES-related differences in levels of knowledge. In contrast, we found robust and consistent support for the hypothesis that SES moderates interest-knowledge associations. For 10 out of 11 of the knowledge domains examined, the interest-knowledge association was stronger for individuals living in higher SES contexts. Moderation persisted after controlling for an index of general intelligence. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that low SES inhibits individuals from selectively investing their time and attention in learning experiences that are consistent with their interests.

Can Personality Traits and Intelligence Compensate for Background Disadvantage? Predicting Status Attainment in Adulthood

PubMed Central

Damian, Rodica Ioana; Su, Rong; Shanahan, Michael; Trautwein, Ulrich; Roberts, Brent W.

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the interplay of family background and individual differences, such as personality traits and intelligence (measured in a large US representative sample of high school students; N = 81,000) in predicting educational attainment, annual income, and occupational prestige eleven years later. Specifically, we tested whether individual differences followed one of three patterns in relation to parental SES when predicting attained status: (a) the independent effects hypothesis (i.e., individual differences predict attainments independent of parental SES level), (b) the resource substitution hypothesis (i.e., individual differences are stronger predictors of attainments at lower levels of parental SES), and (c) the Matthew effect hypothesis (i.e., “the rich get richer,” individual differences are stronger predictors of attainments at higher levels of parental SES). We found that personality traits and intelligence in adolescence predicted later attained status above and beyond parental SES. A standard deviation increase in individual differences translated to up to 8 additional months of education, $4,233 annually, and more prestigious occupations. Furthermore, although we did find some evidence for both the resource substitution and the Matthew effect hypotheses, the most robust pattern across all models supported the independent effects hypothesis. Intelligence was the exception, where interaction models were more robust. Finally, we found that although personality traits may help compensate for background disadvantage to a small extent, they do not usually lead to a “full catch up” effect, unlike intelligence. This was the first longitudinal study of status attainment to test interactive models of individual differences and background factors. PMID:25402679

The association between socioeconomic status and exposure to mobile telecommunication networks in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Thomas, Silke; Heinrich, Sabine; Kühnlein, Anja; Radon, Katja

2010-01-01

A potential association between socioeconomic status (SES) and self-reported use of mobile phones has been investigated in a few studies. If measured exposure to mobile phone networks differs by SES in children, it has not yet been studied. Interview data of 1,481 children and 1,505 adolescents on participants' mobile phone use, socio-demographic characteristics and potential confounders were taken from the German MobilEe-study. Sociodemographic data was used to stratify participants into three "status groups" (low, middle, high). Using a personal dosimeter, we obtained an exposure profile over 24 h for each of the participants. Exposure levels during waking hours were expressed as mean percentage of the reference level. Children with a low SES were more likely to own a mobile phone (OR 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1-3.9) and also reported to use their mobile phone longer per day (OR 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1-5.4) than children with a high SES. For adolescents, self-reported duration of mobile phone use per day was also higher with a low SES (OR: 3.4; 95% CI: 1.4-8.4) compared with a high SES. No association between SES and measured exposure to mobile telecommunication networks was seen for children or adolescents. Mobile phone use may differ between status groups with higher use among disadvantaged groups. However, this does not result in higher overall exposure to mobile telecommunication networks. Whether short duration of own mobile phone use or the small numbers of participants with a low SES are causal, have to be investigated in further studies. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

SES, Ethnic, and Gender Differences in Young Children's Informal Addition and Subtraction: A Clinical Interview Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ginsburg, Herbert P.; Pappas, Sandra

2004-01-01

The main goal of this study was to examine possible socioeconomic status (SES) differences in 4- and 5-year-old children's informal mathematical knowledge. One hundred and two children, 32 from lower, 39 from middle, and 31 from upper SES families participated in the study. Each participant was given a clinical interview involving several addition…

Socioeconomic status moderates age-related differences in the brain's functional network organization and anatomy across the adult lifespan.

PubMed

Chan, Micaela Y; Na, Jinkyung; Agres, Phillip F; Savalia, Neil K; Park, Denise C; Wig, Gagan S

2018-05-14

An individual's environmental surroundings interact with the development and maturation of their brain. An important aspect of an individual's environment is his or her socioeconomic status (SES), which estimates access to material resources and social prestige. Previous characterizations of the relation between SES and the brain have primarily focused on earlier or later epochs of the lifespan (i.e., childhood, older age). We broaden this work to examine the relationship between SES and the brain across a wide range of human adulthood (20-89 years), including individuals from the less studied middle-age range. SES, defined by education attainment and occupational socioeconomic characteristics, moderates previously reported age-related differences in the brain's functional network organization and whole-brain cortical structure. Across middle age (35-64 years), lower SES is associated with reduced resting-state system segregation (a measure of effective functional network organization). A similar but less robust relationship exists between SES and age with respect to brain anatomy: Lower SES is associated with reduced cortical gray matter thickness in middle age. Conversely, younger and older adulthood do not exhibit consistent SES-related difference in the brain measures. The SES-brain relationships persist after controlling for measures of physical and mental health, cognitive ability, and participant demographics. Critically, an individual's childhood SES cannot account for the relationship between their current SES and functional network organization. These findings provide evidence that SES relates to the brain's functional network organization and anatomy across adult middle age, and that higher SES may be a protective factor against age-related brain decline. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Relations of Gender and Socioeconomic Status to Physics through Metacognition and Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yerdelen-Damar, Sevda; Pesman, Haki

2013-01-01

The authors explored how gender and socioeconomic status (SES) predicted physics achievement as mediated by metacognition and physics self-efficacy. Data were collected from 338 high school students. The model designed for exploring how gender and SES-related differences in physics achievement were explained through metacognition and physics…

Childhood socioeconomic status amplifies genetic effects on adult intelligence.

PubMed

Bates, Timothy C; Lewis, Gary J; Weiss, Alexander

2013-10-01

Studies of intelligence in children reveal significantly higher heritability among groups with high socioeconomic status (SES) than among groups with low SES. These interaction effects, however, have not been examined in adults, when between-families environmental effects are reduced. Using 1,702 adult twins (aged 24-84) for whom intelligence assessment data were available, we tested for interactions between childhood SES and genetic effects, between-families environmental effects, and unique environmental effects. Higher SES was associated with higher mean intelligence scores. Moreover, the magnitude of genetic influences on intelligence was proportional to SES. By contrast, environmental influences were constant. These results suggest that rather than setting lower and upper bounds on intelligence, genes multiply environmental inputs that support intellectual growth. This mechanism implies that increasing SES may raise average intelligence but also magnifies individual differences in intelligence.

Racial and Socioeconomic Status Differences in Depressive Symptoms among Black and White Youth: An Examination of the Mediating Effects of Family Structure, Stress and Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Byron; Taylor, John

2012-01-01

Stress research shows that race, socioeconomic status (SES), and family context significantly impact an adolescent's psychological well-being, yet little is known about the mediating effects of family context on racial and SES differences in depressive symptoms among Black and White youth. We investigate these associations using a sample of 875…

Maternal Evaluations of Children's Emergent Literacy Level, Maternal Mediation in Book Reading, and Children's Emergent Literacy Level: A Comparison Between SES Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korat, Ofra; Haglili, Sharon

2007-01-01

This study examined whether maternal evaluations of children's emergent literacy (EL) levels, maternal mediation during a book-reading activity with children, and the children's EL levels differ as a function of socioeconomic status (SES; low vs. high), and whether the relationships between these variables differ as a function of SES levels. Study…

Dental services utilization by women of childbearing age by socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Kaylor, Mary B; Polivka, Barbara J; Chaudry, Rosemary; Salsberry, Pamela; Wee, Alvin G

2010-04-01

For women of childbearing age, oral health not only affects their physical and psychological well-being but also that of their children. This study used the 2003-2004 Ohio Family Health Survey (N = 9,819) to examine dental need and utilization by women in Ohio. Predisposing, enabling, and need variables were examined as they effect dental health service utilization by women of childbearing age at different socioeconomic status (SES) levels. The proportion of women in the low SES group self reporting a dental need (18%) was 3 times that of the proportion of women in the higher SES group with a self reported need (6%). Results of bivariate analysis showed that having a dental visit in the past year varied significantly by SES, race, insurance status, provider density, and need. A racial disparity in dental service utilization was noted in the bivariate analysis of the middle SES group. While dental need and type of dental coverage varied by SES, both were significantly associated with utilization of dental services within all 3 SES categories in the logistic regressions. These results suggest that measures need to be implemented to meet the goal of increasing access and utilization of dental health services by low-income populations.

Socioeconomic status and quality of life in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer.

PubMed

Tribius, S; Meyer, M S; Pflug, C; Hanken, H; Busch, C-J; Krüll, A; Petersen, C; Bergelt, C

2018-05-07

Socioeconomic aspects play an important role in health care. Patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer (LAHNC) experience detrimental effects on their quality of life (QoL). This prospective study examines QoL differences between patients with different socioeconomic status (SES) after intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). In all, 161 patients were questioned at the end of IMRT and at 12 and 24 months follow-up using the questionnaires of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-30 and QLQ-HN35. Patients' QoL 2 years after IMRT was compared to a population reference sample and QoL of patients from lower, middle, and higher social class 2 years after IMRT was analyzed by ANCOVA using baseline QoL (end of radiation treatment) as a covariate. Patients with high SES report worse QoL at the end of IMRT in the domains global health status (-15.2; p = 0.005), role function (-23.8; p = 0.002), and social function (-19.4; p = 0.023) compared to patients with middle and low SES. QoL improved during the first 12 and 24 months. However, 2 years after IMRT, middle and low SES patients report lower QoL in the domains global health status, physical function, and role function, and report a higher general (fatigue, pain, dyspnea) and head and neck cancer-specific symptom burden (pain, swallowing, senses, speech, social eating, opening mouth, and felt ill) than patients with high SES. After IMRT for LAHNC, patients with high SES report worse QoL compared to patients with middle or low SES. There is a marked improvement within the first 24 months in many domains. However, the magnitude of improvement in patients with middle or low SES is significantly smaller compared to patients with high SES.

Letter knowledge in parent–child conversations: differences between families differing in socio-economic status

PubMed Central

Robins, Sarah; Ghosh, Dina; Rosales, Nicole; Treiman, Rebecca

2014-01-01

When formal literacy instruction begins, around the age of 5 or 6, children from families low in socioeconomic status (SES) tend to be less prepared than children from families of higher SES. The goal of our study is to explore one route through which SES may influence children's early literacy skills: informal conversations about letters. The study builds on previous studies (Robins and Treiman, 2009; Robins et al., 2012, 2014) of parent–child conversations that show how U. S. parents and their young children talk about writing and provide preliminary evidence about similarities and differences in parent–child conversations as a function of SES. Focusing on parents and children aged three to five, we conducted five separate analyses of these conversations, asking whether and how family SES influences the previously established patterns. Although we found talk about letters in both upper and lower SES families, there were differences in the nature of these conversations. The proportion of letter talk utterances that were questions was lower in lower SES families and, of all the letter names that lower SES families talked about, more of them were uttered in isolation rather than in sequences. Lower SES families were especially likely to associate letters with the child's name, and they placed more emphasis on sequences in alphabetic order. We found no SES differences in the factors that influenced use of particular letter names (monograms), but there were SES differences in two-letter sequences (digrams). Focusing on the alphabet and on associations between the child's name and the letters within it may help to interest the child in literacy activities, but they many not be very informative about the relationship between letters and words in general. Understanding the patterns in parent–child conversations about letters is an important first step for exploring their contribution to children's early literacy skills and school readiness. PMID:25009516

Prevalence of traditional and novel markers of cardiovascular disease risk in Scottish adolescents: socioeconomic effects.

PubMed

Buchan, Duncan S; Ollis, Stewart; Thomas, Non-Eleri; Simpson, Alan; Young, John D; Cooper, Stephen-Mark; Malina, Robert M; Cockcroft, John R; Baker, Julien S

2012-10-01

Information on the health status and physical activity of Scottish adolescents is limited. This study examines the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in Scottish adolescents by socioeconomic status (SES). Participants were recruited from two high schools that differed in the SES of the students in attendance. The sample included 73 boys and 34 girls (16.4 ± 0.6 years). Variables included anthropometry, physical activity, physical fitness, blood pressure, diet, and 11 metabolic markers of CVD risk. Significant sex differences (P ≤ 0.01) were noted for stature, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular power, sprint speed, and several CVD risk factors: high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Boys from a lower SES had significantly higher levels of glucose and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) but lower levels of adiponectin compared with boys from a higher SES. Girls from a lower SES had significantly (P ≤ 0.01) higher glucose and PAI-1 levels but lower levels of insulin and adiponectin than girls from a higher SES. High fat diets, low physical activity levels, and elevated CRP and total cholesterol levels were the CVD risk factors most commonly identified as being at-risk levels in this cohort, regardless of sex or SES. SES differences were not consistently apparent, but several CVD risk factors were identified as elevated in this sample of adolescents, regardless of sex or SES.

Parental Socioeconomic Status and the Neural Basis of Arithmetic: Differential Relations to Verbal and Visuo-Spatial Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demir, Özlem Ece; Prado, Jérôme; Booth, James R.

2015-01-01

We examined the relation of parental socioeconomic status (SES) to the neural bases of subtraction in school-age children (9- to 12-year-olds). We independently localized brain regions subserving verbal versus visuo-spatial representations to determine whether the parental SES-related differences in children's reliance on these neural…

Childhood socioeconomic status and longitudinal patterns of alcohol problems: Variation across etiological pathways in genetic risk.

PubMed

Barr, Peter B; Silberg, Judy; Dick, Danielle M; Maes, Hermine H

2018-05-14

Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) is an important aspect of early life environment associated with later life health/health behaviors, including alcohol misuse. However, alcohol misuse is modestly heritable and involves differing etiological pathways. Externalizing disorders show significant genetic overlap with substance use, suggesting an impulsivity pathway to alcohol misuse. Alcohol misuse also overlaps with internalizing disorders, suggesting alcohol is used to cope. These differing pathways could lead to different patterns over time and/or differential susceptibility to environmental conditions, such as childhood SES. We examine whether: 1) genetic risk for externalizing and internalizing disorders influence trajectories of alcohol problems across adolescence to adulthood, 2) childhood SES alters genetic risk these disorders on trajectories of alcohol problems, and 3) these patterns are consistent across sex. We find modest evidence of gene-environment interaction. Higher childhood SES increases the risk of alcohol problems in late adolescence/early adulthood, while lower childhood SES increases the risk of alcohol problems in later adulthood, but only among males at greater genetic risk of externalizing disorders. Females from lower SES families with higher genetic risk of internalizing or externalizing disorders have greater risk of developing alcohol problems. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic characteristics of patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma according to tumor HPV status, patient smoking status, and sexual behavior.

PubMed

Dahlstrom, Kristina R; Bell, Diana; Hanby, Duncan; Li, Guojun; Wang, Li-E; Wei, Qingyi; Williams, Michelle D; Sturgis, Erich M

2015-09-01

Patients with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) have distinct risk factor profiles reflected in the human papillomavirus (HPV) status of their tumor, and these profiles may also be influenced by factors related to socioeconomic status (SES). The goal of this study was to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of a large cohort of patients with OPC according to HPV status, smoking status, and sexual behavior. Patients with OPC prospectively provided information about their smoking and alcohol use, socioeconomic characteristics, and sexual behaviors. HPV status was determined by a composite of immunohistochemistry for p16 expression, HPV in situ hybridization, and PCR assay in 356 patients. Standard descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to compare socioeconomic characteristics between patient subgroups. Patients with HPV-positive OPC had higher levels of education, income, and overall SES. Among patients with HPV-positive OPC, never/light smokers had more than 5 times the odds of having at least a bachelor's degree and being in the highest level of SES compared with smokers. Patients with HPV-positive OPC and those with higher levels of education and SES had higher numbers of lifetime any and oral sex partners, although not all of these differences were significant. Socioeconomic differences among subgroups of OPC patients have implications for OPC prevention efforts, including tobacco cessation, behavior modification, and vaccination programs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Association Between Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Russell, Abigail Emma; Ford, Tamsin; Williams, Rebecca; Russell, Ginny

2016-06-01

This systematic review examines associations between parental socioeconomic disadvantage and childhood attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured by parental income, education, occupation and marital status. Results were mixed by measure of SES with no one aspect being differentially related to ADHD. 42 studies were included in the review, of which 35 found a significant univariate association between socioeconomic disadvantage and ADHD. Meta-analyses of dimensions of SES and their association with ADHD indicate that children in families of low SES are on average 1.85-2.21 more likely to have ADHD than their peers in high SES families. In spite of substantial between-study heterogeneity, there is evidence for an association between socioeconomic disadvantage and risk of ADHD measured in different ways. This is likely mediated by factors linked to low SES such as parental mental health and maternal smoking during pregnancy.

CT scan exposure in Spanish children and young adults by socioeconomic status: Cross-sectional analysis of cohort data.

PubMed

Bosch de Basea, Magda; Espinosa, Ana; Gil, Mariona; Figuerola, Jordi; Pardina, Marina; Vilar, José; Cardis, Elisabeth

2018-01-01

Recent publications reported that children in disadvantaged areas undergo more CT scanning than others. The present study is aimed to assess the potential differences in CT imaging by socioeconomic status (SES) in Spanish young scanned subjects and if such differences vary with different indicators or different time point SES measurements. The associations between CT scanning and SES, and between the CT scan rate per patient and SES were investigated in the Spanish EPI-CT subcohort. Various SES indicators were studied to determine whether particular SES dimensions were more closely related to the probability of undergoing one or multiple CTs. Comparisons were made with indices based on 2001 and 2011 censuses. We found evidence of socio-economic variation among young people, mainly related to autonomous communities of residence. A slightly higher rate of scans per patient of multiple body parts in the less affluent categories was observed, possibly reflecting a higher rate of accidents and violence in these groups. The number of CT scans per patient was higher both in the most affluent and the most deprived categories and somewhat lower in the intermediate groups. This relation varied with the SES indicator used, with lower CT scans per patients in categories of high unemployment and temporary work, but not depending on categories of unskilled work or illiteracy. The relationship between these indicators and number of CTs in 2011 was different than that seen with the 2001 census, with the number of CTs increasing with higher unemployment. Overall we observed some differences in the SES distribution of scanned patients by Autonomous Community in Spain. There was, however, no major differences in the frequency of CT scans per patient by SES overall, based on the 2001 census. The use of different indicators and of SES data collected at different time points led to different relations between SES and frequency of CT scans, outlining the difficulty of adequately capturing the social and economic dimensions which may affect health and health service utilisation.

CT scan exposure in Spanish children and young adults by socioeconomic status: Cross-sectional analysis of cohort data

PubMed Central

Espinosa, Ana; Gil, Mariona; Figuerola, Jordi; Pardina, Marina; Vilar, José; Cardis, Elisabeth

2018-01-01

Recent publications reported that children in disadvantaged areas undergo more CT scanning than others. The present study is aimed to assess the potential differences in CT imaging by socioeconomic status (SES) in Spanish young scanned subjects and if such differences vary with different indicators or different time point SES measurements. The associations between CT scanning and SES, and between the CT scan rate per patient and SES were investigated in the Spanish EPI-CT subcohort. Various SES indicators were studied to determine whether particular SES dimensions were more closely related to the probability of undergoing one or multiple CTs. Comparisons were made with indices based on 2001 and 2011 censuses. We found evidence of socio-economic variation among young people, mainly related to autonomous communities of residence. A slightly higher rate of scans per patient of multiple body parts in the less affluent categories was observed, possibly reflecting a higher rate of accidents and violence in these groups. The number of CT scans per patient was higher both in the most affluent and the most deprived categories and somewhat lower in the intermediate groups. This relation varied with the SES indicator used, with lower CT scans per patients in categories of high unemployment and temporary work, but not depending on categories of unskilled work or illiteracy. The relationship between these indicators and number of CTs in 2011 was different than that seen with the 2001 census, with the number of CTs increasing with higher unemployment. Overall we observed some differences in the SES distribution of scanned patients by Autonomous Community in Spain. There was, however, no major differences in the frequency of CT scans per patient by SES overall, based on the 2001 census. The use of different indicators and of SES data collected at different time points led to different relations between SES and frequency of CT scans, outlining the difficulty of adequately capturing the social and economic dimensions which may affect health and health service utilisation. PMID:29723272

Preschoolers' vocabulary acquisition in Chile: the roles of socioeconomic status and quality of home environment.

PubMed

Lohndorf, Regina T; Vermeer, Harriet J; Cárcamo, Rodrigo A; Mesman, Judi

2018-05-01

Preschoolers' vocabulary acquisition sets the stage for later reading ability and school achievement. This study examined the role of socioeconomic status (SES) and the quality of the home environment of seventy-seven Chilean majority and Mapuche minority families from low and lower-middle-class backgrounds in explaining individual differences in vocabulary acquisition of their three-and-a-half-year-old children. Additionally, we investigated whether the relation between SES and receptive and expressive vocabulary was mediated by the quality of the home environment as the Family Investment Model suggests. The quality of the home environment significantly predicted receptive and expressive vocabulary above and beyond ethnicity, SES, parental caregiver status, and quantity of daycare. Furthermore, the quality of the home environment mediated the relation between SES and expressive and receptive vocabulary acquisition.

A Socioeconomic Comparison of Emergent Literacy and Home Literacy in Australian Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neumann, Michelle M.

2016-01-01

Family socioeconomic status (SES) and home literacy practices impact upon children's early literacy development. The present study explored where current emergent literacy and home literacy differences lie in Australian preschoolers aged three to five years from lower SES (n = 49) and higher SES (n = 52) homes. Children were assessed on letter…

Middle class and marginal? Socioeconomic status, stigma, and self-regulation at an elite university.

PubMed

Johnson, Sarah E; Richeson, Jennifer A; Finkel, Eli J

2011-05-01

In four studies, the authors investigated the proposal that in the context of an elite university, individuals from relatively lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds possess a stigmatized identity and, as such, experience (a) concerns regarding their academic fit and (b) self-regulatory depletion as a result of managing these concerns. Study 1, a correlational study, revealed the predicted associations between SES, concerns about academic fit, and self-regulatory strength. Results from Studies 2 and 3 suggested that self-presentation involving the academic domain is depleting for lower (but not higher) SES students: After a self-presentation task about academic achievement, lower SES students consumed more candy (Study 2) and exhibited poorer Stroop performance (Study 3) relative to their higher SES peers; in contrast, the groups did not differ after discussing a nonacademic topic (Study 3). Study 4 revealed the potential for eliminating the SES group difference in depletion via a social comparison manipulation. Taken together, these studies support the hypothesis that managing concerns about marginality can have deleterious consequences for self-regulatory resources. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Grades of undernutrition and socioeconomic status influence cognitive development in school children of Kolkata.

PubMed

Ghosh, Satabdi; Chowdhury, Sutanu Dutta; Chandra, Ananga Mohan; Ghosh, Tusharkanti

2015-02-01

Cognitive development of children is influenced by different environmental factors like nutritional and socio-economic status. The objectives of the present study were to determine the influence of grades of undernutrition and socio-economic status (SES) on the cognitive development of school children of Kolkata. Five hundred sixty six (566) school children having 5-12 years of age were selected from different schools of Kolkata. The cognitive development was measured by the scores of Raven's colored progressive matrices (RCPM). The chronic and acute nutritional statuses were measured from height-for-age (HAZ) and weight-for-age (WAZ) Z scores respectively with reference to the values of WHO. SES was determined by updated Kuppuswamy scale. The prevalences of undernutrition in the observed children were 57.95% (according to HAZ) and 52.82% (according to WAZ). The age dependent growth curve of RCPM scores of the observed children remains in between the 10th and 25th centile of British children. The children belonging to superior and intellectual deficit IQ classes were 21.55 and 36.40%, respectively of the total subjects. Most of the subjects belong to lower middle (39.93%) and upper middle (36.40%) class of SES. RCPM scores of school children were gradually decreased with the grades of undernutrition and SES. RCPM scores were significantly correlated with HAZ, WAZ, SES, age, and sex (P < 0.001) and strongly associated with HAZ, SES, age, and sex (P < 0.001, P < 0.05). Present study indicates that cognitive development of school children of Kolkata is influenced by the grade of undernutrition and SES. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Socioeconomic Status Index to Interpret Inequalities in Child Development

PubMed Central

AHMADI DOULABI, Mahbobeh; SAJEDI, Firoozeh; VAMEGHI, Roshanak; MAZAHERI, Mohammad Ali; AKBARZADEH BAGHBAN, Alireza

2017-01-01

Objective There have been contradictory findings on the relationship between Socioeconomic Status (SES) and child development although SES is associated with child development outcomes. The present study intended to define the relationship between SES and child development in Tehran kindergartens, Iran. Materials & Methods This cross-sectional survey studied 1036 children aged 36-60 month, in different kindergartens in Tehran City, Iran, in 2014-2015. The principal factor analysis (PFA) model was employed to construct SES indices. The constructed SES variable was employed as an independent variable in logistic regression model to evaluate its role in developmental delay as a dependent variable. Results The relationship between SES and developmental delay was significant at P=0.003. SES proved to have a significant (P<0.05) impact on developmental delay, both as an independent variable and after controlling risk factors. Conclusion There should be more emphasis on developmental monitoring and appropriate intervention programs for children to give them higher chance of having a more productive life. PMID:28698723

Infant temperament: stability by age, gender, birth order, term status, and socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Bornstein, Marc H; Putnick, Diane L; Gartstein, Maria A; Hahn, Chun-Shin; Auestad, Nancy; O'Connor, Deborah L

2015-01-01

Two complementary studies focused on stability of infant temperament across the 1st year and considered infant age, gender, birth order, term status, and socioeconomic status (SES) as moderators. Study 1 consisted of 73 mothers of firstborn term girls and boys queried at 2, 5, and 13 months of age. Study 2 consisted of 335 mothers of infants of different gender, birth order, term status, and SES queried at 6 and 12 months. Consistent positive and negative affectivity factors emerged at all time points across both studies. Infant temperament proved stable and robust across gender, birth order, term status, and SES. Stability coefficients for temperament factors and scales were medium to large for shorter (< 9 months) interassessment intervals and small to medium for longer (> 10 months) intervals. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Prehypertension and socioeconomic status: A cross-sectional study in Chongqing, China.

PubMed

Zhang, Rui; Deng, Runze; Shen, Pengyu; Fan, Mingyue; Leng, Bing; Zhou, Yujia; Cui, Yadeng; Li, Ge

2017-01-01

A large amount of research is available on the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and hypertension. However, the relationship between SES and prehypertension remains complex and unclear. Prehypertension is defined as a systolic blood pressure (SBP) between 120 and 139 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 80 and 89 mmHg. This paper focuses on the impact of SES on the prevalence of prehypertension and provides suggestions for the prevention and control measures of prehypertension and health resource allocation. Using multistage random sampling, 11,773 subjects were selected. Subjects aged above 15 years old and subjects who had been living in the eight selected districts for more than 6 months were analyzed using a multivariable logistical model. The prevalence of prehypertension at the present time reaches 55.17%, with it being higher among men than that among women (63.15% vs. 47.19%, p < 0.05). After adjustment for other factors such as age and gender, a logistic regression showed that a higher education level and a history of marital status were significantly associated with prehypertension. People of different SES indicate different working and living conditions. They also face different risk factors for prehypertension. Lower education and a history of marital status were associated with a higher risk of prehypertension among residents in Chongqing, China.

Socioeconomic Gradients Predict Individual Differences in Neurocognitive Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noble, Kimberly G.; McCandliss, Bruce D.; Farah, Martha J.

2007-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with childhood cognitive achievement. In previous research we found that this association shows neural specificity; specifically we found that groups of low and middle SES children differed disproportionately in perisylvian/language and prefrontal/executive abilities relative to other neurocognitive…

General cognitive status among Baby boomers and pre-boomers in Taiwan: the interplay between mid-life socioeconomic status and city residence.

PubMed

Chiao, Chi

2017-05-25

This study seeks to assess the interaction between mid-life socioeconomic status (SES) and city residence on the cognitive status of Baby Boomers and pre-Boomers in Taiwan, a non-Western society with a distinct cultural and family context, taking apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymophism and life stressors into consideration. The data used was from the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS) collected in Taiwan during 2006, this involved 1245 individuals from 23 communities and used multilevel regression. General cognitive status was assessed by ten questions via personal interviews. The questions were part of the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire, a 10-item free-recall and immediate recall test. Mid-life SES was defined by education and major mid-life occupation of the participant and/or their partner. Mid-life SES was positively associated with cognitive status among both Baby Boomers and pre-Boomers, even after adjusting for APOE polymorphism and stressor covariates. For Baby Boomers, city residents were more likely than town residents to show better cognition (β = 1.47, p < 0.01) and an interaction effect between mid-life SES and city residence was observed (β = -2.12, p < 0.01). While both the Baby Boomer and pre-Boomer cohorts who lived with a partner were reported better cognition, the effects of depressive symptoms and ethnicity differed by cohort. Having a high level of mid-life SES and living with a partner are associated with better cognition for both cohort groups. An interplay effect between mid-life SES and place of residence on cognition was only found for Baby Boomers. On the other hand, being psychologically depressed was associated with poorer cognition among pre-Boomers. These results underscore the specific roles of mid-life SES, city residence, and life stressors with regard to the cognitive status of Baby Boomers and pre-Boomers in Taiwan.

Socioeconomic differences in selected dietary habits among Norwegian 13–14 year-olds: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Skårdal, Madelene; Western, Inger Mari; Ask, Anne M. S.; Øverby, Nina C.

2014-01-01

Background Social inequalities in health are a major and even growing problem in all European countries. Objective The aim of the present study was to describe 1) differences in dietary habits among Norwegian adolescents by gender and socioeconomic status; 2) differences in self-reported knowledge of dietary guidelines among their parents according to socioeconomic status. Design In 2012, a cross-sectional study where students filled in a web-based food frequency questionnaire at school was conducted in nine lower secondary schools in Vest-Agder County, Norway. Socioeconomic status (SES) and knowledge of dietary guidelines were obtained from the parents using a web-based questionnaire. In total, 517 ninth-grade students (mean age 13.9) out of 742 invited students participated in the study, giving a participation rate of 69.7%. The total number of dyads with information on both parents and students was 308 (41.5%). Results The findings indicate that there is a tendency for girls to have a healthier diet than boys, with greater intake of fruits and vegetables (girls intake in median 3.5 units per day and boys 2.9 units per day), and lower intake of soft drinks (girls 0.25 l in median versus boys 0.5 l per week). Students from families with higher SES reported a significant higher intake of vegetables and fish, and lower intake of soft drinks and fast food than those from lower SES. Parents with higher SES reported a significantly better knowledge of dietary guidelines compared to those with lower SES. Conclusions Differences in dietary habits were found between groups of students by gender and SES. Differences were also found in parents’ self-reported knowledge of dietary guidelines. This social patterning should be recognized in public health interventions. PMID:25140123

The mediating effect of social relationships on the association between socioeconomic status and subjective health - results from the Heinz Nixdorf Recall cohort study.

PubMed

Vonneilich, Nico; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Erbel, Raimund; Klein, Jens; Dragano, Nico; Siegrist, Johannes; von dem Knesebeck, Olaf

2012-04-17

Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant of population health. Explanatory approaches on how SES determines health have so far included numerous factors, amongst them psychosocial factors such as social relationships. However, it is unclear whether social relationships can help explain socioeconomic differences in general subjective health. Do different aspects of social relationships contribute differently to the explanation? Based on a cohort study of middle and older aged residents (45 to 75 years) from the Ruhr Area in Germany our study tries to clarify the matter. For the analyses data from the population-based prospective Heinz Nixdorf Recall (HNR) Study is used. As indicators of SES education, equivalent household income and occupational status were employed. Social relations were assessed by including structural as well as functional aspects. Structural aspects were estimated by the Social Integration Index (SII) and functional aspects were measured by availability of emotional and instrumental support. Data on general subjective health status was available for both baseline examination (2000-2003) and a 5-year follow-up (2006-2008). The sample consists of 4,146 men and women. Four logistic regression models were calculated: in the first model we controlled for age and subjective health at baseline, while in models 2 and 3, either functional or structural aspects of social relationships were introduced separately. Model 4 then included all variables. As former studies indicated different health effects of SES and social relations in men and women, analyses were conducted with the overall sample as well as for each gender alone. Prospective associations of SES and subjective health were reduced after introducing social relationships into the regression models. Percentage reductions between 2% and 30% were observed in the overall sample when all aspects of social relations were included. The percentage reductions were strongest in the lowest SES group. Gender specific analyses revealed mediating effects of social relationships in women and men. The magnitude of mediating effects varied depending on the indicators of SES and social relations. Social relationships substantially contribute to the explanation of SES differences in subjective health. Interventions for improving social relations which especially focus on socially deprived groups are likely to help reducing socioeconomic disparities in health.

Home environment relationships with children's physical activity, sedentary time, and screen time by socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Tandon, Pooja S; Zhou, Chuan; Sallis, James F; Cain, Kelli L; Frank, Lawrence D; Saelens, Brian E

2012-07-26

Children in households of lower socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to be overweight/obese. We aimed to determine if home physical activity (PA) environments differed by SES and to explore home environment mediators of the relation of family SES to children's PA and sedentary behavior. Participants were 715 children aged 6 to 11 from the Neighborhood Impact on Kids (NIK) Study. Household SES was examined using highest educational attainment and income. Home environment was measured by parent report on a survey. Outcomes were child's accelerometer-measured PA and parent-reported screen time. Mediation analyses were conducted for home environment factors that varied by SES. Children from lower income households had greater media access in their bedrooms (TV 52% vs. 14%, DVD player 39% vs. 14%, video games 21% vs. 9%) but lower access to portable play equipment (bikes 85% vs. 98%, jump ropes 69% vs. 83%) compared to higher income children. Lower SES families had more restrictive rules about PA (2.5 vs. 2.0). Across SES, children watched TV/DVDs with parents/siblings more often than they engaged in PA with them. Parents of lower SES watched TV/DVDs with their children more often (3.1 vs. 2.5 days/week). Neither total daily and home-based MVPA nor sedentary time differed by SES. Children's daily screen time varied from 1.7 hours/day in high SES to 2.4 in low SES families. Media in the bedroom was related to screen time, and screen time with parents was a mediator of the SES--screen time relationship. Lower SES home environments provided more opportunities for sedentary behavior and fewer for PA. Removing electronic media from children's bedrooms has the potential to reduce disparities in chronic disease risk.

Relationships between symptomatology and SES-related factors in hyperkinetic/MBD boys.

PubMed

Paternite, C E; Loney, J; Langhorne, J E

1976-04-01

Relationships among symptomatology, socioeconomic status, and parenting styles were examined for 113 hyperkinetic/minimal brain dysfunction boys from intact families. Primary symptoms (e.g. hyperactivity) did not vary as a function of SES, but SES-related differences emerged for secondary symptoms (e.g., aggressive behavior, self-esteem deficits) and for parenting variables. Parenting variables were found to be better predictors of secondary symptoms than was SES. Implications for further research are offered.

Understanding Rural-Urban Differences in Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults in China

PubMed Central

Li, Lydia W.; Liu, Jinyu; Xu, Hongwei; Zhang, Zhenmei

2016-01-01

Objectives Studies have reported that rural elders in China have higher levels of depression than their urban peers. We aimed to examine the extent to which four sets of factors (socioeconomic status (SES), healthcare access, health status, social support and participation) account for such rural-urban differences. Methods Cross-sectional data from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were analyzed. A representative sample (N = 5,103) of older Chinese (age 60+) was included. Depressive symptoms were measured by the CESD-10. Multilevel linear regression was conducted. Results Rural elders had more depressive symptoms than urban elders. When SES at the individual-, household- and community-level was simultaneously controlled, the rural-urban difference lost its statistical significance. Health status, social support and social participation accounted for some, whereas healthcare access explained almost none, of the rural-urban difference. Discussion Results suggest that SES is the predominant factor accounting for the rural-urban depression gap in China. PMID:26100620

The Relationship between Socioeconomic Status, Family Income, and Measures of Muscular and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Colombian Schoolchildren.

PubMed

Sandercock, Gavin R H; Lobelo, Felipe; Correa-Bautista, Jorge E; Tovar, Gustavo; Cohen, Daniel Dylan; Knies, Gundi; Ramírez-Vélez, Robinson

2017-06-01

To determine the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and physical fitness in a sample of Colombian youth. Prueba SER is cross-sectional survey of schoolchildren in Bogota, Colombia. Mass, stature, muscular fitness (standing long-jump, handgrip), and cardiorespiratory fitness (20-m shuttle run) were measured in 52?187 schoolchildren 14-16 years of age. Area-level SES was categorized from 1 (very low) to 4 (high) and parent-reported family income was categorized as low, middle, or high. Converting measures into z scores showed stature, muscular, and cardiorespiratory fitness were significantly (z?=?0.3-0.7) below European values. Children in the mid- and high SES groups jumped significantly further than groups with very low SES. Differences were independent of sex but became nonsignificant when adjusted for anthropometric differences. Participants in the mid-SES and high-SES groups had better handgrip scores when adjusted for body dimension. There were, however, no significant between-group differences in cardiorespiratory fitness, which was strongly clustered by school and significantly greater in students from private schools. Area-level SES is associated with measures of muscular fitness in Colombian schoolchildren. These associations were largely explained by the large differences in body dimensions observed between SES groups. When area-level SES is considered, there was no evidence that family income influenced fitness. The clustering of outcomes reaffirms the potential importance of schools and area-level factors in promoting fitness through opportunities for physical activity. Interventions implemented in schools, can improve academic attainment; a factor likely to be important in promoting the social mobility of children from poorer families. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The independent and interacting effects of socioeconomic status and dual-language use on brain structure and cognition.

PubMed

Brito, Natalie H; Noble, Kimberly G

2018-06-07

Family socioeconomic status (SES) is strongly associated with children's cognitive development, and past studies have reported socioeconomic disparities in both neurocognitive skills and brain structure across childhood. In other studies, bilingualism has been associated with cognitive advantages and differences in brain structure across the lifespan. The aim of the current study is to concurrently examine the joint and independent associations between family SES and dual-language use with brain structure and cognitive skills during childhood. A subset of data from the Pediatric Imaging, Neurocognition and Genetics (PING) study was analyzed; propensity score matching established an equal sample (N = 562) of monolinguals and dual-language users with similar socio-demographic characteristics (M age = 13.5, Range = 3-20 years). When collapsing across all ages, SES was linked to both brain structure and cognitive skills. When examining differences by age group, brain structure was significantly associated with both income and dual-language use during adolescence, but not earlier in childhood. Additionally, in adolescence, a significant interaction between dual-language use and SES was found, with no difference in cortical surface area (SA) between language groups of higher-SES backgrounds but significantly increased SA for dual-language users from lower-SES families compared to SES-matched monolinguals. These results suggest both independent and interacting associations between SES and dual-language use with brain development. To our knowledge, this is the first study to concurrently examine dual-language use and socioeconomic differences in brain structure during childhood and adolescence. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Accounting for the multidimensional nature of the relationship between adult obesity and socio-economic status: the French second National Individual Survey on Food Consumption (INCA 2) dietary survey (2006-07).

PubMed

Fillol, F; Dubuisson, C; Lafay, L; Dufour, A; Bertin, M; Touvier, M; Maire, B; Volatier, J-L; Lioret, S

2011-11-01

The objective was to study the multidimensional nature of the relationship between adult obesity (OB) and socio-economic status (SES), using comprehensive indices of SES taken separately or synthesised in an overall index. A nationally representative sample of adults aged 18-79 years was taken from the French second National Individual Survey on Food Consumption (INCA 2) dietary survey (2006-07). Weight and height were measured and OB defined as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. SES variables were reported in questionnaires and included occupation, education and characteristics of household wealth. Composite indices of SES (household wealth and overall SES indices) were computed by correspondence analysis, and relationships with OB were investigated with logistic regression analysis. In total, 11·8 (95 % CI 10·1, 13·4) % of French adults were obese, without significant difference by sex. While no significant relationship was observed in men, all SES indicators were inversely correlated to OB in women. Both education and the household wealth index were retained in the stepwise multivariate model, confirming that different socio-economic variables are not necessarily proxies of each other regarding the OB issue. On the other hand, 'controlling for SES' while including several measures of SES in multivariate models may lead to collinearity, and thus over-adjustment. A more integrative approach may be to derive a synthetic index by including the SES factors available in a given study. Beyond this methodological perspective, understanding how OB is related to the different dimensions of SES should help to target the more vulnerable groups and increase the effectiveness of prevention.

Stress at work: Differential experiences of high versus low SES workers.

PubMed

Damaske, Sarah; Zawadzki, Matthew J; Smyth, Joshua M

2016-05-01

This paper asks whether workers with higher socioeconomic status (SES) experience different levels of stress at work than workers with lower SES and, if so, what might explain these differences. We collected innovative assessments of immediate objective and subjective measures of stress at multiple time points across consecutive days from 122 employed men and women. We find that in comparison to higher SES individuals, those with lower SES reported greater happiness at work, less self-reported stress, and less perceived stress; cortisol, a biological marker of stress, was unrelated to SES. Worker's momentary perceptions of the workplace were predicted by SES, with higher SES individuals more commonly reporting feeling unable to meet work demands, fewer work resources, and less positive work appraisals. In turn, perceptions of the workplace had a generally consistent and robust effect on positive mood, subjective stress, and cortisol. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stress at Work: Differential Experiences of High versus Low SES Workers

PubMed Central

Damaske, Sarah; Zawadzki, Matthew J.; Smyth, Joshua M.

2016-01-01

This paper asks whether workers with greater socioeconomic status (SES) experience different levels of stress at work than workers with lower SES and, if so, what might explain these differences. We collected innovative assessments of immediate objective and subjective measures of stress at multiple time points across consecutive days from 122 employed men and women. We find that in comparison to higher SES individuals, those with lower SES reported greater happiness at work, less self-reported stress, and less perceived stress; cortisol, a biological marker of stress, was unrelated to SES. Worker's momentary perceptions of the workplace were predicted by SES, with higher SES individuals more commonly reporting feeling unable to meet work demands, fewer work resources, and less positive work appraisals. In turn, perceptions of the workplace had a generally consistent and robust effect on positive mood, subjective stress, and cortisol. PMID:27038320

Atypical auditory refractory periods in children from lower socio-economic status backgrounds: ERP evidence for a role of selective attention.

PubMed

Stevens, Courtney; Paulsen, David; Yasen, Alia; Neville, Helen

2015-02-01

Previous neuroimaging studies indicate that lower socio-economic status (SES) is associated with reduced effects of selective attention on auditory processing. Here, we investigated whether lower SES is also associated with differences in a stimulus-driven aspect of auditory processing: the neural refractory period, or reduced amplitude response at faster rates of stimulus presentation. Thirty-two children aged 3 to 8 years participated, and were divided into two SES groups based on maternal education. Event-related brain potentials were recorded to probe stimuli presented at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of 200, 500, or 1000 ms. These probes were superimposed on story narratives when attended and ignored, permitting a simultaneous experimental manipulation of selective attention. Results indicated that group differences in refractory periods differed as a function of attention condition. Children from higher SES backgrounds showed full neural recovery by 500 ms for attended stimuli, but required at least 1000 ms for unattended stimuli. In contrast, children from lower SES backgrounds showed similar refractory effects to attended and unattended stimuli, with full neural recovery by 500 ms. Thus, in higher SES children only, one functional consequence of selective attention is attenuation of the response to unattended stimuli, particularly at rapid ISIs, altering basic properties of the auditory refractory period. Together, these data indicate that differences in selective attention impact basic aspects of auditory processing in children from lower SES backgrounds. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comments About a Chameleon Theory: Level I/Level II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horn, John; Stankov, Lazar

1982-01-01

Jensen's ideas about two levels of intellectual abilities are criticized as being oversimplified. More than two levels of intellectual abilities and relationships between variables reflecting more than racial and socioeconomic status (SES) differences are suggested, arguing that Jensen's statements about race and SES differences are not properly…

Socioeconomic Status Discrimination is Associated with Poor Sleep in African-Americans, but not Whites

PubMed Central

Van Dyke, Miriam E.; Vaccarino, Viola; Quyyumi, Arshed A.; Lewis, Tené T.

2016-01-01

Rationale Research on self-reported experiences of discrimination and health has grown in recent decades, but has largely focused on racial discrimination or overall mistreatment. Less is known about reports of discrimination on the basis of socioeconomic status (SES), despite the fact that SES is one of the most powerful social determinants of health. Objective We sought to examine the cross-sectional association between self-reported SES discrimination and subjective sleep quality, an emerging risk factor for disease. We further examined whether associations differed by race or SES. Methods We used logistic and linear regression to analyze data from a population-based cohort of 425 African-American and White middle-aged adults (67.5% female) in the Southeastern United States. SES discrimination was assessed with a modified Experiences of Discrimination Scale and poor subjective sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results In logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender, and education, reports of SES discrimination were associated with poor sleep quality among African-Americans (OR=2.39, 95% CI =1.35, 4.24), but not Whites (OR=1.03, 95% CI= 0.57, 1.87), and the race × SES discrimination interaction was significant at p=0.04. After additional adjustments for reports of racial and gender discrimination, other psychosocial stressors, body mass index and depressive symptoms, SES discrimination remained a significant predictor of poor sleep among African-Americans, but not Whites. In contrast to findings by race, SES discrimination and sleep associations did not significantly differ by SES. Conclusion Findings suggest that reports of SES discrimination may be an important risk factor for subjective sleep quality among African-Americans and support the need to consider the health impact of SES-related stressors in the context of race. PMID:26896878

Socioeconomic status discrimination is associated with poor sleep in African-Americans, but not Whites.

PubMed

Van Dyke, Miriam E; Vaccarino, Viola; Quyyumi, Arshed A; Lewis, Tené T

2016-03-01

Research on self-reported experiences of discrimination and health has grown in recent decades, but has largely focused on racial discrimination or overall mistreatment. Less is known about reports of discrimination on the basis of socioeconomic status (SES), despite the fact that SES is one of the most powerful social determinants of health. We sought to examine the cross-sectional association between self-reported SES discrimination and subjective sleep quality, an emerging risk factor for disease. We further examined whether associations differed by race or SES. We used logistic and linear regression to analyze data from a population-based cohort of 425 African-American and White middle-aged adults (67.5% female) in the Southeastern United States. SES discrimination was assessed with a modified Experiences of Discrimination Scale and poor subjective sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. In logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender, and education, reports of SES discrimination were associated with poor sleep quality among African-Americans (OR = 2.39 95%, CI = 1.35, 4.24), but not Whites (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.57, 1.87), and the race × SES discrimination interaction was significant at p = 0.04. After additional adjustments for reports of racial and gender discrimination, other psychosocial stressors, body mass index and depressive symptoms, SES discrimination remained a significant predictor of poor sleep among African-Americans, but not Whites. In contrast to findings by race, SES discrimination and sleep associations did not significantly differ by SES. Findings suggest that reports of SES discrimination may be an important risk factor for subjective sleep quality among African-Americans and support the need to consider the health impact of SES-related stressors in the context of race. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Family Socioeconomic Status and Choice of STEM Major in College: An Analysis of a National Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niu, Lian

2017-01-01

The current study uses the data of Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002) to examine patterns of choice of STEM majors in college by students from different family socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds. Logistic regression results show that low-SES students are disadvantaged in the pursuit of STEM majors. Higher family SES compensates for…

Early-Life Socioeconomic Status and Adult Physiological Functioning: A Life Course Examination of Biosocial Mechanisms.

PubMed

Yang, Yang Claire; Gerken, Karen; Schorpp, Kristen; Boen, Courtney; Harris, Kathleen Mullan

2017-01-01

A growing literature has demonstrated a link between early-life socioeconomic conditions and adult health at a singular point in life. No research exists, however, that specifies the life course patterns of socioeconomic status (SES) in relation to the underlying biological processes that determine health. Using an innovative life course research design consisting of four nationally representative longitudinal datasets that collectively cover the human life span from early adolescence to old age (Add Health, MIDUS, NSHAP, and HRS), we address this scientific gap and assess how SES pathways from childhood into adulthood are associated with biophysiological outcomes in different adult life stages. For each dataset, we constructed standardized composite measures of early-life SES and adult SES and harmonized biophysiological measurements of immune and metabolic functioning. We found that the relative importance of early-life SES and adult SES varied across young, mid, and late adulthood, such that early-life SES sets a life course trajectory of socioeconomic well-being and operates through adult SES to influence health as adults age. We also documented evidence of the detrimental health effects of downward mobility and persistent socioeconomic disadvantage. These findings are the first to specify the life course patterns of SES that matter for underlying biophysiological functioning in different stages of adulthood. The study thus contributes new knowledge critical for improving population health by identifying the particular points in the life course at which interventions might be most effective in preventing disease and premature mortality.

Consensus and stratification in the affective meaning of human sociality

PubMed Central

Ambrasat, Jens; von Scheve, Christian; Conrad, Markus; Schauenburg, Gesche; Schröder, Tobias

2014-01-01

We investigate intrasocietal consensus and variation in affective meanings of concepts related to authority and community, two elementary forms of human sociality. Survey participants (n = 2,849) from different socioeconomic status (SES) groups in German society provided ratings of 909 social concepts along three basic dimensions of affective meaning. Results show widespread consensus on these meanings within society and demonstrate that a meaningful structure of socially shared knowledge emerges from organizing concepts according to their affective similarity. The consensus finding is further qualified by evidence for subtle systematic variation along SES differences. In relation to affectively neutral words, high-status individuals evaluate intimacy-related and socially desirable concepts as less positive and powerful than middle- or low-status individuals, while perceiving antisocial concepts as relatively more threatening. This systematic variation across SES groups suggests that the affective meaning of sociality is to some degree a function of social stratification. PMID:24843121

[The relations of socioeconomic status to health status, health behaviors in the elderly].

PubMed

Lee, Sok-Goo; Jeon, So-Youn

2005-05-01

To analyze the relationships of socioeconomic status(SES) to health status and health behaviors in the elderly. Data were obtained from self-administered questionnaire of 4,587 persons, older than 65 years, living in a community. We measured the sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health status (subjective health status, acute disease, admission experience, dental state, chronic disease etc.), activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and mini-mental state examination-Korean (MMSE-K). Binary and multinominal logistic regression analyses were employed to analyze factors affecting on the socioeconomic status of the elderly. With regard to the SES and health status, those with a low SES had poorer subjective health states and lower satisfaction about their physical health. Also, acute disease experiences, admission rates and tooth deciduation rates were higher in those of low SES. In the view of physical and cognitive functions, the ADL, IADL and MMSE-K scores were also lower in those of low SES. However, with regard to health behaviors, lower smoking and alcohol drinking rates were found in the low SES group, and a similar trend was shown with regular physical exercise, eating breakfast, and regular physical health check-up. From these findings, we surmise that those with low SES have a poorer health condition and less money to spend on health, therefore, they can not smoke or drink alcohol, exercise and or have a physical health check-up. This study suggests that socioeconomic status plays an important role in health behaviors and status of the elderly. Low socioeconomic status bring about unhealthy behavior and poor health status in the elderly. Therefore, more specific target oriented(esp. low SES persons) health promotion activities for the elderly are very important to improve not only their health status, but their health inequity also.

Change in Tobacco Use Over Time in Urban Indian Youth: The moderating Role of Socioeconomic Status

PubMed Central

Mathur, Charu; Stigler, Melissa H.; Erickson, Darin J.; Perry, Cheryl L.; Finnegan, John R.; Arora, Monika; Reddy, K. Srinath

2014-01-01

This study investigates socioeconomic differences in patterns and trends of tobacco consumption over time among youth in India. Additionally, the distribution of tobacco use risk factors across social class was examined. The data were derived from a longitudinal study of adolescents, Project MYTRI. Students in eight private [high socioeconomic status (SES)] (n=2881) and eight government (lower SES) (n=5476) schools in two large cities in India (Delhi and Chennai) were surveyed annually about their tobacco use and related psychosocial risk factors from 2004 to 2006. Results suggest the relationship between SES and tobacco use over time was not consistent. At baseline (in 2004), lower SES was associated with higher prevalence of tobacco use but the relation between SES and tobacco use reversed two years later (2006). These findings were mirrored in the distribution of related psychosocial risk factors by SES at baseline (in 2004), and thereafter in 2006. Implications for prevention scientists and future intervention programs are considered. PMID:23444321

Variation in sport participation, fitness and motor coordination with socioeconomic status among Flemish children.

PubMed

Vandendriessche, Joric B; Vandorpe, Barbara F R; Vaeyens, Roel; Malina, Robert M; Lefevre, Johan; Lenoir, Matthieu; Philippaerts, Renaat M

2012-02-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) is often indicated as a factor that influences physical activity and associated health outcomes. This study examined the relationship between SES and sport participation, morphology, fitness and motor coordination in a sample of 1955 Flemish children 6-11 years of age. Gender, age and SES-specific values for morphologic dimensions, amount and type of sport participation and fitness and motor coordination tests were compared. SES was positively and significantly associated with sport participation and sports club membership in both sexes. Although differences were not consistently significant, morphologic dimensions and tests of fitness and motor coordination showed a trend in favor of children from higher SES. The results suggest that public and local authorities should consider providing equal opportunities for children in all social strata and especially those in the lower SES to experience the beneficial effects of sport participation through which they can enhance levels of physical fitness and motor coordination.

Associations between Safety from Crime, Cycling, and Obesity in a Dutch Elderly Population: Results from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam

PubMed Central

Kremers, Stef P. J.; de Bruijn, Gert-Jan; Visscher, Tommy L. S.; Deeg, Dorly J. H.; Thomése, G. C. Fleur; Visser, Marjolein; van Mechelen, Willem; Brug, Johannes

2012-01-01

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate differences in associations between crime rates, cycling, and weight status between people living in low and high socioeconomic status (SES) neighbourhoods. In total, 470 participants in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam were included (age: 63–70 y). Body height and weight were measured using a stadiometer and calibrated weight scale, respectively. Cycling behaviour was assessed in a face-to-face interview, and neighbourhood crime rates were assessed using data from police reports. Men residing in high SES neighbourhoods cycled more than males residing in low SES neighbourhoods. Cycling was negatively related to crime rates among both men and women living in low SES neighbourhoods. Among men living in low SES neighbourhoods, more cycling was associated with lower BMI. Interventions aiming to prevent obesity in older people may consider aiming at increasing bicycle use in lower SES neighbourhoods, but neighbourhood safety issues should be considered. PMID:22523503

Participation level of the leprosy patients in society.

PubMed

Singh, S; Sinha, A K; Banerjee, B G; Jaswal, N

2009-01-01

The present study examines the soci-demographic profile and participation restriction level of the respondents and the association of gender socio-economic status (SES) and deformity status of the respondents with their respective participation restriction level. 245 leprosy patients have been selected for the present study. Socio-economic scale, participation scale and in-depth interviews were used for data collection. Data analysis was done by using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). 57.1% belonged to poor SES followed by lower-middle (21.6%). Only 12% of respondents belonged to high SES. Out of 245 respondents, 32.20% had grade II deformity 31.40% grade I and the rest 36.3% non-deformed. The results of the participation scale showed that 54.28% had no significant participation restriction and only 3.67% had extreme participation restriction. SES and deformity status of the respondents have shown significant differences with the level of participation restriction. The lower the SES and the severe the level of deformity of the respondents, the extreme is the level of participation restriction among them.

Race/Ethnic and Nativity Disparities in Later Life Physical Performance: The Role of Health and Socioeconomic Status Over the Life Course

PubMed Central

Krueger, Patrick M.; Rohlfsen, Leah

2012-01-01

Objectives. We examine race/ethnic and nativity differences in objective measures of physical performance (i.e., peak expiratory flow, grip strength, and gait speed) in a nationally representative sample of older Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. We also examine whether detailed measures of childhood and adult health and socioeconomic status (SES) mediate race/ethnic differences in physical performance. Method. We use data from the Health and Retirement Study, a population-based sample of older Americans born before 1947, and 3 measures of physical performance. Nested ordinary least squares models examine whether childhood and adult health and SES mediate race/ethnic differences in performance. Results. We find large and significant race/ethnic and nativity differences in lung function, grip strength, and gait speed. Adjusting for childhood and current adult health and SES reduces race/ethnic differences in physical performance but does not eliminate them entirely. Childhood health and SES as well as more proximal levels of SES are important determinants of race/ethnic disparities in later life physical performance. Discussion. The analysis highlights that a large proportion of race/ethnic and nativity disparities result from health and socioeconomic disadvantages in both early life and adulthood and thus suggests multiple intervention points at which disparities can be reduced. PMID:22391749

Inequitable walking conditions among older people: examining the interrelationship of neighbourhood socio-economic status and urban form using a comparative case study

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Supportive neighbourhood walking conditions are particularly important for older people as they age and who, as a group, prefer walking as a form of physical activity. Urban form and socio-economic status (SES) can influence neighbourhood walking behaviour. The objectives of this study were: a) to examine how urban form and neighbourhood SES inter-relate to affect the experiences of older people who walk in their neighbourhoods; b) to examine differences among neighbourhood stakeholder key informant perspectives on socio-political processes that shape the walkability of neighbourhood environments. Methods An embedded comparative case study examined differences among four Ottawa neighbourhoods that were purposefully selected to provide contrasts on urban form (inner-urban versus suburban) and SES (higher versus lower). Qualitative data collected from 75 older walkers and 19 neighbourhood key informants, as well as quantitative indicators were compared on the two axes of urban form and SES among the four neighbourhoods. Results and discussion Examining the inter-relationship of neighbourhood SES and urban form characteristics on older people's walking experiences indicated that urban form differences were accentuated positively in higher SES neighbourhoods and negatively in lower SES neighbourhoods. Older people in lower SES neighbourhoods were more affected by traffic hazards and more reliant on public transit compared to their higher SES counterparts. In higher SES neighbourhoods the disadvantages of traffic in the inner-urban neighbourhood and lack of commercial destinations in the suburban neighbourhood were partially offset by other factors including neighbourhood aesthetics. Key informant descriptions of the socio-political process highlighted how lower SES neighbourhoods may face greater challenges in creating walkable places. These differences pertained to the size of neighbourhood associations, relationships with political representatives, accessing information and salient neighbourhood association issues. Findings provide evidence of inequitable walking environments. Conclusion Future research on walking must consider urban form-SES inter-relationships and further examine the equitable distribution of walking conditions as well as the socio-political processes driving these conditions. There is a need for municipal governments to monitor differences in walking conditions among higher and lower SES neighbourhoods, to be receptive to the needs of lower SES neighbourhood and to ensure that policy decisions are taken to address inequitable walking conditions. PMID:21054879

Socioeconomic status and oppositional defiant disorder in preschoolers: parenting practices and executive functioning as mediating variables.

PubMed

Granero, Roser; Louwaars, Leonie; Ezpeleta, Lourdes

2015-01-01

To investigate the mediating mechanisms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in preschoolers through pathways analysis, considering the family socioeconomic status (SES) as the independent variable and the parenting style and the children's executive functioning (EF) as the mediating factors. The sample included 622 three-year-old children from the general population. Multi-informant reports from parents and teachers were analyzed. Structural Equation Modeling showed that the associations between SES, EF, parenting style and ODD levels differed by children's gender: (a) for girls, the association of low SES and high ODD scores was partially mediated by difficulties in EF inhibition, and parenting practices defined by corporal punishment and inconsistent discipline obtained a quasi-significant indirect effect into the association between SES and ODD; (b) for boys, SES and EF (inhibition and emotional control) had a direct effect on ODD with no mediation. SES seems a good indicator to identify children at high-risk for prevention and intervention programs for ODD. Girls with ODD in families of low SES may particularly benefit from parent training practices and training in inhibition control.

Tackling the Remaining Attainment Gap between Students with and without Immigrant Background: An Investigation into the Equivalence of SES Constructs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenkeit, Jenny; Caro, Daniel H.; Strand, Steve

2015-01-01

In England, students with immigrant background exhibit lower educational attainment than those without immigrant background. Family socioeconomic status (SES) helps explain differences in educational attainment, but a gap remains that differs in size for students with different immigrant backgrounds. While the explanatory repertoire for the…

Rural-to-Urban Migration: Socioeconomic Status But Not Acculturation was Associated with Overweight/Obesity Risk.

PubMed

Hilmers, Angela; Bernabé-Ortiz, Antonio; Gilman, Robert H; McDermott, Ann Y; Smeeth, Liam; Miranda, J Jaime

2016-06-01

To investigate whether socioeconomic status (SES) and acculturation predict overweight/obesity risk as well as the mediating effect of physical activity (PA) in the context of internal migration. Cross-sectional study of 587 rural-to-urban migrants participating in the PERU MIGRANT study. Analyses were conducted using logistic regression and structured equation modeling. Interaction effects of SES and acculturation were tested. Models were controlled for age, gender and education. Only SES was a significant predictor of overweight/obesity risk. Lower SES decreased the odds of being overweight/obese by 51.4 %. This association did not vary by gender nor was it explained by PA. Mechanisms underlying the relationship between SES and overweight/obesity may differ depending on the geographic location and sociocultural context of the population studied. Research on internal migration and health would benefit from the development of tailored acculturation measures and the evaluation of exploratory models that include diet.

The association between alcohol use and depressive symptoms across socioeconomic status among 40- and 45-year-old Norwegian adults.

PubMed

Martinez, Priscilla; Neupane, Sudan Prasad; Perlestenbakken, Berit; Toutoungi, Christina; Bramness, Jørgen G

2015-11-19

Little population-based data among middle-aged adults exists examining the relationships between depressive symptoms, alcohol use, and socio-economic status (SES). This study aimed to describe the relationships between depressive symptoms and alcohol use at different levels of SES and to determine differences across SES levels among a population-based sample of 40 and 45 year old adults in Norway. This analysis was based on data from two Norwegian health studies conducted in 2000 and 2001, and included community-dwelling Norwegian men and women aged 40 and 45 years. Self-reported frequency and quantity of alcoholic drinks was used to calculate past-year typical quantity of drinks consumed and frequency of 5+ drinks per occasion, or heavy episodic drinking (HED). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 10-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist, and SES was measured as education level and employment status. To observe the association between depressive symptoms and alcohol use at each level of SES we fitted multinomial logistic regression models using each alcohol outcome as a dependent variable stratified by level of education and employment. To observe differences across levels of SES, we examined the interaction between depressive symptoms and SES level in multinomial logistic regression models for each alcohol measures. Having depressive symptoms was significantly associated with an increased risk of 5+ typical drinks among people in the lowest (RRR = 1.60, p ≤ 0.05) education level, and not among people in the highest. Conversely, significant associations were observed among all levels of employment. For frequency of HED, depressive symptoms was not significantly associated with frequency of HED at any education level. Depressive symptoms was associated with 13+ past year HED episodes among people with no employment (RRR = 1.97, p ≤ 0.05), and part-time employment (RRR = 2.33, p ≤ 0.01), and no association was observed among people with full-time employment. A significant interaction was observed for depressive symptoms and employment for risk of 13+ past-year HED episodes. The results show a variety of associations between depressive symptoms and alcohol use among people with lower SES, and suggest type of alcohol use and SES measure may influence the observation of an association between depressive symptoms and alcohol use at different SES levels.

Socioeconomic status and stress-induced increases in interleukin-6.

PubMed

Brydon, L; Edwards, S; Mohamed-Ali, V; Steptoe, A

2004-05-01

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is more prevalent in people from a low socioeconomic background, and low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with an increased exposure to psychological stress. The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a central role in CAD development. IL-6 is responsive to psychological stress and could potentially mediate the effect of psychosocial factors on CAD risk. Accordingly, we predicted that people of low SES would have greater and/or more sustained IL-6 responses to acute psychological stress. Based on previous findings, we also predicted that these people would have delayed post-stress cardiovascular recovery. Thirty-eight male civil servants were tested, with participants divided into high and low SES groups according to employment grade. There were no differences between the groups at baseline. However there were significant differences in IL-6 and heart rate responses to stress. Stress induced increases in plasma IL-6 in all participants. However, in the low SES group, IL-6 continued to increase between 75 min and 2h post-stress, whereas IL-6 levels stabilised at 75 min in the high SES group. Heart rate increased to the same extent following stress in both groups, however by 2h post-stress, it had returned to baseline in 75% of the high SES group compared with only 38.1% of the low SES group. These results suggest that low SES people are less able to adapt to stress than their high SES counterparts. Prolonged stress-induced increases in IL-6 in low SES groups represents a novel mechanism potentially linking socioeconomic position and heart disease.

The impact of bleeding disorders on the socioeconomic status of adult patients. Results of a comparative single centre cohort study.

PubMed

Holstein, Katharina; von Mackensen, Sylvia; Bokemeyer, Carsten; Langer, Florian

2017-07-10

The impact of inherited bleeding disorders on the socioeconomic status (SES) of affected individuals is not clear. The SES of adult patients with congenital bleeding disorders (PWBD) from a centre in Germany (age 42.3 ± 15.0 years) was compared to that of a gender- and age-matched control group of patients with thrombophilia or a thrombotic event (PWT). Patients completed a questionnaire including aspects of SES, impact of the disease on their lives, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Forty-five patients were enrolled in each group; 71 % of PBWD had a severe form of the bleeding disorder (FVIII/IX activity < 1 % or VWD type 3), and 60 % of all PWBD were treated on-demand. PWBD had a lower monthly income (p = 0.029) and a worse occupational status (p = 0.047) than PWT, but there was no difference regarding the project-specific SES index. PWBD also reported a worse HRQoL in the physical summary component score of the SF-36 (p < 0.001). More PWBD (69.8 %) reported a high impact of the disease on their lives than PWT (33.3 %, p < 0.001). In summary, PWBD had a worse occupational status, monthly income, health behaviour, HRQoL, and impact of the disease on their lives compared to PWT, but not a significantly different SES in general.

The Application of Neuroimaging to Social Inequity and Language Disparity: A Cautionary Examination

PubMed Central

Ellwood-Lowe, Monica E.; Sacchet, Matthew D.; Gotlib, Ian H.

2016-01-01

In the nascent field of the cognitive neuroscience of socioeconomic status (SES), researchers are using neuroimaging to examine how growing up in poverty affects children's neurocognitive development, particularly their language abilities. In this review we highlight difficulties inherent in the frequent use of reverse inference to interpret SES-related abnormalities in brain regions that support language. While there is growing evidence suggesting that SES moderates children's developing brain structure and function, no studies to date have elucidated explicitly how these neural findings are related to variations in children's language abilities, or precisely what it is about SES that underlies or contributes to these differences. This issue is complicated by the fact that SES is confounded with such linguistic factors as cultural language use, first language, and bilingualism. Thus, SES-associated differences in brain regions that support language may not necessarily indicate differences in neurocognitive abilities. In this review we consider the multidimensionality of SES, discuss studies that have found SES-related differences in structure and function in brain regions that support language, and suggest future directions for studies in the area of cognitive neuroscience of SES that are less reliant on reverse inference. PMID:27744097

The Relative Impact of Socioeconomic Status and Childhood Trauma on Black-White Differences in Paranoid Personality Disorder Symptoms

PubMed Central

Iacovino, Juliette M.; Jackson, Joshua J.; Oltmanns, Thomas F.

2015-01-01

The current study examines mechanisms of racial differences in symptoms of paranoid personality disorder (PPD) in a sample of adults ages 55–64 from the St. Louis, MO area. Socioeconomic status (SES) and childhood trauma were tested as intervening variables in the association between race and PPD symptoms using structural equation modeling. PPD symptoms were modeled as a latent variable composed of items from the PPD scales of the Multi-Source Assessment of Personality Pathology self and informant reports and the Structured Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM–IV) Personality. Childhood trauma was measured using the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire, and SES was a composite of parent education, participant education, and annual household income. Blacks exhibited higher levels of PPD symptoms across the 3 personality measures, reported significantly lower SES, and reported greater childhood trauma. The proposed model was a good fit to the data, and the effect of race on PPD symptoms operated mainly through SES. The indirect effect through SES was stronger for males. Findings suggest that racial differences in PPD symptoms are partly explained by problems more commonly experienced by Black individuals. PMID:24661172

Socioeconomic status and stress in Mexican–American women: a multi-method perspective

PubMed Central

Shivpuri, Smriti; Gonzalez, Patricia; Fortmann, Addie L.; de los Monteros, Karla Espinosa; Roesch, Scott C.; Talavera, Gregory A.; Matthews, Karen A.

2014-01-01

Stress is a hypothesized pathway in socioeconomic status (SES)-physical health associations, but the available empirical data are inconsistent. In part, this may reflect discrepancies in the approach to measuring stress across studies, and differences in the nature of SES-stress associations across demographic groups. We examined associations of SES (education, income) with general and domain-specific chronic stressors, stressful life events, perceived stress, and stressful daily experiences in 318 Mexican–American women (40–65 years old). Women with higher SES reported lower perceived stress and fewer low-control experiences in everyday life (ps < .05), but greater chronic stress (education only, p < .05). Domain-specific analyses showed negative associations of income with chronic housing and financial stress (ps < .05), but positive associations of SES with chronic work and care-giving stress (all ps < .05 except for income and caregiving stress, p < .10). Sensitivity analyses showed that most SES-stress associations were consistent across acculturation levels. Future research should adopt a multi-dimensional assessment approach to better understand links among SES, stress, and physical health, and should consider the sociodemographic context in conceptualizing the role of stress in SES-related health inequalities. PMID:22644814

Socioeconomic Status and Cardiovascular Outcomes: Challenges and Interventions.

PubMed

Schultz, William M; Kelli, Heval M; Lisko, John C; Varghese, Tina; Shen, Jia; Sandesara, Pratik; Quyyumi, Arshed A; Taylor, Herman A; Gulati, Martha; Harold, John G; Mieres, Jennifer H; Ferdinand, Keith C; Mensah, George A; Sperling, Laurence S

2018-05-15

Socioeconomic status (SES) has a measurable and significant effect on cardiovascular health. Biological, behavioral, and psychosocial risk factors prevalent in disadvantaged individuals accentuate the link between SES and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Four measures have been consistently associated with CVD in high-income countries: income level, educational attainment, employment status, and neighborhood socioeconomic factors. In addition, disparities based on sex have been shown in several studies. Interventions targeting patients with low SES have predominantly focused on modification of traditional CVD risk factors. Promising approaches are emerging that can be implemented on an individual, community, or population basis to reduce disparities in outcomes. Structured physical activity has demonstrated effectiveness in low-SES populations, and geomapping may be used to identify targets for large-scale programs. Task shifting, the redistribution of healthcare management from physician to nonphysician providers in an effort to improve access to health care, may have a role in select areas. Integration of SES into the traditional CVD risk prediction models may allow improved management of individuals with high risk, but cultural and regional differences in SES make generalized implementation challenging. Future research is required to better understand the underlying mechanisms of CVD risk that affect individuals of low SES and to determine effective interventions for patients with high risk. We review the current state of knowledge on the impact of SES on the incidence, treatment, and outcomes of CVD in high-income societies and suggest future research directions aimed at the elimination of these adverse factors, and the integration of measures of SES into the customization of cardiovascular treatment. © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.

The Mediating Effects of Lifestyle Factors on the Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Self-Rated Health among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jinhyun

2011-01-01

Little is known about how different lifestyle factors mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health among middle-aged and older adults in Korea. Using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, this study examined the direct effects of SES on self-rated health and how lifestyle factors mediate the relationships…

[Health risks in different living circumstances of mothers. Analyses based on a population study].

PubMed

Sperlich, Stefanie

2014-12-01

The objective of this study was to determine the living circumstances ('Lebenslagen') in mothers which are associated with elevated health risks. Data were derived from a cross-sectional population based sample of German women (n = 3129) with underage children. By means of a two-step cluster analysis ten different maternal living circumstances were assessed which proved to be distinct with respect to indicators of socioeconomic position, employment status and family-related factors. Out of the ten living circumstances, one could be attributed to higher socioeconomic status (SES), while five were assigned to a middle SES and four to a lower SES. In line with previous findings, mothers with a high SES predominantly showed the best health while mothers with a low SES tended to be at higher health risk with respect to subjective health, mental health (anxiety and depression), obesity and smoking. However, there were important health differences between the different living circumstances within the middle and lower SES. In addition, varying health risks were found among different living circumstances of single mothers, pointing to the significance of family and job-related living conditions in establishing health risks. With this exploratory analysis strategy small-scale living conditions could be detected which were associated with specific health risks. This approach seemed particularly suitable to provide a more precise definition of target groups for health promotion. The findings encourage a more exrensive application of the concept of living conditions in medical sociology research as well as health monitoring.

Cardiovascular risk goes up as your mood goes down: Interaction of depression and socioeconomic status in determination of cardiovascular risk in the CONSTANCES cohort.

PubMed

Wiernik, Emmanuel; Meneton, Pierre; Empana, Jean-Philippe; Siemiatycki, Jack; Hoertel, Nicolas; Vulser, Hélène; Nabi, Hermann; Limosin, Frédéric; Czernichow, Sébastien; Goldberg, Marcel; Ozguler, Anna; Zins, Marie; Lemogne, Cédric

2018-07-01

Recent evidence suggests that the association of psychological variables with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) might depend upon socioeconomic status (SES). However, it is unclear whether the association between depressive symptoms and CHD risk might differ according to three SES indicators (education, occupational status and household monthly income). Among 34,836 working participants of the French CONSTANCES cohort (16,221 men, mean age [SD]: 44.0 [10.4] years) without history of cardiovascular disease, depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D). The Framingham risk equation calibrated to the French population estimated the participant's 10-year risk of CHD. Associations between depressive symptoms and CHD risk were estimated using linear regression models in SES strata. The estimated 10-year risk of CHD was 16.9% in men and 1.8% in women. In men, the increased CHD risk in those with (versus without) depressive symptoms was more pronounced as occupational status decreased, being 0.65% (-0.57; 1.88), 1.58% (0.50; 2.66) and 3.19% (1.30; 5.07) higher in individuals of high, medium and low occupational status, respectively (p for interaction: 0.01). In contrast, effect modification by education or household income was less evident, despite similar trends. In women, no effect modification was found whatever the SES indicator. Depressive symptoms and 10-year estimated CHD risk were more tightly linked in individuals of lower SES, at least in men. Occupational status was the SES indicator that displays the most obvious effect modification on this association. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of patient socioeconomic status on perceptions of first- and second-year medical students

PubMed Central

Woo, James K.H.; Ghorayeb, Sahar H.; Lee, Cheong K.; Sangha, Harpreet; Richter, Suzanne

2004-01-01

Background Physician decision-making and perceptions of patients are affected by a patient's socioeconomic status (SES). We sought to determine if the perceptions of first- and second-year medical students are similarly affected. We also wanted to determine whether a student's own SES affects his or her perceptions of patients from a low or high SES background. Methods Two similar videos of a physician–patient interview were created. One video featured a patient of apparently high SES and the other featured a patient of apparently low SES. Differences in SES were portrayed by means of clothing, accessories and dialogue. First- and second-year medical students at the University of Western Ontario were recruited to view 1 of the videos and to answer a questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale. Results Responses were obtained from 205 (89%) of the 231 medical students invited to participate. Respondents' perceptions of the low SES and high SES patients were significantly different in the following respects. The low SES patient was perceived to be less compliant in taking medications and less likely to return for follow-up visits; was perceived to have a lower level of social support, poorer overall health and a worse prognosis; and was perceived to be more adversely affected in his occupational duties by illness (p < 0.05). Furthermore, second-year students who watched the video with the low SES patient were less inclined to want that patient in their practice than second-year students who watched the video with the high SES patient (p = 0.032). One hundred and six students (52%) were categorized as having high SES and 37 (18%) as having low SES (the remaining students were categorized as having mid-level SES). Among students who watched the video with the low SES patient, the level of agreement with the statement “This person is the kind of patient I would like to have in my practice” was greater among low SES students than among high SES students (p = 0.012). Interpretation First- and second-year medical students have negative perceptions of low SES patients on several dimensions. PMID:15210639

Reducing the socio-economic status achievement gap at University by promoting mastery-oriented assessment.

PubMed

Smeding, Annique; Darnon, Céline; Souchal, Carine; Toczek-Capelle, Marie-Christine; Butera, Fabrizio

2013-01-01

In spite of official intentions to reduce inequalities at University, students' socio-economic status (SES) is still a major determinant of academic success. The literature on the dual function of University suggests that University serves not only an educational function (i.e., to improve students' learning), but also a selection function (i.e., to compare people, and orient them towards different positions in society). Because current assessment practices focus on the selection more than on the educational function, their characteristics fit better with norms and values shared by dominant high-status groups and may favour high-SES students over low-SES students in terms of performances. A focus on the educational function (i.e., mastery goals), instead, may support low-SES students' achievement, but empirical evidence is currently lacking. The present research set out to provide such evidence and tested, in two field studies and a randomised field experiment, the hypothesis that focusing on University's educational function rather than on its selection function may reduce the SES achievement gap. Results showed that a focus on learning, mastery-oriented goals in the assessment process reduced the SES achievement gap at University. For the first time, empirical data support the idea that low-SES students can perform as well as high-SES students if they are led to understand assessment as part of the learning process, a way to reach mastery goals, rather than as a way to compare students to each other and select the best of them, resulting in performance goals. This research thus provides a theoretical framework to understand the differential effects of assessment on the achievement of high and low-SES students, and paves the way toward the implementation of novel, theory-driven interventions to reduce the SES-based achievement gap at University.

Socioeconomic Status and Childhood Leukemia Incidence in Switzerland

PubMed Central

Adam, Martin; Kuehni, Claudia E.; Spoerri, Adrian; Schmidlin, Kurt; Gumy-Pause, Fabienne; Brazzola, Pierluigi; Probst-Hensch, Nicole; Zwahlen, Marcel

2015-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) discrepancies exist for child and adult cancer morbidity and are a major public health concern. In this Swiss population-based matched case–control study on the etiology of childhood leukemia, we selected the cases from the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry diagnosed since 1991 and the controls randomly from census. We assigned eight controls per case from the 1990 and 2000 census and matched them by the year of birth and gender. SES information for both cases and controls was obtained from census records by probabilistic record linkage. We investigated the association of SES with childhood leukemia in Switzerland, and explored whether it varied with different definitions of socioeconomic status (parental education, living condition, area-based SES), time period, and age. In conditional logistic regression analyses of 565 leukemia cases and 4433 controls, we found no consistent evidence for an association between SES and childhood leukemia. The odds ratio comparing the highest with the lowest SES category ranged from 0.95 (95% CI: 0.71–1.26; Ptrend = 0.73) for paternal education to 1.37 (1.00–1.89; Ptrend = 0.064) for maternal education. No effect modification was found for time period and age at diagnosis. Based on this population-based study, which avoided participation and reporting bias, we assume the potential association of socioeconomic status and childhood leukemia if existing to be small. This study did not find evidence that socioeconomic status, of Switzerland or comparable countries, is a relevant risk factor or strong confounder in etiological investigations on childhood leukemia. PMID:26175964

Reading skill-fractional anisotropy relationships in visuospatial tracts diverge depending on socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Gullick, Margaret M; Demir-Lira, Özlem Ece; Booth, James R

2016-07-01

Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been repeatedly linked with decreased academic achievement, including lower reading outcomes. Some lower SES children do show skills and scores commensurate with those of their higher SES peers, but whether their abilities stem from the same systems as high SES children or are based on divergent strategies is unknown. We here investigated a potential interactive relationship between SES and real-word reading skill in the white matter in 42 typically developing children. SES was determined based on parental education; reading skill and age were not significantly related to SES. There was a significant neural interaction: Clusters in the bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), left superior longitudinal fasciculus, and left corticospinal tract demonstrated interactive skill-SES relationships in fractional anisotropy. Follow-up analyses demonstrated that higher SES children showed a positive relationship between fractional anisotropy, reflecting tract coherence, and reading skill in left hemisphere tract clusters, whereas lower SES children showed a positive relationship in the right hemisphere homologues. Broadly, the ILF has been demonstrated to support orthographic skill on the left and more general visuospatial processing on the right, so high reading achievement in lower SES children may rely on supplementary visuospatial processing more than for higher SES readers. This pattern is consistent with previous work reporting low SES children's environments to include less rich verbal experience, which may lead them to disproportionately draw on visuospatial skills for success. Further, these results indicate that group SES differences may be best described by an adaptive, not a deficit, model. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Parents' Relative Socioeconomic Status and Paternal Involvement in Chinese Families: The Mediating Role of Coparenting.

PubMed

Liu, Chang; Wu, Xinchun; Zou, Shengqi

2016-01-01

This study examined the mediating role of coparenting in the association between differences/similarities in paternal and maternal socioeconomic status (SES) and paternal involvement in Chinese families. The sample included 244 couples with children aged 3-7 years. Fathers and mothers reported their individual incomes, educational levels, occupations, and coparenting behavior (measured using the Coparenting Scale), and fathers completed the Father Involvement Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine the associations between SES and paternal involvement. Results suggested that SES indicator measures were outcome specific. Occupational differences/similarities were associated with paternal involvement indirectly, via fathers' family integrity practices. Income and educational differences/similarities did not affect paternal involvement. The results suggested that the traditional Chinese view that "men are chiefly responsible for activity in society, while women are responsible for the home" has faded.

Socioeconomic Status, Subjective Social Status, and Perceived Stress: Associations with Stress Physiology and Executive Functioning.

PubMed

Ursache, Alexandra; Noble, Kimberly G; Blair, Clancy

2015-01-01

Several studies have investigated associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and indicators of children's physiological and cognitive self-regulation. Although objective measures of family SES may be good proxies for families' experiences of disadvantage, less is known about subjective aspects of families' experiences. We hypothesize that subjective social status (SSS) and perceived stress may be important independent predictors of children's stress physiology and executive functioning (EF). Eighty-two children from diverse SES backgrounds were administered EF measures and provided saliva samples for cortisol assay. Caregivers reported on objective SES, SSS, and perceived stress. Results suggest that SES and SSS are both independently and positively related to EF. In models predicting stress physiology, higher perceived stress was associated with lower baseline cortisol. Moreover, SES and age interacted to predict cortisol levels such that among younger children, lower SES was associated with higher cortisol, whereas among older children, lower SES was associated with lower cortisol. Results highlight the importance of considering both objective and subjective indicators of families' SES and stressful experiences in relation to multiple aspects of children's self-regulation.

Trends in smoking in Canada from 1950 to 2011: progression of the tobacco epidemic according to socioeconomic status and geography.

PubMed

Corsi, Daniel J; Boyle, Michael H; Lear, Scott A; Chow, Clara K; Teo, Koon K; Subramanian, S V

2014-01-01

Smoking has declined in Canada in recent years. However, it is not clear whether differences in current smoking by socioeconomic status have increased, decreased, or remained unchanged in Canada. We examined rates of current smoking by sex, education, and province from 1950 to 2011. Differences in current smoking, initiation, and cessation were summarized using relative and absolute measures. Between 1950 and 2011, the prevalence of current smoking (including daily and non-daily) among adults aged 20 years and older decreased steadily in men from 68.9 % (95 % CI 63.9-73.3) to 18.6 % (14.9-22.1) but in women increased slightly from 38.2 % (32.3-42.2) in 1950 to 39.1 % (36.4-41.2) in 1959 before declining to 15.4 % (11.9-18.9) in 2011. Among men, there was an inverse association between educational attainment and smoking which was consistent from 1950 to 2011. A similar gradient emerged in the mid-1960s in women. Absolute differences in rates of smoking across levels of education increased despite overall declines in smoking across all levels of education. Rates of smoking in women and men were higher in the Atlantic Provinces and Quebec, although in men these differences have declined since the 1990s. In a subset of data from 1999 to 2011, those with lower levels of education had higher levels of smoking initiation and lower levels of cessation. Smoking rates have fallen over time but socioeconomic differences have increased. Smoking prevalence peaked later in lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups, and rates of decline in lower SES groups and certain provinces have been less steep. This suggests that SES gradients emerge rapidly in later stages of the tobacco epidemic and may have increased through greater efficacy of tobacco control policies in reducing smoking among those of higher SES compared to those of lower SES. Tailored approaches may be required to reduce smoking rates in those of lower SES and narrow SES differences.

Socioeconomic Status and Internalizing Symptoms in Chilean Children: Does Reserve Capacity Matter?

PubMed Central

Martinez, Suzanna M; Castillo, Marcela; Lozoff, Betsy; Gahagan, Sheila

2016-01-01

Informed by the reserve capacity model, we examined pathways between socioeconomic status (SES) and internalizing symptoms (IS) in 1119 Chilean 10-year-olds. Mediators included parental disciplinary style and reserve capacity resources (RCR), namely home environment, parent-child engagement, and self-esteem, and conduct problems. Using structural equation modeling, the model was stratified by gender. For boys, the SES-IS relationship was mediated by the home environment and parental disciplinary style. For girls, the SES-IS relationship was mediated by the home environment, parent-child engagement, self-esteem, and conduct problems. Findings suggest different RCR may protect against IS in a sample of Chilean children. PMID:27123471

Socioeconomic Status and Physical Activity in Chinese Adults: A Report from a Community-Based Survey in Jiaxing, China.

PubMed

Chen, Mingling; Wu, Yikang; Narimatsu, Hiroto; Li, Xueqing; Wang, Chunmei; Luo, Jianyong; Zhao, Genming; Chen, Zhongwen; Xu, Wanghong

2015-01-01

This study examines the associations of socioeconomic status (SES) with intensity of different types of physical activity (PA) in Chinese adults, aimed at outlining and projecting socioeconomic disparities in PA among the population undergoing a rapid nutrition transition. A community-based survey was conducted among 3,567 residents aged 30-65 years old in Jiaxing, China, in 2010. SES and PA were assessed by a structured questionnaire. SES was assessed as socioeconomic index (SEI) score based on self-reported educational attainment, household income and occupation. Metabolic equivalents (METs) were calculated for each subject to quantify the total amount of PA from occupation, exercise, transportation and housework. Intensity of overall PA in this population was 165 MET-hours/week, in which energy expenditure in occupational PA accounted for 82%. Both types and intensity of PA were significantly different by SES: middle SES groups had higher intensity of occupational activities; lower SES subjects engaged in more household work; whereas higher SES subjects were more likely to exercise, more active during commuting and had longer sedentary time. All the three components of SES, education attainment, income and occupation, contributed to socioeconomic disparities in PA in this population. Our results suggest an overall insufficiency and socioeconomic inequalities in PA among Chinese adults in Jiaxing, a typical city experiencing a rapid urbanization in China. There is an urgent need to promote leisure-time activities in this population.

Inconsistency in Reporting Abstention and Heavy Drinking Frequency: Associations with Sex and Socioeconomic Status, and Potential Impacts

PubMed Central

Kydd, Robyn M.; Connor, Jennie

2015-01-01

Aims: To describe inconsistencies in reporting past-year drinking status and heavy drinking occasions (HDOs) on single questions from two different instruments, and to identify associated characteristics and impacts. Methods: We compared computer-presented Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) with categorical response options, and mental health interview (MHI) with open-ended consumption questions, completed on the same day. Participants were 464 men and 459 women aged 38 (91.7% of surviving birth cohort members). Differences in dichotomous single-item measures of abstention and HDO frequency, associations of inconsistent reporting with sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and survey order, and impacts of instrument choice on associations of alcohol with sex and SES were examined. Results: The AUDIT-C drinking frequency question estimated higher past-year abstention prevalence (AUDIT = 7.6%, MHI = 5.4%), with one-third of AUDIT-C abstainers being MHI drinkers. Only AUDIT-C produced significant sex differences in abstainer prevalence. Inconsistencies in HDO classifications were bidirectional, but with fewer HDOs reported on the MHI than AUDIT-C question. Lower SES was associated with inconsistency in abstention and weekly+ HDOs. Abstention and higher HDO frequency were associated with lower SES overall, but sex-specific associations differed by instrument. Conclusions: In this context, data collection method affected findings, with inconsistencies in abstention reports having most impact. Future studies should: (a) confirm self-reported abstention; (b) consider piloting data collection methods in target populations; (c) expect impacts of sex and SES on measurements and analyses. PMID:25648932

Comparing Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Disability between Immigrants and the Chilean-Born: Are There Different Stories to Tell?

PubMed Central

Cabieses, Baltica; Pickett, Kate E.; Tunstall, Helena

2012-01-01

This study explored a range of sociodemographic factors associated with disability among international immigrants in Chile, and compared them to the Chilean-born. Secondary data analysis of the Chilean population-based survey CASEN-2006 was conducted (268,873 participants). Main health outcomes: any disability and six different types of disability: visual, hearing, learning, physical, psychiatric and speaking (binary outcomes). Sociodemographic variables: Demographic factors (age, sex, marital status, urban/rural, ethnicity), socioeconomic status (SES: income, education, employment status, and an integrated indicator combining the SES measures through cluster analysis for the immigrant population), material factors (overcrowding, sanitation, housing quality) and migration related (country of origin and length of stay). Immigrants reported a significantly lower prevalence of any disability (3.55%), visual (1.00%) and physical disability (0.38%). Factors associated with any disability among immigrants were age, low SES or over 20 years duration of residence in Chile; while a range of sociodemographic factors were associated with disability in the Chilean-born. Conditional regression models by age group varied between populations, but SES remained significantly associated with disability across immigrants and the Chilean-born. However, there are no similar patterns of factors associated to different types of disability between the populations under study. Factors associated with disability varied between populations under study, but SES showed a consistent association with any disability in immigrants and the Chilean-born. Types of disability showed different patterns of factors associated to them between populations, which suggest the great complexity of underlying mechanisms related to disability in Chile. PMID:23211607

Comparing sociodemographic factors associated with disability between immigrants and the Chilean-born: are there different stories to tell?

PubMed

Cabieses, Baltica; Pickett, Kate E; Tunstall, Helena

2012-12-04

This study explored a range of sociodemographic factors associated with disability among international immigrants in Chile, and compared them to the Chilean-born. Secondary data analysis of the Chilean population-based survey CASEN-2006 was conducted (268,873 participants). Main health outcomes: any disability and six different types of disability: visual, hearing, learning, physical, psychiatric and speaking (binary outcomes). Sociodemographic variables: Demographic factors (age, sex, marital status, urban/rural, ethnicity), socioeconomic status (SES: income, education, employment status, and an integrated indicator combining the SES measures through cluster analysis for the immigrant population), material factors (overcrowding, sanitation, housing quality) and migration related (country of origin and length of stay). Immigrants reported a significantly lower prevalence of any disability (3.55%), visual (1.00%) and physical disability (0.38%). Factors associated with any disability among immigrants were age, low SES or over 20 years duration of residence in Chile; while a range of sociodemographic factors were associated with disability in the Chilean-born. Conditional regression models by age group varied between populations, but SES remained significantly associated with disability across immigrants and the Chilean-born. However, there are no similar patterns of factors associated to different types of disability between the populations under study. Factors associated with disability varied between populations under study, but SES showed a consistent association with any disability in immigrants and the Chilean-born. Types of disability showed different patterns of factors associated to them between populations, which suggest the great complexity of underlying mechanisms related to disability in Chile.

Characterizing internet health information seeking strategies by socioeconomic status: a mixed methods approach.

PubMed

Perez, Susan L; Kravitz, Richard L; Bell, Robert A; Chan, Man Shan; Paterniti, Debora A

2016-08-09

The Internet is valuable for those with limited access to health care services because of its low cost and wealth of information. Our objectives were to investigate how the Internet is used to obtain health-related information and how individuals with differing socioeconomic resources navigate it when presented with a health decision. Study participants were recruited from public settings and social service agencies. Participants listened to one of two clinical scenarios - consistent with influenza or bacterial meningitis - and then conducted an Internet search. Screen-capture video software captured the Internet search. Participant Internet search strategies were analyzed and coded for pre- and post-Internet search guess at diagnosis and information seeking patterns. Individuals who did not have a college degree and were recruited from locations offering social services were categorized as "lower socioeconomic status" (SES); the remainder was categorized as "higher SES." Participants were 78 Internet health information seekers, ranging from 21-35 years of age, who experienced barriers to accessing health care services. Lower-SES individuals were more likely to use an intuitive, rather than deliberative, approach to Internet health information seeking. Lower- and higher-SES participants did not differ in the tendency to make diagnostic guesses based on Internet searches. Lower-SES participants were more likely than their higher-SES counterparts to narrow the scope of their search. Our findings suggest that individuals with different levels of socioeconomic status vary in the heuristics and search patterns they rely upon to direct their searches. The influence and use of credible information in the process of making a decision is associated with education and prior experiences with healthcare services. Those with limited resources may be disadvantaged when turning to the Internet to make a health decision.

Geographic variability in the association between socioeconomic status and BMI in the USA and Canada.

PubMed

Lebel, Alexandre; Kestens, Yan; Clary, Christelle; Bisset, Sherri; Subramanian, S V

2014-01-01

Reported associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity are inconsistent depending on gender and geographic location. Globally, these inconsistent observations may hide a variation in the contextual effect on individuals' risk of obesity for subgroups of the population. This study explored the regional variability in the association between SES and BMI in the USA and in Canada, and describes the geographical variance patterns by SES category. The 2009-2010 samples of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) were used for this comparison study. Three-level random intercept and differential variance multilevel models were built separately for women and men to assess region-specific BMI by SES category and their variance bounds. Associations between individual SES and BMI differed importantly by gender and countries. At the regional-level, the mean BMI variation was significantly different between SES categories in the USA, but not in Canada. In the USA, whereas the county-specific mean BMI of higher SES individuals remained close to the mean, its variation grown as SES decreased. At the county level, variation of mean BMI around the regional mean was 5 kg/m2 in the high SES group, and reached 8.8 kg/m2 in the low SES group. This study underlines how BMI varies by country, region, gender and SES. Lower socioeconomic groups within some regions show a much higher variation in BMI than in other regions. Above the BMI regional mean, important variation patterns of BMI by SES and place of residence were found in the USA. No such pattern was found in Canada. This study suggests that a change in the mean does not necessarily reflect the change in the variance. Analyzing the variance by SES may be a good way to detect subtle influences of social forces underlying social inequalities.

Home environment relationships with children’s physical activity, sedentary time, and screen time by socioeconomic status

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Children in households of lower socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to be overweight/obese. We aimed to determine if home physical activity (PA) environments differed by SES and to explore home environment mediators of the relation of family SES to children’s PA and sedentary behavior. Methods Participants were 715 children aged 6 to 11 from the Neighborhood Impact on Kids (NIK) Study. Household SES was examined using highest educational attainment and income. Home environment was measured by parent report on a survey. Outcomes were child’s accelerometer-measured PA and parent-reported screen time. Mediation analyses were conducted for home environment factors that varied by SES. Results Children from lower income households had greater media access in their bedrooms (TV 52% vs. 14%, DVD player 39% vs. 14%, video games 21% vs. 9%) but lower access to portable play equipment (bikes 85% vs. 98%, jump ropes 69% vs. 83%) compared to higher income children. Lower SES families had more restrictive rules about PA (2.5 vs. 2.0). Across SES, children watched TV/DVDs with parents/siblings more often than they engaged in PA with them. Parents of lower SES watched TV/DVDs with their children more often (3.1 vs. 2.5 days/week). Neither total daily and home-based MVPA nor sedentary time differed by SES. Children’s daily screen time varied from 1.7 hours/day in high SES to 2.4 in low SES families. Media in the bedroom was related to screen time, and screen time with parents was a mediator of the SES--screen time relationship. Conclusions Lower SES home environments provided more opportunities for sedentary behavior and fewer for PA. Removing electronic media from children’s bedrooms has the potential to reduce disparities in chronic disease risk. PMID:22835155

Gender and socioeconomic disparities in BMI trajectories in the Seychelles: a cohort analysis based on serial population-based surveys.

PubMed

Rossi, Isabelle A; Rousson, Valentin; Viswanathan, Bharathi; Bovet, Pascal

2011-12-09

The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and socioeconomic status (SES) tends to change over time and across populations. In this study, we examined, separately in men and women, whether the association between BMI and SES changed over successive birth cohorts in the Seychelles (Indian Ocean, African region). We used data from all participants in three surveys conducted in 1989, 1994 and 2004 in independent random samples of the population aged 25-64 years in the Seychelles (N = 3'403). We used linear regression to model mean BMI according to age, cohort, SES and smoking status, allowing for a quadratic term for age to account for a curvilinear relation between BMI and age and interactions between SES and age and between SES and cohorts to test whether the relation between SES and BMI changed across subsequent cohorts. All analyses were performed separately in men and women. BMI increased with age in all birth cohorts. BMI was lower in men of low SES than high SES but was higher in women of low SES than high SES. In all SES categories, BMI increased over successive cohorts (1.24 kg/m2 in men and 1.51 kg/m2 for a 10-year increase in birth cohorts, p < 0.001). The difference in BMI between men or women of high vs. low SES did not change significantly across successive cohorts (the interaction between SES and year of birth of cohort was statistically not significant). Smoking was associated with lower BMI in men and women (respectively -1.55 kg/m2 and 2.46 kg/m2, p < 0.001). Although large differences exist between men and women, social patterning of BMI did not change significantly over successive cohorts in this population of a middle-income country in the African region.

Objectively assessed recess physical activity in girls and boys from high and low socioeconomic backgrounds.

PubMed

Baquet, Georges; Ridgers, Nicola D; Blaes, Aurélie; Aucouturier, Julien; Van Praagh, Emmanuel; Berthoin, Serge

2014-02-21

The school environment influences children's opportunities for physical activity participation. The aim of the present study was to assess objectively measured school recess physical activity in children from high and low socioeconomic backgrounds. Four hundred and seven children (6-11 years old) from 4 primary schools located in high socioeconomic status (high-SES) and low socioeconomic status (low-SES) areas participated in the study. Children's physical activity was measured using accelerometry during morning and afternoon recess during a 4-day school week. The percentage of time spent in light, moderate, vigorous, very high and in moderate- to very high-intensity physical activity were calculated using age-dependent cut-points. Sedentary time was defined as 100 counts per minute. Boys were significantly (p < 0.001) more active than girls. No difference in sedentary time between socioeconomic backgrounds was observed. The low-SES group spent significantly more time in light (p < 0.001) and very high (p < 0.05) intensity physical activity compared to the high-SES group. High-SES boys and girls spent significantly more time in moderate (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively) and vigorous (p < 0.001) physical activity than low-SES boys. Differences were observed in recess physical activity levels according to socioeconomic background and sex. These results indicate that recess interventions should target children in low-SES schools.

Socio-demographic differences in Colombian children's muscular fitness: Does scaling for differences in body size present a challenge to conventional thinking?

PubMed

Nevill, Alan M; Sandercock, Gavin; Duncan, Michael J; Lahart, Ian; Correa-Bautista, Jorge Enrique; Ramirez-Velez, Robinson

2018-04-06

In low- to middle-income countries, children from less-deprived areas (from families of higher socio-economic status [SES]) have superior muscular fitness than those from low-SES groups. They are also taller and heavier, factors associated with muscular fitness. The purpose of this study was to identify any socio-demographic differences in Colombian children's muscular fitness and examine how these conclusions can be modified by scaling for differences in body size. A total of 38,098 youths (46% girls), ninth grade students (aged 14-15 years), participated in a study of cross-sectional design. We recorded SES and family incomes, stature, and mass. Standing broad jump and handgrip strength were used to assess muscular fitness. A multiplicative allometric model was adopted to adjust for body-size differences. Children from the mid- to high-SES groups jumped significantly higher than children from the lowest SES group, although no SES group difference in grip strength was observed. After adjusting for body size, children from higher SES and with higher family incomes had significantly lower handgrip strength, and their superior jump height performances remained but were greatly reduced. Only children from the highest SES now jumped significantly higher that the lowest SES group. The superior jump performance and no difference in handgrip strength of Colombian children from higher SES may simply reflect their superior physiques. When body size is accounted for, these differences are reduced or even reversed, suggesting that children from higher SES groups should not be complacent regarding their apparent superior muscular fitness. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Individual differences in neural mechanisms of selective auditory attention in preschoolers from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds: an event-related potentials study.

PubMed

Isbell, Elif; Wray, Amanda Hampton; Neville, Helen J

2016-11-01

Selective attention, the ability to enhance the processing of particular input while suppressing the information from other concurrent sources, has been postulated to be a foundational skill for learning and academic achievement. The neural mechanisms of this foundational ability are both vulnerable and enhanceable in children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) families. In the current study, we assessed individual differences in neural mechanisms of this malleable brain function in children from lower SES families. Specifically, we investigated the extent to which individual differences in neural mechanisms of selective auditory attention accounted for variability in nonverbal cognitive abilities in lower SES preschoolers. We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) during a dichotic listening task and administered nonverbal IQ tasks to 124 lower SES children (77 females) between the ages of 40 and 67 months. The attention effect, i.e., the difference in ERP mean amplitudes elicited by identical probes embedded in stories when attended versus unattended, was significantly correlated with nonverbal IQ scores. Larger, more positive attention effects over the anterior and central electrode locations were associated with superior nonverbal IQ performance. Our findings provide initial evidence for prominent individual differences in neural indices of selective attention in lower SES children. Furthermore, our results indicate a noteworthy relationship between neural mechanisms of selective attention and nonverbal IQ performance in lower SES preschoolers. These findings provide the basis for future research to identify the factors that contribute to such individual differences in neural mechanisms of selective attention. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Is socioeconomic status associated with biological aging as measured by telomere length?

PubMed

Robertson, Tony; Batty, G David; Der, Geoff; Fenton, Candida; Shiels, Paul G; Benzeval, Michaela

2013-01-01

It has been hypothesized that one way in which lower socioeconomic status (SES) affects health is by increasing the rate of biological aging. A widely used marker of biological aging is telomere length. Telomeres are structures at the ends of chromosomes that erode with increasing cell proliferation and genetic damage. We aimed to identify, through systematic review and meta-analysis, whether lower SES (greater deprivation) is associated with shorter telomeres. Thirty-one articles, including 29 study populations, were identified. We conducted 3 meta-analyses to compare the telomere lengths of persons of high and low SES with regard to contemporaneous SES (12 study populations from 10 individual articles), education (15 study populations from 14 articles), and childhood SES (2 study populations from 2 articles). For education, there was a significant difference in telomere length between persons of high and low SES in a random-effects model (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.060, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.002, 0.118; P = 0.042), although a range of sensitivity analyses weakened this association. There was no evidence for an association between telomere length and contemporaneous SES (SMD = 0.104, 95% CI: -0.027, 0.236; P = 0.119) or childhood SES (SMD = -0.037, 95% CI: -0.143, 0.069; P = 0.491). These results suggest weak evidence for an association between SES (as measured by education) and biological aging (as measured by telomere length), although there was a lack of consistent findings across the SES measures investigated here. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Behavioral change in response to a statewide tobacco tax increase and differences across socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Parks, Michael J; Kingsbury, John H; Boyle, Raymond G; Choi, Kelvin

2017-10-01

Tobacco use is a leading behavioral risk factor for morbidity and mortality, and the tobacco epidemic disproportionately affects low-socioeconomic status (SES) populations. Taxation is effective for reducing cigarette use, and it is an effective population-based policy for reducing SES-related tobacco disparities. However, progress in implementing cigarette excise taxes has stalled across the United States, and there is a dearth of research on the full spectrum of behavioral shifts that result from taxes, particularly among low-SES populations. This project documents the impact of Minnesota's $1.75 cigarette tax increase implemented in 2013. Data come from the 2014 Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey. Descriptive analyses and Latent Class Analysis (LCA) were used to provide a typology of the tax impact. From the LCA, six classes were identified, and 42% of respondents were classified as reporting action-oriented behavioral change related to the tax-8% reported sustained smoking abstinence. We found differential behavior change across levels of SES. Low-SES and medium/high-SES individuals were equally likely to report complete tobacco cessation, but the prevalence of daily smokers who reported action-oriented behavior without sustained cessation was nearly double for low-SES individuals. Smokers report a range of behavioral changes in response to cigarette taxes, with differences across SES. The majority of smokers, and particularly low-SES smokers, report behavioral steps toward quitting or achieving sustained tobacco cessation in response to cigarette taxes. Complementary population-based programs geared toward assisting individuals, especially low-SES individuals, to achieve continuous tobacco cessation could increase the reach and effectiveness of cigarette taxes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic Status and Executive Function: Developmental Trajectories and Mediation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hackman, Daniel A.; Gallop, Robert; Evans, Gary W.; Farah, Martha J.

2015-01-01

Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) predicts executive function (EF), but fundamental aspects of this relation remain unknown: the developmental course of the SES disparity, its continued sensitivity to SES changes during that course, and the features of childhood experience responsible for the SES-EF relation. Regarding course, early disparities…

What explains the socioeconomic status gap in activity? Educational differences in determinants of physical activity and screentime.

PubMed

Hankonen, Nelli; Heino, Matti T J; Kujala, Emilia; Hynynen, Sini-Tuuli; Absetz, Pilvikki; Araújo-Soares, Vera; Borodulin, Katja; Haukkala, Ari

2017-02-01

Designing evidence-based interventions to address socioeconomic disparities in health and health behaviours requires a better understanding of the specific explanatory mechanisms. We aimed to investigate a comprehensive range of potential theoretical mediators of physical activity (PA) and screen time in different socioeconomic status (SES) groups: a high SES group of high school students, and a low SES group of vocational school students. The COM-B system, including the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), was used as a heuristic framework to synthesise different theoretical determinants in this exploratory study. Finnish vocational and high school students (N = 659) aged 16-19, responded to a survey assessing psychological, social and environmental determinants of activity (PA and screen time). These determinants are mappable into the COM-B domains: capability, opportunity and motivation. The outcome measures were validated self-report measures for PA and screen time. The statistical analyses included a bootstrapping-based mediation procedure. Regarding PA, there were SES differences in all of the COM-B domains. For example, vocational school students reported using less self-monitoring of PA, weaker injunctive norms to engage in regular PA, and fewer intentions than high school students. Mediation analyses identified potential mediators of the SES-PA relationship in all of three domains: The most important candidates included self-monitoring (CI95 for b: 0.19-0.47), identity (0.04-0.25) and material resources available (0.01-0.16). However, SES was not related to most determinants of screentime, where there were mainly gender differences. Most determinants were similarly related with both behaviours in both SES groups, indicating no major moderation effect of SES on these relationships. This study revealed that already in the first years of educational differentiation, levels of key PA determinants differ, contributing to socioeconomic differences in PA. The analyses identified the strongest mediators of the SES-PA association, but additional investigation utilising longitudinal and experimental designs are needed. This study demonstrates the usefulness of combining constructs from various theoretical approaches to better understand the role of distinct mechanisms that underpin socioeconomic health behaviour disparities.

Political, religious and occupational identities in context: placing identity status paradigm in context.

PubMed

Solomontos-Kountouri, Olga; Hurry, Jane

2008-04-01

This study critically contrasts global identity with domain-specific identities (political, religious and occupational) and considers context and gender as integral parts of identity. In a cross-sectional survey, 1038 Greek Cypriot adolescents (449 boys and 589 girls, mean age 16.8) from the three different types of secondary schools (state, state technical and private) and from different SES completed part of the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-2 (EOMEIS-2). The macro-context of Greek Cypriot society is used to understand the role of context in adolescents' identities. Results showed that Greek Cypriot young people were not in the same statuses across their global, political, religious and occupational identities. This heterogeneity in the status of global identity and of each identity domain is partially explained by differences in gender, type of school and SES (socio-economic status). The fact that identity status is found to be reactive to context suggests that developmental stage models of identity status should place greater emphasis on context.

The application of neuroimaging to social inequity and language disparity: A cautionary examination.

PubMed

Ellwood-Lowe, Monica E; Sacchet, Matthew D; Gotlib, Ian H

2016-12-01

In the nascent field of the cognitive neuroscience of socioeconomic status (SES), researchers are using neuroimaging to examine how growing up in poverty affects children's neurocognitive development, particularly their language abilities. In this review we highlight difficulties inherent in the frequent use of reverse inference to interpret SES-related abnormalities in brain regions that support language. While there is growing evidence suggesting that SES moderates children's developing brain structure and function, no studies to date have elucidated explicitly how these neural findings are related to variations in children's language abilities, or precisely what it is about SES that underlies or contributes to these differences. This issue is complicated by the fact that SES is confounded with such linguistic factors as cultural language use, first language, and bilingualism. Thus, SES-associated differences in brain regions that support language may not necessarily indicate differences in neurocognitive abilities. In this review we consider the multidimensionality of SES, discuss studies that have found SES-related differences in structure and function in brain regions that support language, and suggest future directions for studies in the area of cognitive neuroscience of SES that are less reliant on reverse inference. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Who is at higher risk of hypertension? Socioeconomic status differences in blood pressure among Polish adolescents: a population-based ADOPOLNOR study.

PubMed

Kaczmarek, Maria; Stawińska-Witoszyńska, Barbara; Krzyżaniak, Alicja; Krzywińska-Wiewiorowska, Małgorzata; Siwińska, Aldona

2015-11-01

In Poland, there is no data on parental socioeconomic status (SES) as a potent risk factor in adolescent elevated blood pressure, although social differences in somatic growth and maturation of children and adolescents have been recorded since the 1980s. This study aimed to evaluate the association between parental SES and blood pressure levels of their adolescent offspring. A cross-sectional survey was carried out between 2009 and 2010 on a sample of 4941 students (2451 boys and 2490 girls) aged 10-18, participants in the ADOPOLNOR study. The depended outcome variable was the level of blood pressure (optimal, pre- and hypertension) and explanatory variables included place of residence and indicators of parental SES: family size, parental educational attainments and occupation status, income adequacy and family wealth. The final selected model of the multiple multinomial logistic regression analysis (MLRA) with backward elimination procedure revealed the multifactorial dependency of blood pressure levels on maternal educational attainment, paternal occupation and income adequacy interrelated to urbanization category of the place of residence after controlling for family history of hypertension, an adolescent's sex, age and weight status. Consistent rural-to-urban and socioeconomic gradients were found in prevalence of elevated blood pressure, which increased with continuous lines from large cities through small- to medium-sized cities to villages and from high-SES to low-SES familial environments. The adjusted likelihood of developing systolic and diastolic hypertension decreased with each step increase in maternal educational attainment and increased urbanization category. The likelihood of developing prehypertension decreased with increased urbanization category, maternal education, paternal employment status and income adequacy. Weight status appeared to be the strongest confounder of adolescent blood pressure level and, at the same time, a mediator between their blood pressure and parental SES. The findings of the present study confirmed socioeconomic disparities in blood pressure levels among adolescents. This calls for regularly performed blood pressure assessment and monitoring in the adolescent population. It is recommended to focus on obesity prevention and socioeconomic health inequalities by further trying to improve living and working conditions in adverse rural environments.

Shopping list development and use of advertisements' pre-store food-buying practices within different socio-economic status areas in South Africa.

PubMed

Duffett, Rodney Graeme; Foster, Crystal

2017-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether there is a difference in the development of shopping lists and use of advertisements as pre-store food-buying practices in terms of planned shopping by South African consumers who dwell in different socio-economic status (SES) areas. The paper also considers the influence of shopper and socio-demographic characteristics on pre-store food-buying practices in a developing country. A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 1 200 consumers in retail stores in low, middle and high SES areas in South Africa. A generalised linear model was employed for the statistical analysis of pre-store food-buying practices within the SES area groups in a developing country. South African consumers that reside in high SES area displayed the largest of shopping list development, while consumers who dwell in low SES areas showed the highest incidence of advertisement usage. Several shopper and socio-demographic characteristics were also found to have an influence on pre-store food-buying practices in different SES areas in South Africa. A qualitative approach would offer a deeper understanding of consumers' pre-store food shopping predispositions as opposed to the quantitative approach, which was adopted for this study. A longitudinal design would also provide a more extensive representation of pre-store food shopping practices over a longer time frame than cross-sectional research. The survey was conducted on Saturdays, whereas consumers who shop during the week may have different shopping and socio-demographic characteristics. Astute food brands, marketers and grocery stores could use the findings of this study to assist with their marketing efforts that they direct at consumers in different SES areas in South Africa and other developing countries. The findings of this study may assist consumers in developing countries, especially those who reside in low SES areas, with food-buying strategies to reduce food costs, make wiser purchase decisions and reduce shopping. No study (to the best of the researchers' knowledge) has considered shopping list development and use of advertisements' pre-store food-buying practices in different SES areas in a developing country. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research analysing shopper and socio-demographic characteristics in relation to pre-store food-buying practices among different SES areas in developing and developed countries.

Lifecourse social conditions and racial disparities in incidence of first stroke.

PubMed

Glymour, M Maria; Avendaño, Mauricio; Haas, Steven; Berkman, Lisa F

2008-12-01

Some previous studies found excess stroke rates among black subjects persisted after adjustment for socioeconomic status (SES), fueling speculation regarding racially patterned genetic predispositions to stroke. Previous research was hampered by incomplete SES assessments, without measures of childhood conditions or adult wealth. We assess the role of lifecourse SES in explaining stroke risk and stroke disparities. Health and Retirement Study participants age 50+ (n = 20,661) were followed on average 9.9 years for self- or proxy-reported first stroke (2175 events). Childhood social conditions (southern state of birth, parental SES, self-reported fair/poor childhood health, and attained height), adult SES (education, income, wealth, and occupational status) and traditional cardiovascular risk factors were used to predict first stroke onset using Cox proportional hazards models. Black subjects had a 48% greater risk of first stroke incidence than whites (95% confidence interval, 1.33-1.65). Childhood conditions predicted stroke risk in both blacks and whites, independently of adult SES. Adjustment for both childhood social conditions and adult SES measures attenuated racial differences to marginal significance (hazard ratio, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.00-1.28). Childhood social conditions predict stroke risk in black and White American adults. Additional adjustment for adult SES, in particular wealth, nearly eliminated the disparity in stroke risk between black and white subjects.

Do socio-economic factors influence supermarket content and shoppers' purchases?

PubMed

Vinkeles Melchers, Natalie V S; Gomez, Maria; Colagiuri, Ruth

2009-12-01

Obesity is at crisis proportions. Individuals of low socio-economic status (SES) are more likely to consume higher energy dense diets than their high socio-economic status counterparts. The contribution of supermarket purchases of energy dense, nutrient poor foods has not been well-researched and has largely depended on unverified self-report. We estimated the proportion of supermarket shelf space dedicated to non-core foods in nine supermarkets (in five high and four low SES areas) in metropolitan Sydney. We analysed 204 shoppers' dockets (102 from high and 102 from low SES areas) for purchases of confectionery; sugar sweetened, carbonated beverages and cordials, sweet biscuits and cakes, and crisps and popcorn. After adjusting for the number of people shopped for, low SES shoppers purchased significantly more non-core foods than high SES shoppers (p=0.039), especially chips and sugar sweetened, carbonated beverages and cordials. There was no difference in the shelf space dedicated to non-core foods, or between non-core foods purchased and the proportion of shelf space occupied by them in either low or high SES areas. Increased purchase of non-core foods by low SES shoppers who are already at higher risk of obesity than high SES shoppers is cause for concern. Further research is required to explore underlying reasons for this association.

Genetic link between family socioeconomic status and children's educational achievement estimated from genome-wide SNPs.

PubMed

Krapohl, E; Plomin, R

2016-03-01

One of the best predictors of children's educational achievement is their family's socioeconomic status (SES), but the degree to which this association is genetically mediated remains unclear. For 3000 UK-representative unrelated children we found that genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms could explain a third of the variance of scores on an age-16 UK national examination of educational achievement and half of the correlation between their scores and family SES. Moreover, genome-wide polygenic scores based on a previously published genome-wide association meta-analysis of total number of years in education accounted for ~3.0% variance in educational achievement and ~2.5% in family SES. This study provides the first molecular evidence for substantial genetic influence on differences in children's educational achievement and its association with family SES.

Genetic link between family socioeconomic status and children's educational achievement estimated from genome-wide SNPs

PubMed Central

Krapohl, E; Plomin, R

2016-01-01

One of the best predictors of children's educational achievement is their family's socioeconomic status (SES), but the degree to which this association is genetically mediated remains unclear. For 3000 UK-representative unrelated children we found that genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms could explain a third of the variance of scores on an age-16 UK national examination of educational achievement and half of the correlation between their scores and family SES. Moreover, genome-wide polygenic scores based on a previously published genome-wide association meta-analysis of total number of years in education accounted for ~3.0% variance in educational achievement and ~2.5% in family SES. This study provides the first molecular evidence for substantial genetic influence on differences in children's educational achievement and its association with family SES. PMID:25754083

Socio-economic status in relation to smoking: The role of (expected and desired) social support and quitter identity.

PubMed

Meijer, Eline; Gebhardt, Winifred A; Van Laar, Colette; Kawous, Ramin; Beijk, Sarah C A M

2016-08-01

Smoking behavior differs substantially between lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Previous research shows that social support for quitting may be more available to higher-SES smokers, and higher-SES smokers may have stronger nonsmoker self-identities (i.e., can see themselves more as nonsmokers). To investigate how SES influences smoking behavior, taking the role of identity processes and social support into account. A cross-sectional online survey study was conducted among 387 daily smokers from lower, middle and higher-SES groups in the Netherlands in 2014. Educational level was used as an indicator of SES. Expected and desired social support for quitting smoking, expected exclusion from the social network when quitting, identity factors and intention to quit were measured. Smokers from all SES backgrounds desired to receive positive social support if they would quit smoking. Lower-SES smokers expected to receive more negative and practical support than middle or higher-SES smokers. There were no significant differences between SES groups for almost all identity measures, nor on intention to quit. Above and beyond other important influences such as nicotine-dependence, results showed that smokers regardless of SES who expected to receive more positive support tended to have stronger intentions to quit. Moreover, smokers who could see themselves more as being quitters (quitter self-identity) and perceived themselves less as smokers (smoker self-identity), as well as smokers who felt more positive about nonsmokers (nonsmoker group-identity) had stronger intentions to quit. No significant interactions with SES were found. The results suggest that developing ways to stimulate the social environment to provide adequate support for smokers who intend to quit, and developing ways to strengthen identification with quitting in smokers may help smokers to quit successfully. Findings further suggest that the possible-self as a quitter is more important than the current-self as a smoker. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BMI may overestimate the prevalence of obesity among women of lower socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Kaluski, Dorit Nitzan; Keinan-Boker, Lital; Stern, Felicia; Green, Manfred S; Leventhal, Alex; Goldsmith, Rebecca; Chinich, Ayelet; Berry, Elliot M

2007-07-01

Our objective was to examine gender differences in height and weight associated with socioeconomic status (SES) and the consequent effect on body mass index in a multiethnic society. A cross-sectional study, the First Israeli National Health and Nutrition Survey, was performed on a representative population sample of 3246 adults 25 to 64 years of age, between the years 1999 to 2001. Height and weight were measured, and BMI and other weight-height indices were calculated. SES was assessed by income and education. Age-adjusted height was significantly lower at lower levels of SES among both women and men (p<0.001). As opposed to men, women of lower SES were heavier than those of higher SES, and the mean age-adjusted weight was 4.6 kg higher among those of lower SES (p<0.001). Thus, using the standard index of BMI, the prevalence of obesity was significantly higher among shorter women. In this group of Israeli adults, the unfavorable effect of low SES on BMI was evident among women, partly due to their decreased height combined with increased weight common in this socioeconomic sector. Since BMI is only partly independent of height, it may overestimate the prevalence of obesity among women of lower SES. Alternative measures for classifying obesity in the lower SES groups that put less emphasis on height may be considered and studied.

Taking an intersectional approach to define latent classes of socioeconomic status, ethnicity and migration status for psychiatric epidemiological research.

PubMed

Goodwin, L; Gazard, B; Aschan, L; MacCrimmon, S; Hotopf, M; Hatch, S L

2017-04-09

Inequalities in mental health are well documented using individual social statuses such as socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity and migration status. However, few studies have taken an intersectional approach to investigate inequalities in mental health using latent class analysis (LCA). This study will examine the association between multiple indicator classes of social identity with common mental disorder (CMD). Data on CMD symptoms were assessed in a diverse inner London sample of 1052 participants in the second wave of the South East London Community Health study. LCA was used to define classes of social identity using multiple indicators of SES, ethnicity and migration status. Adjusted associations between CMD and both individual indicators and multiple indicators of social identity are presented. LCA identified six groups that were differentiated by varying levels of privilege and disadvantage based on multiple SES indicators. This intersectional approach highlighted nuanced differences in odds of CMD, with the economically inactive group with multiple levels of disadvantage most likely to have a CMD. Adding ethnicity and migration status further differentiated between groups. The migrant, economically inactive and White British, economically inactive classes both had increased odds of CMD. This is the first study to examine the intersections of SES, ethnicity and migration status with CMD using LCA. Results showed that both the migrant, economically inactive and the White British, economically inactive classes had a similarly high prevalence of CMD. Findings suggest that LCA is a useful methodology for investigating health inequalities by intersectional identities.

Feasibility of Undertaking Off-Site Infant Eye-Tracking Assessments of Neuro-Cognitive Functioning in Early-Intervention Centres

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballieux, Haiko; Tomalski, Przemyslaw; Kushnerneko, Elena; Johnson, Mark H.; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette; Moore, Derek G.

2016-01-01

Recent work suggests that differences in functional brain development are already identifiable in 6- to 9-month-old infants from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. Investigation of early SES-related differences in neuro-cognitive functioning requires the recruitment of large and diverse samples of infants, yet it is often difficult to…

Mothers' and Teachers' Estimations of First Graders' Literacy Level and Their Relation to the Children's Actual Performance in Different SES Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korat, Ofra

2011-01-01

The relationship between mothers' and teachers' estimations of 60 children's literacy level and their actual performance were investigated in two different socio-economic status (SES) groups: low (LSES) and high (HSES). The children's reading (fluency, accuracy and comprehension) and spelling levels were measured. The mothers evaluated their own…

Older Adults' Internet Use for Health Information: Digital Divide by Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status.

PubMed

Yoon, Hyunwoo; Jang, Yuri; Vaughan, Phillip W; Garcia, Michael

2018-04-01

Building upon literature suggesting low Internet use among racial/ethnic minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, this study examined how race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) influence the Internet use for health information, addressing both independent and interactive effects. Using data from 17,704 older adults in the California Health Interview Survey, logistic regression models were estimated with race/ethnicity (Whites, African Americans, Latinos, and Asians), SES index, and the interaction between race/ethnicity and SES index. Overall, approximately 40% of participants were Internet-users for health information. Direct effects of race/ethnicity and SES-and their interactions-were all found to be significant. Minority status combined with the lowest levels of SES substantially reduced the odds of using Internet for health information. Findings suggest the combination of racial/ethnic minority status and low SES as a source of digital divide, and provide implications for Internet technology training for the target population.

Sleep Differences by Race in Preschool Children: The Roles of Parenting Behaviors and Socioeconomic Status.

PubMed

Patrick, Kristina E; Millet, Genevieve; Mindell, Jodi A

2016-01-01

This study aimed to examine whether socioeconomic variables (SES) and parenting behaviors mediate differences in sleep problems between Black and White preschool-aged children. Parents of 191 preschool-aged children (53% male; 77% White) completed questionnaires regarding SES and sleep behaviors. Parenting behaviors and SES were analyzed as mediators of differences in sleep problems between Black and White children. Parent behaviors related to bedtime routine and independence mediated the relationship between race and parent-reported bedtime difficulty, parent confidence managing sleep, and sleep onset latency. SES mediated the relationship between race and sleep onset latency. Sleep differences between Black and White preschool children were primarily mediated by parent behaviors rather than socioeconomic variables. Results may reflect differences in cultural practices and provide important information for treatment and parent-directed intervention regarding improving sleep in young children.

"Sense of Place" and College Placement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Getz, Shlomo; lev-Ari, Lilach

2017-01-01

It is generally assumed that young people with lower socioeconomic status (SES) face restricted access to higher education institutions, and particularly to those which are considered to be more prestigious. Differences in student placement in higher education institutions by place of residence are usually explained by their SES. We argue that…

Family Life Satisfaction across Positional Roles, Family Development Categories and SES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tiffany, Phyllis G.

Marital satisfaction across the life cycle differs for men and women. To investigate family life satisfaction across positional roles, developmental categories, and socioeconomic status (SES), 100 husbands and wives (families) were administered the Heimler Schedule of Social Functioning (SOSF), which relates social function and stressors (work,…

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Indian adolescent school going children: its relationship with socioeconomic status and associated lifestyle factors.

PubMed

Goyal, Ramesh K; Shah, Vitthaldas N; Saboo, Banshi D; Phatak, Sanjiv R; Shah, Navneet N; Gohel, Mukesh C; Raval, Prashad B; Patel, Snehal S

2010-03-01

Obesity and overweight have become a worldwide epidemic, and there is an urgent need to examine childhood obesity and overweight across countries using a standardized international standard. In the present study we have investigated the prevalence of obesity and overweight and their association with socioeconomic status (SES) and the risk factors like diet, physical activity like exercise, sports, sleeping habit in afternoon, eating habits like junk food, chocolate, eating outside at weekend, family history of diabetes and obesity. The study was carried out in 5664 school children of 12-18 years of age and having different SES. The obesity and overweight were considered using an updated body mass index reference. SES and life style factors were determined using pre-tested questionnaire. Age-adjusted prevalence of overweight was found to be 14.3% among boys and 9.2% among girls where as the prevalence of obesity was 2.9% in boys and 1.5% in girls. The prevalence of overweight among children was higher in middle SES as compared to high SES group in both boys and girls whereas the prevalence of obesity was higher in high SES group as compared to middle SES group. The prevalence of obesity as well as overweight in low SES group was the lowest as compared to other group. Eating habit like junk food, chocolate, eating outside at weekend and physical activity like exercise, sports, sleeping habit in afternoon having remarkable effect on prevalence on overweight and obesity among middle to high SES group. Family history of diabetes and obesity were also found to be positively associated. Our data suggest that the prevalence of overweight and obesity varies remarkably with different socioeconomic development levels.

Association between socioeconomic status, learned helplessness, and disease outcome in patients with inflammatory polyarthritis.

PubMed

Camacho, E M; Verstappen, S M M; Symmons, D P M

2012-08-01

Independent investigations have shown that socioeconomic status (SES) and learned helplessness (LH) are associated with poor disease outcome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim was to investigate the cross-sectional relationship between SES, LH, and disease outcome in patients with recent-onset inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), the broader group of conditions of which RA is the major constituent. SES was measured using the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 for 553 patients consecutively recruited to the Norfolk Arthritis Register. Patients also completed the Rheumatology Attitudes Index, a measure of LH. SES and LH were investigated as predictors of disease outcome (functional disability [Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)] and disease activity [Disease Activity Score in 28 joints]) in a regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, and symptom duration. The role of LH in the relationship between SES and disease outcome was then investigated. Compared to patients of the highest SES, those of the lowest SES had a significantly worse outcome (median difference in HAQ score 0.42; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.08, 0.75). Compared to patients with normal LH, patients with low LH had a significantly better outcome and patients with high LH had a significantly worse outcome (median difference in HAQ score 1.12; 95% CI 0.82, 1.41). There was a significant likelihood that LH mediated the association between SES and disease outcome (P = 0.04). LH is robustly associated with cross-sectional disease outcome in patients with IP, and appears to mediate the relationship between SES and disease outcome. As LH is potentially modifiable, these findings have potential clinical implications. Copyright © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology.

Association between socioeconomic status, learned helplessness, and disease outcome in patients with inflammatory polyarthritis

PubMed Central

Camacho, E M; Verstappen, S M M; Symmons, D P M

2012-01-01

Objective Independent investigations have shown that socioeconomic status (SES) and learned helplessness (LH) are associated with poor disease outcome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim was to investigate the cross-sectional relationship between SES, LH, and disease outcome in patients with recent-onset inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), the broader group of conditions of which RA is the major constituent. Methods SES was measured using the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 for 553 patients consecutively recruited to the Norfolk Arthritis Register. Patients also completed the Rheumatology Attitudes Index, a measure of LH. SES and LH were investigated as predictors of disease outcome (functional disability [Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)] and disease activity [Disease Activity Score in 28 joints]) in a regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, and symptom duration. The role of LH in the relationship between SES and disease outcome was then investigated. Results Compared to patients of the highest SES, those of the lowest SES had a significantly worse outcome (median difference in HAQ score 0.42; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.08, 0.75). Compared to patients with normal LH, patients with low LH had a significantly better outcome and patients with high LH had a significantly worse outcome (median difference in HAQ score 1.12; 95% CI 0.82, 1.41). There was a significant likelihood that LH mediated the association between SES and disease outcome (P = 0.04). Conclusion LH is robustly associated with cross-sectional disease outcome in patients with IP, and appears to mediate the relationship between SES and disease outcome. As LH is potentially modifiable, these findings have potential clinical implications. PMID:22438290

Reading Skill-Fractional Anisotropy Relationships in Visuospatial Tracts Diverge Depending on Socioeconomic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gullick, Margaret M.; Demir-Lira, Özlem Ece; Booth, James R.

2016-01-01

Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been repeatedly linked with decreased academic achievement, including lower reading outcomes. Some lower SES children do show skills and scores commensurate with those of their higher SES peers, but whether their abilities stem from the same systems as high SES children or are based on divergent strategies is…

[Health-related quality of life of overweight and obese adolescents: what differences can be seen by socio-economic status and education?].

PubMed

Krause, L; Ellert, U; Kroll, L E; Lampert, T

2014-04-01

In the present study the relation between overweight/obesity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adolescence is analysed. Of special interest is the question, to what extent this relation varies by socio-economic status (SES) and education. Data base is a subsample of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS, n = 6,813, 11-17 years). For the assessment of overweight and obesity, body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on standardised body height and weight measurements. The HRQoL was collected using the KINDL-R-questionnaire, which allows statements concerning a total rating as well as 6 dimensions: physical well-being, emotional well-being, self-worth, family well-being, well-being in relation to friends/peers and school well-being. SES and education are analysed as moderating factors. The results show that obese boys as well as overweight and obese girls have a diminished HRQoL compared to normal weight peers. The analyses according to SES and education suggest that in girls this finding applies for all considered subgroups. Thus, in girls neither SES nor education has a moderating impact on the relation between overweight/obesity and HRQoL. In boys, only SES has a moderating impact on the relation between overweight and HRQoL in favour of the low status group. In terms of the relation between obesity and HRQoL, in boys also only SES has a moderating impact on the analysed relation, but here in favour of the high status group. Altogether, the results show that overweight and especially obese adolescents are affected in their HRQoL, this being almost independent of SES and education. Interventions to improve the HRQoL of overweight and obese adolescents should be independent of SES and education.

Impact of Dental Fluorosis, Socioeconomic Status and Self-Perception in Adolescents Exposed to a High Level of Fluoride in Water.

PubMed

Molina-Frechero, Nelly; Nevarez-Rascón, Martina; Nevarez-Rascón, Alfredo; González-González, Rogelio; Irigoyen-Camacho, María Esther; Sánchez-Pérez, Leonor; López-Verdin, Sandra; Bologna-Molina, Ronell

2017-01-12

Objective : To identify adolescents' self-perception of dental fluorosis from two areas with different socioeconomic levels. Methods : A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted with 15-year-old youths by applying a questionnaire designed and validated to assess self-perceptions of dental fluorosis in two areas with different socioeconomic statuses (SESs). Fluorosis was clinically evaluated by applying the Thylstrup and Fejerkov (TF) index on the upper front teeth. Results : A total of 308 adolescents were included in the study. The medium-SES population, which was exposed to 2.5 ppm of fluoride in water, and the low-SES population, which was exposed to 5.1 ppm, presented the following levels of dental fluorosis: TF 2-3 (50%), TF 4-5 (45.6%) and TF 6-7 (4.4%) for medium SES and TF 2-3 (12.3%), TF 4-5 (67.1%) and TF 67 (20.6%) for low SES. A significant association was found between self-perception and dental fluorosis in those with medium and low SESs ( p < 0.05). The multiple regression model found differences between TF levels and self-perception, with a 6-7 TF level for concerns about color (OR = 1.6), smile (OR = 1.2) and appearance (OR = 3.36). Conclusions : Self-perceptions of dental fluorosis affect adolescents such that adolescents with a medium SES have more negative perceptions than those with a low SES. Such perceptions increase as the TF index increases.

Eating behaviour and its association with social living conditions and weight status among adolescent girls: results of the cross-sectional Berlin School Children's Cohort study.

PubMed

Bau, Anne-Madeleine; Krull, Sarah; Ernert, Andrea; Babitsch, Birgit

2011-10-01

To capture a more holistic picture of eating behaviour by investigating the impact of the social living conditions and weight status of parents and daughters on food consumption frequency, the context of meals and daily portion sizes. Cross-sectional Berlin School Children's Cohort study. A total of sixty-nine schools in Berlin (3 400 000 inhabitants, eastern Germany) participated in the present study. A total of 1519 girls aged 11-14 years were selected. Bi- and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the impact of age, migration background, socio-economic status (SES), parental education, family situation and the weight status of parents and daughters on three different eating behaviour scores according to nutritional recommendations. For the three dependent eating behaviour variables, different patterns of influencing factors emerged. Multivariate regression (model 1) revealed that low and middle SES, two-parent migration background and older age were significant risk factors. Meal context was also significantly influenced by living with a single parent. Similar results were obtained for the daily portion size scores and maternal overweight status was the most influential. Model 2 succeeded in showing that, within the composite variable of family SES, mothers' level of education was the dominant component. SES as a whole, and especially the component of mothers' level of education and two-parent migration background, was the strongest risk factor for an unfavourable eating pattern among adolescent girls. The results clearly indicated preventive potential. Using three different measures of eating behaviour simultaneously provided an in-depth understanding of general patterns and potential risk factors.

Socioeconomic status and risk of car crash injury, independent of place of residence and driving exposure: results from the DRIVE Study.

PubMed

Chen, H Y; Ivers, R Q; Martiniuk, A L C; Boufous, S; Senserrick, T; Woodward, M; Stevenson, M; Norton, R

2010-11-01

Previous studies that found increased crash risks for young drivers of low socioeconomic status (SES) have failed to adjust for factors such as driving exposure and rural residence. This aim of this study is to examine the independent effect of SES on crash risk, adjusting for such factors, and to examine the relationship between injury severity following a crash and SES. Information on risk factors for crash collected from 20,822 newly licenced drivers aged 17-24 years in New South Wales, Australia, as part of the DRIVE Study was prospectively linked to hospitalisation data. SES was classified as high, moderate or low based on the Australia 2001 Socio-Economic Index for Areas. Poisson regression was used to model risk of crash-related hospitalisation by SES, adjusting for confounders. Two measures of injury severity--urgency of treatment and length of hospital stay--were examined by SES. Results of multivariable analysis showed that drivers from low SES areas had increased relative risk (RR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.1) of crash-related hospitalisation compared to drivers from high SES areas. This increased risk remained when adjusting for confounders including driving exposure and rurality (RR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.2). No significant association was found between injury severity and SES. The higher risk of crash-related hospitalisation for young drivers from low SES areas is independent of driving exposure and rural-urban differences. This finding may help improve and better target interventions for youth of low SES.

Estimating an area-level socioeconomic status index and its association with colonoscopy screening adherence.

PubMed

Wheeler, David C; Czarnota, Jenna; Jones, Resa M

2017-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) is often considered a risk factor for health outcomes. SES is typically measured using individual variables of educational attainment, income, housing, and employment variables or a composite of these variables. Approaches to building the composite variable include using equal weights for each variable or estimating the weights with principal components analysis or factor analysis. However, these methods do not consider the relationship between the outcome and the SES variables when constructing the index. In this project, we used weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression to estimate an area-level SES index and its effect in a model of colonoscopy screening adherence in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. We considered several specifications of the SES index including using different spatial scales (e.g., census block group-level, tract-level) for the SES variables. We found a significant positive association (odds ratio = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.15-1.19) between the SES index and colonoscopy adherence in the best fitting model. The model with the best goodness-of-fit included a multi-scale SES index with 10 variables at the block group-level and one at the tract-level, with home ownership, race, and income among the most important variables. Contrary to previous index construction, our results were not consistent with an assumption of equal importance of variables in the SES index when explaining colonoscopy screening adherence. Our approach is applicable in any study where an SES index is considered as a variable in a regression model and the weights for the SES variables are not known in advance.

Changes in Socioeconomic Inequality of Low Birth Weight and Macrosomia in Shaanxi Province of Northwest China, 2010–2013

PubMed Central

Pei, Leilei; Kang, Yijun; Zhao, Yaling; Cheng, Yue; Yan, Hong

2016-01-01

Abstract Socioeconomic disparities in birth weights (BWs) are associated with lifelong differences in health and productivity. Understanding socioeconomic disparities in BW is presently of concern to develop public health interventions that promote a good start in life in Northwest China. In the study, our objective is to investigate the socioeconomic disparities in low and high BW from 2010 to 2013 in this region. Those single live births were recruited using a stratified multistage sampling method in Shaanxi province from August to December 2013. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire and a review of birth certificates. Socioeconomic status (SES) was stratified based on the calculated household wealth index. Prevalence differences (PDs) and concentration indices (CIs) were used to depict the SES inequality of low BW (LBW) and macrosomia. Information for 28722 single live births born were obtained in Shaanxi province. From 2010 to 2013, the overall rates of LBW decreased, and the difference in LBW across differing SES groups decreased by 0.7% (boys, 0.4%; girls, 0.8%). From 2010 to 2013, the overall rates of macrosomia increased by 14.3% (boys, 17.5%; girls, 7.8%), whereas the PDs in macrosomia across various SES groups remained unchanged. From 2010 to 2013, concentration indices for SES inequalities in LBW and macrosomia confirmed the results shown by differences in prevalence. Compared with mothers of high SES, those in low SES group were significantly older, less educated, engaged in farming with less availabile healthcare, and engaged in unhealthy lifestyles (eg, exposure to secondhand smoke) during pregnancy, regardless of the baby's sex. From 2010 to 2013, in Shaanxi province, the negative association between socioeconomic status and LBW weakened. Rates of macrosomia were higher in those of high SES, but the SES disparities varied insignificantly over the same time. Our findings may provide valuable insights to direct healthcare policies for pregnant women to reduce inequalities in health, quality of life, and productivity for their children as they age into adulthood. PMID:26844457

Changes in Socioeconomic Inequality of Low Birth Weight and Macrosomia in Shaanxi Province of Northwest China, 2010-2013: A Cross-sectional Study.

PubMed

Pei, Leilei; Kang, Yijun; Zhao, Yaling; Cheng, Yue; Yan, Hong

2016-02-01

Socioeconomic disparities in birth weights (BWs) are associated with lifelong differences in health and productivity. Understanding socioeconomic disparities in BW is presently of concern to develop public health interventions that promote a good start in life in Northwest China. In the study, our objective is to investigate the socioeconomic disparities in low and high BW from 2010 to 2013 in this region.Those single live births were recruited using a stratified multistage sampling method in Shaanxi province from August to December 2013. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire and a review of birth certificates. Socioeconomic status (SES) was stratified based on the calculated household wealth index. Prevalence differences (PDs) and concentration indices (CIs) were used to depict the SES inequality of low BW (LBW) and macrosomia.Information for 28722 single live births born were obtained in Shaanxi province. From 2010 to 2013, the overall rates of LBW decreased, and the difference in LBW across differing SES groups decreased by 0.7% (boys, 0.4%; girls, 0.8%). From 2010 to 2013, the overall rates of macrosomia increased by 14.3% (boys, 17.5%; girls, 7.8%), whereas the PDs in macrosomia across various SES groups remained unchanged. From 2010 to 2013, concentration indices for SES inequalities in LBW and macrosomia confirmed the results shown by differences in prevalence. Compared with mothers of high SES, those in low SES group were significantly older, less educated, engaged in farming with less availabile healthcare, and engaged in unhealthy lifestyles (eg, exposure to secondhand smoke) during pregnancy, regardless of the baby's sex.From 2010 to 2013, in Shaanxi province, the negative association between socioeconomic status and LBW weakened. Rates of macrosomia were higher in those of high SES, but the SES disparities varied insignificantly over the same time. Our findings may provide valuable insights to direct healthcare policies for pregnant women to reduce inequalities in health, quality of life, and productivity for their children as they age into adulthood.

Socioeconomic Status and Satisfaction with Public Healthcare System in Iran.

PubMed

Maharlouei, Najmeh; Akbari, Mojtaba; Akbari, Maryam; Lankarani, Kamran B

2017-01-01

The users' satisfaction is a method for evaluating the efficacy of healthcare system. We aimed to evaluate the association between the users' socioeconomic status (SES) and satisfaction with the healthcare system in Shiraz, Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted from December, 2013 to March, 2014, in Shiraz, Iran. 3400 households were recruited by multi-stage cluster random sampling. Information about demographic, insurance status, and users' satisfaction was derived from face-to-face interviews. Satisfaction with healthcare system was assessed by using 5-point Likert scale statements, which ranged from "very dissatisfied" to "very satisfied". All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS-21. Overall, 1.6% (55) of the respondents were very satisfied, while 6% (203) were very dissatisfied with healthcare system. Participants were classified into high SES (26.3%), middle SES (47.9%) and low SES (25.8%). It was discovered that the better the SES, the more frequent were the respondents dissatisfied with healthcare system (P<0.001). Also, dissatisfied respondents were significantly older (P=0.036). Moreover, women were more dissatisfied with healthcare system (P=0.005). Also, dissatisfied respondents had significantly a higher level of education than satisfied ones (P<0.001). Furthermore, logistic regression revealed that age (P=0.04), marital status (P=0.01), insurance status (P<0.001), SES (P<0.001), and having supplemental insurance (P=0.02) were determinant factors of satisfaction with healthcare system. This study demonstrated that users' sex, age, educational level, and SES were related to dissatisfaction with healthcare system. Meanwhile, clients' age, SES, insurance status and marital status were recognized as determinant factors.

Assessment of socio-economic status in the context of food insecurity: Implications for field research.

PubMed

Doocy, Shannon; Burnham, Gilbert

2006-01-01

Measures of socio-economic status (SES) were compared with a measure of physical well-being, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), in the food insecure regions of Ethiopia. Income, housing conditions and education had the greatest correlation to MUAC, and significant differences in these measures were observed between malnourished and adequately nourished individuals. Findings indicate that in rural Ethiopia, income, education and housing quality may be better indicators of SES than wealth and measures encompassing home and landownership.

Cross-cultural differences in the macronutrient intakes of women with anorexia nervosa in Australia and Singapore.

PubMed

Soh, Nerissa Li-Wey; Touyz, Stephen; Dobbins, Timothy; Surgenor, Lois; Clarke, Simon; Kohn, Michael; Lee, Ee Lian; Leow, Vincent; Rieger, Elizabeth; Ung, Ken Eng Khean; Walter, Garry

2008-11-01

To compare the macronutrient intakes of women with and without anorexia nervosa (AN) across cultures. Participants were women with AN (n = 39) and without AN (n = 89) of North European and East Asian backgrounds recruited in Australia and Singapore. Energy and the percentage energy contributed by protein (%protein), fat (%fat) and carbohydrate (%CHO) were assessed from participant's diet histories and analysed in terms of cultural group, acculturation, socio-economic status (SES) and education level. AN status was associated with lower energy and higher %CHO. Greater %protein was associated with greater acculturation to Western culture and lower SES, but not AN. Greater %fat was associated with lower SES and lower acculturation in women with AN, but with higher acculturation in controls. Greater %CHO was also associated with higher SES. The findings may represent Western diets' higher protein and fat contents, 'Western' knowledge of weight-loss diets, and affordability of low fat foods.

The impact of socioeconomic status on the association between biomedical and psychosocial well-being and all-cause mortality in older Spanish adults.

PubMed

Doménech-Abella, Joan; Mundó, Jordi; Moneta, Maria Victoria; Perales, Jaime; Ayuso-Mateos, José Luis; Miret, Marta; Haro, Josep Maria; Olaya, Beatriz

2018-03-01

The aim of this paper was to analyze the effect of biomedical and psychosocial well-being, based on distinct successful aging models (SA), on time to mortality, and determine whether this effect was modified by socioeconomic status (SES) in a nationally representative sample of older Spanish adults. Data were taken from a 3-year follow-up study with 2783 participants aged 50 or over. Vital status was ascertained using national registers or asking participants' relatives. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the time to death by SES, and levels of biomedical and psychosocial SA. Cox proportional hazard regression models were conducted to explore interactions between SES and SA models while adjusting for gender, age, and marital status. Lower levels of SES and biomedical and psychosocial SA were associated with low probability of survival. Only the interaction between SES and biomedical SA was significant. Biomedical SA impacted on mortality rates among individuals with low SES but not on those with medium or high SES, whereas psychosocial SA affected mortality regardless of SES. Promoting equal access to health care system and improved psychosocial well-being could be a protective factor against premature mortality in older Spanish adults with low SES.

Subjective socioeconomic status causes aggression: A test of the theory of social deprivation.

PubMed

Greitemeyer, Tobias; Sagioglou, Christina

2016-08-01

Seven studies (overall N = 3690) addressed the relation between people's subjective socioeconomic status (SES) and their aggression levels. Based on relative deprivation theory, we proposed that people low in subjective SES would feel at a disadvantage, which in turn would elicit aggressive responses. In 3 correlational studies, subjective SES was negatively related to trait aggression. Importantly, this relation held when controlling for measures that are related to 1 or both subjective SES and trait aggression, such as the dark tetrad and the Big Five. Four experimental studies then demonstrated that participants in a low status condition were more aggressive than were participants in a high status condition. Compared with a medium-SES condition, participants of low subjective SES were more aggressive rather than participants of high subjective SES being less aggressive. Moreover, low SES increased aggressive behavior toward targets that were the source for participants' experience of disadvantage but also toward neutral targets. Sequential mediation analyses suggest that the experience of disadvantage underlies the effect of subjective SES on aggressive affect, whereas aggressive affect was the proximal determinant of aggressive behavior. Taken together, the present research found comprehensive support for key predictions derived from the theory of relative deprivation of how the perception of low SES is related to the person's judgments, emotional reactions, and actions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Association of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status With Risk of Infection and Sepsis.

PubMed

Donnelly, John P; Lakkur, Sindhu; Judd, Suzanne E; Levitan, Emily B; Griffin, Russell; Howard, George; Safford, Monika M; Wang, Henry E

2018-02-12

Prior studies suggest disparities in sepsis risk and outcomes based on place of residence. We sought to examine the association between neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) and hospitalization for infection and sepsis. We conducted a prospective cohort study using data from 30239 participants in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. nSES was defined using a score derived from census data and classified into quartiles. Infection and sepsis hospitalizations were identified over the period 2003-2012. We fit Cox proportional hazards models, reporting hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and examining mediation by participant characteristics. Over a median follow-up of 6.5 years, there were 3054 hospitalizations for serious infection. Infection incidence was lower for participants in the highest nSES quartile compared with the lowest quartile (11.7 vs 15.6 per 1000 person-years). After adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, and functional status, infection hazards were also lower for the highest quartile (HR, 0.84 [95% CI, .73-.97]), with a linear trend (P = .011). However, there was no association between nSES and sepsis at presentation among those hospitalized with infection. Physical weakness, income, and diabetes had modest mediating effects on the association of nSES with infection. Our study shows that differential infection risk may explain nSES disparities in sepsis incidence, as higher nSES is associated with lower infection hospitalization rates, but there is no association with sepsis among those hospitalized. Mediation analysis showed that nSES may influence infection hospitalization risk at least partially through physical weakness, individual income, and comorbid diabetes. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Impact of Consumer-Directed Health Plans and Patient Socioeconomic Status on Physician Recommendations for Colorectal Cancer Screening

PubMed Central

Mallya, Giridhar; Polsky, Daniel

2008-01-01

Background Consumer-directed health plans are increasingly common, yet little is known about their impact on physician decision-making and preventive service use. Objective To determine how patients’ deductible levels and socioeconomic status may affect primary care physicians’ recommendations for colorectal cancer screening. Design, Setting, and Participants Screening recommendations were elicited using hypothetical vignettes from a national sample of 1,500 primary care physicians. Physicians were randomized to one of four vignettes describing a patient with either low or high socioeconomic status (SES) and either low- or high-deductible plan. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine how recommendations varied as a function of SES and deductible. Outcome Measures Rates of recommendation for home fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, and inappropriate screening, defined as no screening or office-based fecal occult blood testing. Results A total of 528 (49%) eligible physicians responded. Overall, 7.2% of physicians recommended inappropriate screening; 3.2% of patients with high SES in low-deductible plans received inappropriate screening recommendations and 11.4% of patients with low SES in high-deductible plans for an adjusted odds ratio of 0.22 (0.05–0.89). The odds of a colonoscopy recommendation were over ten times higher (AOR 11.46, 5.26–24.94) for patients with high SES in low-deductible plans compared to patients with low SES in high-deductible plans. Funds in medical savings accounts eliminated differences in inappropriate screening recommendations. Conclusions Patient SES and deductible-level affect physician recommendations for preventive care. Coverage of preventive services and funds in medical savings accounts may help to mitigate the impact of high-deductibles and SES on inappropriate recommendations. PMID:18629590

Influence of socioeconomic status on trauma center performance evaluations in a Canadian trauma system.

PubMed

Moore, Lynne; Turgeon, Alexis F; Sirois, Marie-Josée; Murat, Valérie; Lavoie, André

2011-09-01

Trauma center performance evaluations generally include adjustment for injury severity, age, and comorbidity. However, disparities across trauma centers may be due to other differences in source populations that are not accounted for, such as socioeconomic status (SES). We aimed to evaluate whether SES influences trauma center performance evaluations in an inclusive trauma system with universal access to health care. The study was based on data collected between 1999 and 2006 in a Canadian trauma system. Patient SES was quantified using an ecologic index of social and material deprivation. Performance evaluations were based on mortality adjusted using the Trauma Risk Adjustment Model. Agreement between performance results with and without additional adjustment for SES was evaluated with correlation coefficients. The study sample comprised a total of 71,784 patients from 48 trauma centers, including 3,828 deaths within 30 days (4.5%) and 5,549 deaths within 6 months (7.7%). The proportion of patients in the highest quintile of social and material deprivation varied from 3% to 43% and from 11% to 90% across hospitals, respectively. The correlation between performance results with or without adjustment for SES was almost perfect (r = 0.997; 95% CI 0.995-0.998) and the same hospital outliers were identified. We observed an important variation in SES across trauma centers but no change in risk-adjusted mortality estimates when SES was added to adjustment models. Results suggest that after adjustment for injury severity, age, comorbidity, and transfer status, disparities in SES across trauma center source populations do not influence trauma center performance evaluations in a system offering universal health coverage. Copyright © 2011 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lung cancer and socioeconomic status in a pooled analysis of case-control studies

PubMed Central

Hovanec, Jan; Siemiatycki, Jack; Conway, David I.; Olsson, Ann; Stücker, Isabelle; Guida, Florence; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Pohlabeln, Hermann; Ahrens, Wolfgang; Brüske, Irene; Wichmann, Heinz-Erich; Gustavsson, Per; Consonni, Dario; Merletti, Franco; Richiardi, Lorenzo; Simonato, Lorenzo; Fortes, Cristina; Parent, Marie-Elise; McLaughlin, John; Demers, Paul; Landi, Maria Teresa; Caporaso, Neil; Tardón, Adonina; Zaridze, David; Szeszenia-Dabrowska, Neonila; Rudnai, Peter; Lissowska, Jolanta; Fabianova, Eleonora; Field, John; Dumitru, Rodica Stanescu; Bencko, Vladimir; Foretova, Lenka; Janout, Vladimir; Kromhout, Hans; Vermeulen, Roel; Boffetta, Paolo; Straif, Kurt; Schüz, Joachim; Kendzia, Benjamin; Pesch, Beate; Brüning, Thomas; Behrens, Thomas

2018-01-01

Background An association between low socioeconomic status (SES) and lung cancer has been observed in several studies, but often without adequate control for smoking behavior. We studied the association between lung cancer and occupationally derived SES, using data from the international pooled SYNERGY study. Methods Twelve case-control studies from Europe and Canada were included in the analysis. Based on occupational histories of study participants we measured SES using the International Socio-Economic Index of Occupational Status (ISEI) and the European Socio-economic Classification (ESeC). We divided the ISEI range into categories, using various criteria. Stratifying by gender, we calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) by unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for age, study, and smoking behavior. We conducted analyses by histological subtypes of lung cancer and subgroup analyses by study region, birth cohort, education and occupational exposure to known lung carcinogens. Results The analysis dataset included 17,021 cases and 20,885 controls. There was a strong elevated OR between lung cancer and low SES, which was attenuated substantially after adjustment for smoking, however a social gradient persisted. SES differences in lung cancer risk were higher among men (lowest vs. highest SES category: ISEI OR 1.84 (95% CI 1.61–2.09); ESeC OR 1.53 (95% CI 1.44–1.63)), than among women (lowest vs. highest SES category: ISEI OR 1.54 (95% CI 1.20–1.98); ESeC OR 1.34 (95% CI 1.19–1.52)). Conclusion SES remained a risk factor for lung cancer after adjustment for smoking behavior. PMID:29462211

Incidence of lung cancer histologic cell-types according to neighborhood factors: A population based study in California

PubMed Central

McKinley, Meg; Gali, Kathleen; Patel, Manali; Clarke, Christina; Wakelee, Heather; Haile, Robert; Gomez, Scarlett Lin; Cheng, Iona

2018-01-01

Background The relationships between neighborhood factors (i.e., neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) and ethnic enclave) and histologic subtypes of lung cancer for racial/ethnic groups, particularly Hispanics and Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), are poorly understood. Methods We conducted a population-based study of 75,631 Californians diagnosed with lung cancer from 2008 through2012. We report incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for lung cancer histologic cell-types by nSES among racial/ethnic groups (non-Hispanic (NH) Whites, NH Blacks, Hispanics and AAPIs) and according to Hispanic or Asian neighborhood ethnic enclave status among Hispanics and AAPIs, respectively. In addition, we examined incidence jointly by nSES and ethnic enclave. Results Patterns of lung cancer incidence by nSES and ethnic enclave differed across race/ethnicity, sex, and histologic cell-type. For adenocarcinoma, Hispanic males and females, residing in both low nSES and high nSES neighborhoods that were low enclave, had higher incidence rates compared to those residing in low nSES, high enclave neighborhoods; males (IRR, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.04–1.32] and IRR, 1.15 [95% CI, 1.02–1.29], respectively) and females (IRR, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.15–1.44] and IRR, 1.51 [95% CI, 1.36–1.67], respectively). However, AAPI males residing in both low and high SES neighborhoods that were also low enclave had lower adenocarcinoma incidence. Conclusions Neighborhood factors differentially influence the incidence of lung cancer histologic cell-types with heterogeneity in these associations by race/ethnicity and sex. For Hispanic males and females and AAPI males, neighborhood ethnic enclave status is strongly associated with lung adenocarcinoma incidence. PMID:29791458

Socioeconomic status influences the toll paediatric hospitalisations take on families: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Beck, Andrew Finkel; Solan, Lauren G; Brunswick, Stephanie A; Sauers-Ford, Hadley; Simmons, Jeffrey M; Shah, Samir; Gold, Jennifer; Sherman, Susan N

2017-04-01

Stress caused by hospitalisations and transition periods can place patients at a heightened risk for adverse health outcomes. Additionally, hospitalisations and transitions to home may be experienced in different ways by families with different resources and support systems. Such differences may perpetuate postdischarge disparities. We sought to determine, qualitatively, how the hospitalisation and transition experiences differed among families of varying socioeconomic status (SES). Focus groups and individual interviews were held with caregivers of children recently discharged from a children's hospital. Sessions were stratified based on SES, determined by the percentage of individuals living below the federal poverty level in the census tract or neighbourhood in which the family lived. An open-ended, semistructured question guide was developed to assess the family's experience. Responses were systematically compared across two SES strata (tract poverty rate of <15% or ≥15%). A total of 61 caregivers who were 87% female and 46% non-white participated; 56% resided in census tracts with ≥15% of residents living in poverty (ie, low SES). Interrelated logistical (eg, disruption in-home life, ability to adhere to discharge instructions), emotional (eg, overwhelming and exhausting nature of the experience) and financial (eg, cost of transportation and meals, missed work) themes were identified. These themes, which were seen as key to the hospitalisation and transition experiences, were emphasised and described in qualitatively different ways across SES strata. Families of lower SES may experience challenges and stress from hospitalisations and transitions in different ways than those of higher SES. Care delivery models and discharge planning that account for such challenges could facilitate smoother transitions that prevent adverse events and reduce disparities in the postdischarge period. NCT02081846; Pre-results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Physical Fitness in Junior High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohr, Adam D.; Brown, Dale D.; Laurson, Kelly R.; Smith, Peter J. K.; Bass, Ronald W.

2013-01-01

Background: Research on physical fitness often regards socioeconomic status (SES) as a confounding factor. However, few studies investigate the impact of SES on fitness. This study investigated the impact of SES on physical fitness in both males and females, with an economic-based construct of SES. Methods: The sample consisted of 954 6th, 7th,…

Perceptions on healthy eating, physical activity and lifestyle advice: opportunities for adapting lifestyle interventions to individuals with low socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Bukman, Andrea J; Teuscher, Dorit; Feskens, Edith J M; van Baak, Marleen A; Meershoek, Agnes; Renes, Reint Jan

2014-10-04

Individuals with low socioeconomic status (SES) are generally less well reached through lifestyle interventions than individuals with higher SES. The aim of this study was to identify opportunities for adapting lifestyle interventions in such a way that they are more appealing for individuals with low SES. To this end, the study provides insight into perspectives of groups with different socioeconomic positions regarding their current eating and physical activity behaviour; triggers for lifestyle change; and ways to support lifestyle change. Data were gathered in semi-structured focus group interviews among low SES (four groups) and high SES (five groups) adults. The group size varied between four and nine participants. The main themes discussed were perceptions and experiences of healthy eating, physical activity and lifestyle advice. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a thematic approach was used to analyse the data. In general, three key topics were identified, namely: current lifestyle is logical for participants given their personal situation; lifestyle change is prompted by feedback from their body; and support for lifestyle change should include individually tailored advice and could profit from involving others. The perceptions of the low SES participants were generally comparable to the perceptions shared by the high SES participants. Some perceptions were, however, especially shared in the low SES groups. Low SES participants indicated that their current eating behaviour was sometimes affected by cost concerns. They seemed to be especially motivated to change their lifestyle when they experienced health complaints, but were rather hesitant to change their lifestyle for preventive purposes. Regarding support for lifestyle change, low SES participants preferred to receive advice in a group rather than on their own. For physical activities, groups should preferably consist of persons of the same age, gender or physical condition. To motivate individuals with low SES to change their lifestyle, it may be useful to (visually) raise their awareness of their current weight or health status. Lifestyle interventions targeting individuals with low SES should take possible cost concerns into account and should harness the supportive effect of (peer) groups.

Examining the relationship between socio-economic status, WASH practices and wasting

PubMed Central

Raihan, Mohammad Jyoti; Farzana, Fahmida Dil; Sultana, Sabiha; Haque, Md Ahshanul; Rahman, Ahmed Shafiqur; Waid, Jillian L.; McCormick, Ben; Choudhury, Nuzhat; Ahmed, Tahmeed

2017-01-01

Childhood wasting is a global problem and is significantly more pronounced in low and middle income countries like Bangladesh. Socio Economic Status (SES) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices may be significantly associated with wasting. Most previous research is consistent about the role of SES, but the significance of WASH in the context of wasting remains ambiguous. The effect of SES and WASH on weight for length (WHZ) is examined using a Structural Equation Model (SEM) to explicitly describe the direct and indirect role of WASH in the context of SES.A nationally representative survey of 10,478 Bangladeshi children under 5 were examined. An expert defined SEM was used to construct latent variables for SES and WASH. The SEM included a direct pathway from SES to WHZ and an indirect pathway from SES to WHZ via WASH along with regression of relevant covariates on the outcome WHZ and the latent variables. Both SES (p<0.01) and WASH (p<0.05) significantly affect WHZ. SES (p<0.01) also significantly affects WASH. Other structural components showed that child’s age (p<0.01) affects WHZ and types of residence (p<0.01) affects SES. WASH practices at least partially mediate the association between SES and wasting status. WASH and SES are both significantly associated with WHZ. PMID:28278161

Filipino students' reported parental socialization of academic achievement by socioeconomic group.

PubMed

Bernardo, Allan B I

2009-10-01

Academic achievement of students differs by socioeconomic group. Parents' socialization of academic achievement in their children was explored in self-reports of 241 students from two socioeconomic status (SES) groups in the Philippines, using a scale developed by Bempechat, et al. Students in the upper SES group had higher achievement than their peers in the middle SES group, but had lower scores on most dimensions of parental socialization of academic achievement. Regression analyses indicate that reported parental attempts to encourage more effort to achieve was associated with lower achievement in students with upper SES.

[Socioeconomic differences in physical activity in the middle-aged working population: The role of education, occupation, and income].

PubMed

Hoebel, Jens; Finger, Jonas D; Kuntz, Benjamin; Lampert, Thomas

2016-02-01

Regular physical activity has positive effects on health at all ages. This study aims to investigate how far physical activity and regular sports engagement, as a more specific type of physical activity, are associated with socioeconomic factors in the middle-aged working population. Data were obtained from 21,699 working men and women aged between 30 and 64 years who participated in the 2009 and 2010 population-based national German Health Update (GEDA) surveys conducted by the Robert Koch Institute. Besides a multi-dimensional index of socioeconomic status (SES), three single dimensions of SES (education, occupation, and income) were used to analyse socioeconomic differences in total physical activity and regular sports engagement. While the prevalence of total physical activity increased with lower SES, the proportion of people with regular sports engagement decreased with lower SES. These associations remained after adjusting for age in men and women. After mutual adjustment of the three single socioeconomic dimensions, physical activity was independently associated with lower education and lower occupational status. Regular sports engagement was observed to be independently associated with higher education, higher occupational status, as well as higher income after mutual adjustment. This study demonstrates significant socioeconomic differences in physical and sports activity in the middle-aged working population. Education, occupation, and income show varying independent associations with physical activity behaviour. Such differences need to be considered when identifying target groups for health-enhancing physical activity interventions.

Job Pressure and SES-contingent Buffering: Resource Reinforcement, Substitution, or the Stress of Higher Status?

PubMed

Koltai, Jonathan; Schieman, Scott

2015-06-01

Analyses of the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce demonstrate that job pressure is associated with greater anxiety and job dissatisfaction. In this paper we ask, What conditions protect workers? The conventional buffering hypothesis in the Job-Demands Resource (JD-R) model predicts that job resources should attenuate the relationship. We test whether the conventional buffering hypothesis depends on socioeconomic status (SES). Support for conventional buffering is evident only for job dissatisfaction--and that generalizes across SES. When anxiety is assessed, however, we observe an SES contingency: Job resources attenuate the positive association between job pressure and anxiety among workers with lower SES, but exacerbate it among those with higher SES. We discuss the implications of this SES-contingent pattern for theoretical scenarios about "resource reinforcement," "resource substitution," and the "stress of higher status." Future research should consider SES indicators as potential contingencies in the relationship between job conditions and mental health. © American Sociological Association 2015.

Parents' Reliance on the Web to Find Information about Children and Families: Socio-Economic Differences in Use, Skills and Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothbaum, Fred; Martland, Nancy; Jannsen, Joanne Beswick

2008-01-01

This research examines socio-economic status (SES) differences in parents' Web use, skills, and satisfaction. A total of 120 parents were interviewed about their use of the Web to find child and family information, and they provided feedback as they searched for information online. Findings indicate that the higher the SES level (a) the greater…

Socioeconomic status and executive function: developmental trajectories and mediation.

PubMed

Hackman, Daniel A; Gallop, Robert; Evans, Gary W; Farah, Martha J

2015-09-01

Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) predicts executive function (EF), but fundamental aspects of this relation remain unknown: the developmental course of the SES disparity, its continued sensitivity to SES changes during that course, and the features of childhood experience responsible for the SES-EF relation. Regarding course, early disparities would be expected to grow during development if caused by accumulating stressors at a given constant level of SES. Alternatively, they would narrow if schooling partly compensates for the effects of earlier deprivation, allowing lower-SES children to 'catch up'. The potential for later childhood SES change to affect EF is also unknown. Regarding mediating factors, previous analyses produced mixed answers, possibly due to correlation amongst candidate mediators. We address these issues with measures of SES, working memory and planning, along with multiple candidate mediators, from the NICHD Study of Early Childcare (n = 1009). Early family income-to-needs and maternal education predicted planning by first grade, and income-to-needs predicted working memory performance at 54 months. Effects of early SES remained consistent through middle childhood, indicating that the relation between early indicators of SES and EF emerges in childhood and persists without narrowing or widening across early and middle childhood. Changes in family income-to-needs were associated with significant changes in planning and trend-level changes in working memory. Mediation analyses supported the role of early childhood home characteristics in explaining the association between SES and EF, while early childhood maternal sensitivity was specifically implicated in the association between maternal education and planning. Early emerging and persistent SES-related differences in EF, partially explained by characteristics of the home and family environment, are thus a potential source of socioeconomic disparities in achievement and health across development. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Why don't poor men eat fruit? Socioeconomic differences in motivations for fruit consumption☆

PubMed Central

Pechey, Rachel; Monsivais, Pablo; Ng, Yin-Lam; Marteau, Theresa M.

2015-01-01

Background: Those of lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have less healthy diets than those of higher SES. This study aimed to assess whether differences in motivations for particular foods might contribute to socioeconomic differences in consumption. Methods: Participants (n = 732) rated their frequency of consumption and explicit liking of fruit, cake and cheese. They reported eating motivations (e.g., health, hunger, price) and related attributes of the investigated foods (healthiness, expected satiety, value for money). Participants were randomly assigned to an implicit liking task (Single Category Implicit Association Task) for one food category. Analyses were conducted separately for different SES measures (income, education, occupational group). Results: Lower SES and male participants reported eating less fruit, but no SES differences were found for cheese or cake. Analyses therefore focused on fruit. In implicit liking analyses, results (for income and education) reflected patterning in consumption, with lower SES and male participants liking fruit less. In explicit liking analyses, no differences were found by SES. Higher SES participants (all indicators) were more likely to report health and weight control and less likely report price as motivators of food choices. For perceptions of fruit, no SES-based differences were found in healthiness whilst significant interactions (but not main effects) were found (for income and education) for expected satiety and value for money. Neither liking nor perceptions of fruit were found to mediate the relationship between SES and frequency of fruit consumption. Conclusions: There is evidence for social patterning in food motivation, but differences are modified by the choice of implicit or explicit measures. Further work should clarify the extent to which these motivations may be contributing to the social and gender patterning in diet. PMID:25451584

Variation with socioeconomic status of indoor radon levels in Great Britain: The less affluent have less radon.

PubMed

Kendall, Gerald M; Miles, Jon C H; Rees, David; Wakeford, Richard; Bunch, Kathryn J; Vincent, Tim J; Little, Mark P

2016-11-01

We demonstrate a strong correlation between domestic radon levels and socio-economic status (SES) in Great Britain, so that radon levels in homes of people with lower SES are, on average, only about two thirds of those of the more affluent. This trend is apparent using small area measures of SES and also using individual social classes. The reasons for these differences are not known with certainty, but may be connected with greater underpressure in warmer and better-sealed dwellings. There is also a variation of indoor radon levels with the design of the house (detached, terraced, etc.). In part this is probably an effect of SES, but it appears to have other causes as well. Data from other countries are also reviewed, and broadly similar effects seen in the United States for SES, and in other European countries for detached vs other types of housing. Because of correlations with smoking, this tendency for the lower SES groups to experience lower radon levels may underlie the negative association between radon levels and lung cancer rates in a well-known ecological study based on US Counties. Those conducting epidemiological studies of radon should be alert for this effect and control adequately for SES. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating area-based socioeconomic status indicators for monitoring disparities within health care systems: results from a primary care network.

PubMed

Berkowitz, Seth A; Traore, Carine Y; Singer, Daniel E; Atlas, Steven J

2015-04-01

To determine which area-based socioeconomic status (SES) indicator is best suited to monitor health care disparities from a delivery system perspective. 142,659 adults seen in a primary care network from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2011. Cross-sectional, comparing associations between area-based SES indicators and patient outcomes. Address data were geocoded to construct area-based SES indicators at block group (BG), census tract (CT), and ZIP code (ZIP) levels. Data on health outcomes were abstracted from electronic records. Relative indices of inequality (RIIs) were calculated to quantify disparities detected by area-based SES indicators and compared to RIIs from self-reported educational attainment. ZIP indicators had less missing data than BG or CT indicators (p < .0001). Area-based SES indicators were strongly associated with self-report educational attainment (p < .0001). ZIP, BG, and CT indicators all detected expected SES gradients in health outcomes similarly. Single-item, cut point defined indicators performed as well as multidimensional indices and quantile indicators. Area-based SES indicators detected health outcome differences well and may be useful for monitoring disparities within health care systems. Our preferred indicator was ZIP-level median household income or percent poverty, using cut points. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BODY COMPOSITION, SOMATOTYPE AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS IN CHILEAN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AT DIFFERENT SCHOOL LEVELS.

PubMed

Lizana, Pablo A; González, Sofia; Lera, Lydia; Leyton, Bárbara

2018-01-01

This study examined the association between body composition, somatotype and socioeconomic status (SES) in Chilean children and adolescents by sex and school level (grade). The cross-sectional study was conducted on 1168 schoolchildren aged 6-18 years (572 males) from Valparaíso, Chile. Body composition, as assessed by percentage body fat (BF%) and somatotype, was evaluated using Ellis equations and the Heath-Carter method, respectively. The socioeconomic status of respondents was assessed using the ESOMAR survey. Obesity was defined as BF% ≥25 for boys and ≥30 for girls; 'high endomorph' somatotype was defined as a somatotype endomorph component (EC) of at least 5.5. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between high adiposity and SES, potential confounding factors and school level. In females, the results indicated that the groups with lower SES had higher EC. At the 1st (youngest) school level (1-4th grades), males exhibited similar trends in their BF% and EC. High adiposity was associated with the female sex (BF%: OR=3.39; 95% CI 2.60, 4.41; high EC: OR=2.31; 95% CI 1.80, 2.98). In addition, low SES increased the risk of high adiposity compared with high SES (BF%: OR=2.25; 95% CI 1.40, 3.61; high EC: OR=2.19; 95% CI 1.37, 3.47). An association was observed between increased adiposity and lower SES, mainly in females, which indicates that females with low SES might be at greater risk of obesity.

Socioeconomic status, psychological resources, and inflammatory markers: Results from the MIDUS Study

PubMed Central

Elliot, Ari J.; Chapman, Benjamin P.

2016-01-01

Objective To investigate interactions of psychological resources and socioeconomic status in predicting markers of systemic inflammation, as well as potential gender differences and the explanatory role of childhood and adult stress exposures, health behaviors, and negative and positive affect. Method We utilized a sample of adults from the Midlife in the United States Survey (MIDUS) who provided biomarker data (N=1,152). SES was operationalized as a composite of education, income, and occupational prestige, and psychological resources as a latent factor measured with optimism, perceived control, and self-esteem. Linear regression models examined these two factors and their interaction in predicting interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) measured on average 2 years later, as well as three-way interactions involving gender and the impact of covariate adjustment. Results Psychological resources interacted with SES in men (for IL-6: p<.001; for CRP: p=.04) but not in women. In men, greater psychological resources were associated with lower concentrations of IL-6 at lower levels of SES, but higher concentrations of both markers at higher levels of SES. The inverse association between resources and IL-6 at low SES was moderately attenuated upon adjustment for negative affect. Conclusion Socioeconomic status might modulate the linkage between psychological resources and systemic inflammation in men. At lower levels of SES, resources may be related to lower inflammation in part through lower negative affect. Associations with higher inflammation at higher SES add to growing evidence suggesting that adaptive psychological characteristics may be associated with markers of poorer physiological function under certain conditions. PMID:27280368

Differences in self-reported health among Asians, Latinos, and non-Hispanic whites: the role of language and nativity.

PubMed

Kandula, Namratha R; Lauderdale, Diane S; Baker, David W

2007-03-01

Self-reported overall health (SROH) is often used to compare the health status of multi-ethnic populations in the United States. SROH may not be comparable across cultural groups. We assessed if differences in SROH between non-Hispanic whites (NHW), Latinos, and Asians were explained primarily by differences in socioeconomic status (SES) or language and nativity. We used cross-sectional data on 36,660 NHW, 9399 Latinos, 1298 Chinese, 944 Filipinos, 803 Koreans, 857 Vietnamese, and 1036 "other Asians" from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey. Compared with NHW, all ethnic groups were less likely to report "excellent" or "very good" health. Latinos, Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans, and Vietnamese were also more likely to report "fair" or "poor" health. Adjusting for SES attenuated these differences for Latinos but did not explain the effect of being Asian on SROH. Among all ethnicities, individuals with limited English proficiency had worse SROH than individuals who were English-proficient. Differences in SROH between Asians and NHW do not appear to be mediated by SES and may be due to different perceptions of health that are rooted in culture and language. There remains a need for health status measures less susceptible to cultural bias in Asian and Latino populations.

Maternal Styles of Talking about Child Feeding across Sociodemographic Groups

PubMed Central

Pesch, Megan H.; Harrell, Kristina J.; Kaciroti, Niko; Rosenblum, Kate; Lumeng, Julie C.

2011-01-01

This study sought to identify maternal styles of talking about child feeding from a semi-structured interview and to evaluate associated maternal and child characteristics. Mothers of preschool-aged children (n = 133) of diverse race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) (45 lower SES black, 29 lower SES white, 32 lower SES Hispanic, 15 middle to upper SES white, 12 middle to upper SES Asian) participated in a semi-structured interview about feeding. Interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. Themes were identified, and individual interviews were coded within these themes: authority (high/low), confidence (confident/conflicted/unopinionated), and investment (deep/mild/removed). Demographic characteristics were collected and a subset of children had measured weights and heights. Cluster analysis was used to identify narrative styles. Participant characteristics were compared across clusters using Fisher’s exact test and analysis of variance. Six narrative styles were identified: Easy-Going, Practical No-Nonsense, Disengaged, Effortful No-Nonsense, Indulgent Worry, and Conflicted Control. Cluster membership differed significantly based on maternal demographic group (P < .001) and child weight status (P < .05). More than half (60%) of children of mothers in the Conflicted Control cluster were obese. Maternal styles of talking about feeding are associated with maternal and child characteristics. PMID:22117662

Personality, Socioeconomic Status, and All-Cause Mortality in the United States

PubMed Central

Chapman, Benjamin P.; Fiscella, Kevin; Kawachi, Ichiro; Duberstein, Paul R.

2010-01-01

The authors assessed the extent to which socioeconomic status (SES) and the personality factors termed the “big 5” (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness) represented confounded or independent risks for all-cause mortality over a 10-year follow-up in the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) cohort between 1995 and 2004. Adjusted for demographics, the 25th versus 75th percentile of SES was associated with an odds ratio of 1.43 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11, 1.83). Demographic-adjusted odds ratios for the 75th versus 25th percentile of neuroticism were 1.38 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.73) and 0.63 (95% CI: 0.47, 0.84) for conscientiousness, the latter evaluated at high levels of agreeableness. Modest associations were observed between SES and the big 5. Adjusting each for the other revealed that personality explained roughly 20% of the SES gradient in mortality, while SES explained 8% of personality risk. Portions of SES and personality risk were explained by health behaviors, although some residual risk remained unexplained. Personality appears to explain some between-SES strata differences in mortality risk, as well as some individual risk heterogeneity within SES strata. Findings suggest that both sociostructural inequalities and individual disposition hold public health implications. Future research and prevention aimed at ameliorating SES health disparities may benefit from considering the risk clustering of social disadvantage and dispositional factors. PMID:19965888

Communication Encoding and Decoding in Children from Different Socioeconomic and Racial Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quay, Lorene C.; And Others

Although lower socioeconomic status (SES) black children have been shown to be inferior to middle-SES white children in communication accuracy, whether the problem is in encoding (production), decoding (comprehension), or both is not clear. To evaluate encoding and decoding separately, tape recordings of picture descriptions were obtained from…

Automatic Encoding of Superordinate and Subordinate Taxonomic Categories in Different Populations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakayama, Susan Y.; Kee, Daniel W.

1980-01-01

Proactive interference (PI) build-up and release from PI were used to study automatic conceptual encoding of superordinate and subordinate category lists in low-socioeconomic status (SES) Black children and middle-SES White children (grades 2 and 4). (Results for each population on the three category lists are described). (GDC)

Socioeconomic status, youth's eating patterns and meals consumed away from home.

PubMed

Hejazi, N; Mazloom, Z

2009-05-01

This study was design to determine whether there is a difference in the number of meals consumed away from home (restaurant or fast food) between low socioeconomic status (SES) and high SES adolescents. Additionally, this study sought to determine if the nutrients and food group chosen differs among children who consume meals away from home versus those who do not. Eighty four adolescences (51 boys and 33 girls) ages 12-16 years and their parents from Shiraz, Iran completed the three 24 h diet recalls (one weekend and two week days). The demographics questionnaire was also completed from each participant. Data analyzed using SPSS and hypothesis tested using one way ANOVA. There was no significant difference in the number of meals consumed away from home in low SES adolescents compared to high SES (p = 0.464). However, those who consumed meals away from home reported a higher percentage of calories from fat (p = 0.007) and serving of fried vegetables (p = 0.010) compared to those who consumed no meals away from home. These findings suggest that intervention for adolescents eating patterns should provide information on choosing healthy meals away from home.

Infants’ Behavioral Styles in Joint Attention Situations and Parents’ Socio-economic Status

PubMed Central

Second, Monika Abels; Hutman, Ted

2016-01-01

In this study the eco-cultural model of parenting (Keller, 2007) was applied to the study of joint attention behavior of children from families with different socioeconomic status (SES). It was hypothesized that infants’ early communication styles would differ with SES reflecting more independent or interdependent interactions with their caregivers. It was also hypothesized that infants would use the same types of behaviors whether they have declarative or imperative communication goals. The Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS, Mundy et al., 2003) was administered to 103 typically developing infants of 12 months (half of them siblings of children with autism). A factor analysis, yielding four behavioral factors, namely pointing, eye contact, actions and following points, confirmed the hypothesis that infants use behaviors consistently across situations independent of their communicative intent. MANOVAs (comprising parental education and income) Revealed that higher SES infants showed actions more frequently in the ESCS whereas lower SES infants followed experimenter’s points more frequently. The results are discussed in the context of presumably differing socialization goals for infants and the divergent contribution of parental education and income that seem to have additive contribution to some factors (actions, following points) but divergent contributions to others (pointing, eye contact). PMID:26164418

Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Children's Intelligence (IQ): In a UK-Representative Sample SES Moderates the Environmental, Not Genetic, Effect on IQ

PubMed Central

Hanscombe, Ken B.; Trzaskowski, Maciej; Haworth, Claire M. A.; Davis, Oliver S. P.; Dale, Philip S.; Plomin, Robert

2012-01-01

Background The environment can moderate the effect of genes - a phenomenon called gene-environment (GxE) interaction. Several studies have found that socioeconomic status (SES) modifies the heritability of children's intelligence. Among low-SES families, genetic factors have been reported to explain less of the variance in intelligence; the reverse is found for high-SES families. The evidence however is inconsistent. Other studies have reported an effect in the opposite direction (higher heritability in lower SES), or no moderation of the genetic effect on intelligence. Methods Using 8716 twin pairs from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), we attempted to replicate the reported moderating effect of SES on children's intelligence at ages 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12 and 14: i.e., lower heritability in lower-SES families. We used a twin model that allowed for a main effect of SES on intelligence, as well as a moderating effect of SES on the genetic and environmental components of intelligence. Results We found greater variance in intelligence in low-SES families, but minimal evidence of GxE interaction across the eight ages. A power calculation indicated that a sample size of about 5000 twin pairs is required to detect moderation of the genetic component of intelligence as small as 0.25, with about 80% power - a difference of 11% to 53% in heritability, in low- (−2 standard deviations, SD) and high-SES (+2 SD) families. With samples at each age of about this size, the present study found no moderation of the genetic effect on intelligence. However, we found the greater variance in low-SES families is due to moderation of the environmental effect – an environment-environment interaction. Conclusions In a UK-representative sample, the genetic effect on intelligence is similar in low- and high-SES families. Children's shared experiences appear to explain the greater variation in intelligence in lower SES. PMID:22312423

Deprived, but not depraved: Prosocial behavior is an adaptive response to lower socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Robinson, Angela R; Piff, Paul K

2017-01-01

Individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES) display increased attentiveness to others and greater prosocial behavior compared to individuals of higher SES. We situate these effects within Pepper & Nettle's contextually appropriate response framework of SES. We argue that increased prosocial behavior is a contextually adaptive response for lower-SES individuals that serves to increase control over their more threatening social environments.

Does the association between early life growth and later obesity differ by race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status? A systematic review.

PubMed

Andrea, Sarah B; Hooker, Elizabeth R; Messer, Lynne C; Tandy, Thomas; Boone-Heinonen, Janne

2017-09-01

Rapid growth during infancy predicts higher risk of obesity later in childhood. The association between patterns of early life growth and later obesity may differ by race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status (SES), but prior evidence syntheses do not consider vulnerable subpopulations. We systemically reviewed published studies that explored patterns of early life growth (0-24 months of age) as predictors of later obesity (>24 months) that were either conducted in racial/ethnic minority or low-SES study populations or assessed effect modification of this association by race/ethnicity or SES. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed and SocINDEX. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Faster growth during the first 2 years of life was consistently associated with later obesity irrespective of definition and timing of exposure and outcome measures. Associations were strongest in populations composed of greater proportions of racial/ethnic minority and/or low-SES children. For example, ORs ranged from 1.17 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.24) in a heterogeneous population to 9.24 (95% CI: 3.73, 22.9) in an entirely low-SES nonwhite population. The impact of rapid growth in infancy on later obesity may differ by social stratification factors such as race/ethnicity and family income. More robust and inclusive studies examining these associations are needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic Status and Patterns of Parent-Adolescent Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Edith; Berdan, Louise E.

2006-01-01

This study investigated reciprocity in parent-adolescent interactions among 102 families from lower or higher socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. Negative behaviors between parents and adolescents were more reciprocal (strongly correlated) in higher SES than lower SES families, and this reciprocity correlated with higher family relationship…

Hospital injury rates in relation to socioeconomic status and working conditions

PubMed Central

d'Errico, A; Punnett, L; Cifuentes, M; Boyer, J; Tessler, J; Gore, R; Scollin, P

2007-01-01

Objectives To describe the risk of work injury by socioeconomic status (SES) in hospital workers, and to assess whether SES gradient in injury risk is explained by differences in psychosocial, ergonomic or organisational factors at work. Methods Workforce rosters and Occupational Safety and Health Administration injury logs for a 5‐year period were obtained from two hospitals in Massachusetts. Job titles were classified into five SES strata on the basis of educational requirements and responsibilities: administrators, professionals, semiprofessionals, skilled and semiskilled workers. 13 selected psychosocial, ergonomic and organisational exposures were assigned to the hospital jobs through the national O*NET database. Rates of injury were analysed as frequency records using the Poisson regression, with job title as the unit of analysis. The risk of injury was modelled using SES alone, each exposure variable alone and then each exposure variable in combination with SES. Results An overall annual injury rate of 7.2 per 100 full‐time workers was estimated for the two hospitals combined. All SES strata except professionals showed a significant excess risk of injury compared with the highest SES category (administrators); the risk was highest among semiskilled workers (RR 5.3, p<0.001), followed by nurses (RR 3.7, p<0.001), semiprofessionals (RR 2.9, p = 0.006) and skilled workers (RR 2.6, p = 0.01). The risk of injury was significantly associated with each exposure considered except pause frequency. When workplace exposures were introduced in the regression model together with SES, four remained significant predictors of the risk of injury (decision latitude, supervisor support, force exertion and temperature extremes), whereas the RR related to SES was strongly reduced in all strata, except professionals. Conclusions A strong gradient in the risk of injury by SES was reported in a sample population of hospital workers, which was greatly attenuated by adjusting for psychosocial and ergonomic workplace exposures, indicating that a large proportion of that gradient can be explained by differences in working conditions. PMID:17182643

A Life Course Perspective on the Relationship between Socio-Economic Status and Health: Testing the Divergence Hypothesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prus, Steven G.

2004-01-01

While adults from all socio-economic status (SES) levels generally encounter a decline in health as they grow older, research shows that health status is tied to SES at all stages of life. The dynamics of the relationship between SES and health over the life course of adult Canadians, however, remain largely unexplored. This paper tests the…

The Effects of Ethnicity, SES, and Crime Status on Juror Decision Making: A Cross-Cultural Examination of European American and Mexican American Mock Jurors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esqueda, Cynthia Willis; Espinoza, Russ K. E.; Culhane, Scott E.

2008-01-01

In two studies, a defendant's ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and crime status were varied for effects on verdict decisions, sentencing recommendations, culpability assignments, and trait assessments. In Study 1, European Americans (N = 221) provided a low SES Mexican American defendant with more guilt verdicts, a lengthier sentence, and…

Ideal Body Size as a Mediator for the Gender-Specific Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Body Mass Index: Evidence From an Upper-Middle-Income Country in the African Region.

PubMed

Yepes, Maryam; Maurer, Jürgen; Stringhini, Silvia; Viswanathan, Barathi; Gedeon, Jude; Bovet, Pascal

2016-04-01

While obesity continues to rise globally, the associations between body size, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES) seem to vary in different populations, and little is known on the contribution of perceived ideal body size in the social disparity of obesity in African countries. We examined the gender and socioeconomic patterns of body mass index (BMI) and perceived ideal body size in the Seychelles, a middle-income small island state in the African region. We also assessed the potential role of perceived ideal body size as a mediator for the gender-specific association between SES and BMI. A population-based survey of 1,240 adults aged 25 to 64 years conducted in December 2013. Participants' BMI was calculated based on measured weight and height; ideal body size was assessed using a nine-silhouette instrument. Three SES indicators were considered: income, education, and occupation. BMI and perceived ideal body size were both higher among men of higher versus lower SES (p< .001) but lower among women of higher versus lower SES (p< .001), irrespective of the SES indicator used. Multivariate analysis showed a strong and direct association between perceived ideal body size and BMI in both men and women (p< .001) and was consistent with a potential mediating role of perceived ideal body size in the gender-specific associations between SES and BMI. Our study emphasizes the importance of gender and socioeconomic differences in BMI and ideal body size and suggests that public health interventions that promote perception of healthy weight could help mitigate SES-related disparities in BMI. © 2016 Society for Public Health Education.

Dispositional optimism and physical wellbeing: the relevance of culture, gender, and socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Khallad, Yacoub

2013-01-01

The present study examined the relationship between dispositional optimism and physical wellbeing (as reflected in physical symptom reporting) in two groups of American and Jordanian college students. It also assessed moderation effects of culture, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES). Participants were administered a questionnaire consisting of items pertaining to dispositional optimism (as measured by the Revised Life Orientation Test, LOT-R) along with items assessing physical symptom reporting and sociodemographic factors (e.g., gender, socioeconomic status). The results revealed significant negative correlations between dispositional optimism and physical symptom reporting for both American and Jordanian participants, although the magnitude of the correlation for the American group was noticeably larger than that for the Jordanian group. The results also showed that women, especially Jordanians, were more likely than men to report physical symptoms. Among Jordanians, physical symptom reporting was more common among those of lower SES. No statistically significant differences in physical symptom reporting were found between American men and women or between the two cultural groups. Multiple regression analyses revealed no statistically significant interactions between optimism and cultural background, optimism and gender, or optimism and SES. Overall, the results suggest that optimism is the factor most predictive of physical symptom reporting, followed by SES and gender. These results corroborate previous findings on the relationship between dispositional optimism and physical wellbeing, and point to crosscultural differences in relationship patterns. These differences suggest that although personality characteristics such as optimism may play an important role in the physical wellbeing of both Western and non-Western groups, the influence of sociodemographic factors such as gender and SES and their interaction with cultural variables must not be overlooked.

The structure of evaluative anxiety among children differing in socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and sex.

PubMed

Rhine, W R; Spaner, S D

1983-11-01

Following Anastasi and Thurstone, the factor structure of evaluative anxiety was examined among six groups of primary age boys and girls (N = 8064). A factor matching technique was used to study hypotheses about the effects of group differences in socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, and sex on the pattern of the children's responses to the Test Anxiety Scale for Children (TASC). Hypotheses about the congruence of factor patterns were based on both demographic differences and results of developmental research. The hypothesis of an SES X ethnicity X sex interaction was strongly supported. Implications for comparing factor structures, measuring evaluative anxiety, and future research of evaluative anxiety are discussed.

Mexican American mothers of low and middle socioeconomic status: communication behaviors and interactive strategies during shared book reading.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Barbara L; Hines, Rachel; Montiel, Miguel

2009-07-01

The aim of this investigation was to describe and compare the communication behaviors and interactive reading strategies used by Mexican American mothers of low- and middle-socioeconomic status (SES) background during shared book reading. Twenty Mexican American mother-child dyads from the Southwestern United States were observed during two book reading sessions. The data were coded across a number of communication behavior categories and were analyzed using the Adult/Child Interactive Reading Inventory (ACIRI; A. DeBruin-Parecki, 1999). Mexican American mothers used a variety of communication behaviors during shared book reading with their preschool children. Significant differences between the SES groups regarding the frequency of specific communication behaviors were revealed. Middle-SES mothers used positive feedback and yes/no questions more often than did low-SES mothers. Mexican American mothers also used a variety of interactive reading strategies with varying frequency, as measured by the ACIRI. They enhanced attention to text some of the time, but rarely promoted interactive reading/supported comprehension or used literacy strategies. There were no significant differences between the SES groups regarding the frequency of interactive reading strategies. Parent literacy programs should supplement Mexican American mothers' communication behaviors and interactive reading strategies to improve effectiveness and participation.

The interplay of parental monitoring and socioeconomic status in predicting minor delinquency between and within adolescents.

PubMed

Rekker, Roderik; Keijsers, Loes; Branje, Susan; Koot, Hans; Meeus, Wim

2017-08-01

This six-wave multi-informant longitudinal study on Dutch adolescents (N = 824; age 12-18) examined the interplay of socioeconomic status with parental monitoring in predicting minor delinquency. Fixed-effects negative binomial regression analyses revealed that this interplay is different within adolescents across time than between adolescents. Between individuals, parental solicitation and control were not significantly associated with delinquency after controlling for SES: Adolescents whose parents exercised more monitoring did not offend less than others. Within individuals, higher levels of parental control were unexpectedly associated with more delinquency, but this relation was dependent on SES: Low-SES adolescents, but not high-SES adolescents, offended more during periods in which their parents exercised more control than during other periods with less control. In contrast to earlier work, this finding suggests that monitoring could be least effective when needed most. Low-SES parents might not use monitoring effectively and become overcontrolling when their child goes astray. Copyright © 2017 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emotions and physical health in the second half of life: interindividual differences in age-related trajectories and dynamic associations according to socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Schöllgen, Ina; Huxhold, Oliver; Schmiedek, Florian

2012-06-01

The importance of socioeconomic status (SES) for psychological functioning over the life span is increasingly acknowledged in psychological research. The Reserve Capacity Model by Gallo and Matthews (2003) suggests that SES is not only linked to physical health but also to the experience of positive and negative emotions. Moreover, due to differential amounts of psychosocial resources, cross-domain associations between emotions and health might differ according to SES. The present study examined age-related developments in positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and physical health, as well as dynamic associations between health and emotions in the second half of life. We looked at differences in these trajectories and their interrelationships according to education as one aspect of SES. We used data of up to three waves spanning 12 years from the nationally representative German Ageing Survey (N = 3,847, AgeT1 = 40-85 years). Applying multiple-group dual change score models, we found differential age-related change in PA and physical health, but not in NA, in two groups differing in level of education. NA did only predict change in physical health in low-educated individuals, whereas physical health was equally strongly related to change in PA in both education groups. These results indicate that SES not only affects changes in physical health and emotional functioning but also their interrelationships. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and differences in the availability of healthy food stores and restaurants in Sao Paulo, Brazil

PubMed Central

Duran, Ana Clara; Diez Roux, Ana V; do Rosario DO Latorre, Maria; Jaime, Patricia C

2013-01-01

Differential access to healthy foods has been hypothesized to contribute to health disparities, but evidence from low and middle-income countries is still scarce. This study examines whether the access of healthy foods varies across store types and neighborhoods of different socioeconomic statuses (SES) in a large Brazilian city. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010–2011 across 52 census tracts. Healthy food access was measured by a comprehensive in-store data collection, summarized into two indexes developed for retail food stores (HFSI) and restaurants (HMRI). Descriptive analyses and multilevel models were used to examine associations of store type and neighborhood SES with healthy food access. Fast food restaurants were more likely to be located in low SES neighborhoods whereas supermarkets and full service restaurants were more likely to be found in higher SES neighborhoods. Multilevel analyses showed that both store type and neighborhood SES were independently associated with in-store food measures. We found differences in the availability of healthy food stores and restaurants in Sao Paulo city favoring middle and high SES neighborhoods. PMID:23747923

Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Health during Childhood: A Longitudinal Examination of Racial/Ethnic Differences in Parental Socioeconomic Timing and Child Obesity Risk.

PubMed

Jones, Antwan

2018-04-11

Prior research suggests that socioeconomic standing during the early years of life, particularly in utero, is associated with child health. However, it is unclear whether socioeconomic benefits are only maximized at very young ages. Moreover, given the link between socioeconomic status (SES) and race, research is inconclusive whether any SES benefits during those younger ages would uniformly benefit all racial and ethnic groups. Using 1986-2014 data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY79), this study examines the impact of socioeconomic timing on child weight outcomes by race. Specifically, this research investigates whether specific points exist where socioeconomic investment would have higher returns on child health. Findings suggest that both the timing and the type of socioeconomic exposure is important to understanding child weight status. SES, particularly mother's employment and father's education, is important in determining child health, and each measure is linked to weight gain differently for White, Black, and Hispanic children at specific ages. Policies such as granting more educational access for men and work-family balance for women are discussed.

Effects of education and word reading on cognitive scores in a community-based sample of Spanish elders with diverse socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Contador, Israel; Bermejo-Pareja, Félix; Del Ser, Teodoro; Benito-León, Julián

2015-01-01

The influence of education and oral word-reading ability on cognitive performance was examined in a sample of 1510 nondemented elders differing in socioeconomic status (SES) from three Spanish communities. All individuals were enrolled in the Neurological Disorders in Central Spain, a population-based epidemiological study in central Spain. They completed a detailed demographic survey and a short standardized neuropsychological battery assessing psychomotor speed, attention, language, and memory. The Word Accentuation Test (WAT) was used as measure of oral reading ability. The influence of education and oral reading on cognitive performance was determined by multiple linear regression models, first controlling for demographics (age and sex), and subsequently for the WAT score and education. The contribution of socioeconomic conditions was addressed by stratifying the sample into groups of high and low SES. The WAT showed a significant independent effect on cognitive scores, generally greater than that predicted by demographics. The higher predictive power of oral word reading on cognitive scores compared to education was consistent across the three communities. Although the variance explained by WAT was very similar in areas with diverse SES (low vs. high), WAT scores accounted for slightly more variance in naming and memory tasks in low SES areas. In contrast, the variance explained by WAT was higher for verbal fluency and the Trail-Making Test in areas with high SES. Oral word-reading ability predicts cognitive performance better than years of education across individuals with different SES. The influence of WAT may be modulated by SES and cognitive task properties.

Socio-cultural differences in Australian primary school children's weight and weight-related behaviours.

PubMed

Hardy, Louise L; King, Lesley; Hector, Debra; Baur, Louise A

2013-08-01

To examine whether there are socio-cultural differences in overweight/obesity and weight-related behaviours of Australian primary school children. Secondary data analysis of the 2010 NSW Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (n = 4898). Height and weight were measured. Parents of Year K, 2, 4 children and Year 6 students completed a questionnaire on demographics and weight-related behaviours. Cardio-respiratory fitness was assessed by the 20-meter shuttle run test and categorised as adequately fit or unfit. Children were categorised according to the main cultural/ethnic backgrounds (Middle-Eastern, Asian and English-speaking backgrounds) and socio-economic status (SES) tertile. Within ethnic groups, SES was associated with weight-related behaviours, but not consistently, and not with body mass index status. Within ethnic groups, the odds were higher among low SES, compared with high SES to be inactive, unfit and have poorer dietary habits. Weight-related behaviours among each ethnic group also differed by gender. Compared with low SES children from English-speaking backgrounds, ethnic boys were two times as likely to be overweight/obese, and the odds were significantly higher among ethnic children to be inactive, unfit and have poor dietary patterns. The results indicate the need for obesity prevention initiatives to specifically target and reach children from low SES and Asian and Middle-Eastern backgrounds, and the importance of ensuring that such initiatives are culturally appropriate and address relevant issues. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2013 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Impact of Dental Fluorosis, Socioeconomic Status and Self-Perception in Adolescents Exposed to a High Level of Fluoride in Water

PubMed Central

Molina-Frechero, Nelly; Nevarez-Rascón, Martina; Nevarez-Rascón, Alfredo; González-González, Rogelio; Irigoyen-Camacho, María Esther; Sánchez-Pérez, Leonor; López-Verdin, Sandra; Bologna-Molina, Ronell

2017-01-01

Objective: To identify adolescents’ self-perception of dental fluorosis from two areas with different socioeconomic levels. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted with 15-year-old youths by applying a questionnaire designed and validated to assess self-perceptions of dental fluorosis in two areas with different socioeconomic statuses (SESs). Fluorosis was clinically evaluated by applying the Thylstrup and Fejerkov (TF) index on the upper front teeth. Results: A total of 308 adolescents were included in the study. The medium-SES population, which was exposed to 2.5 ppm of fluoride in water, and the low-SES population, which was exposed to 5.1 ppm, presented the following levels of dental fluorosis: TF 2–3 (50%), TF 4–5 (45.6%) and TF 6–7 (4.4%) for medium SES and TF 2–3 (12.3%), TF 4–5 (67.1%) and TF 67 (20.6%) for low SES. A significant association was found between self-perception and dental fluorosis in those with medium and low SESs (p < 0.05). The multiple regression model found differences between TF levels and self-perception, with a 6–7 TF level for concerns about color (OR = 1.6), smile (OR = 1.2) and appearance (OR = 3.36). Conclusions: Self-perceptions of dental fluorosis affect adolescents such that adolescents with a medium SES have more negative perceptions than those with a low SES. Such perceptions increase as the TF index increases. PMID:28085102

Sucrose esters as natural surfactants in drug delivery systems--a mini-review.

PubMed

Szűts, Angéla; Szabó-Révész, Piroska

2012-08-20

Sucrose esters (SEs) are widely used in the food and cosmetic industries and there has recently been great interest in their applicability in different pharmaceutical fields. They are natural and biodegradable excipients with well-known emulsifying and solubilizing behavior. Currently the most common pharmaceutical applications of SEs are for the enhancement of drug dissolution and drug absorption/permeation, and in controlled-release systems. Although the number of articles on SEs is continuously increasing, they have not yet been widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. The aim of this review is to discuss and summarize some of the findings and applications of SEs in different areas of drug delivery. The article highlights the main properties of SEs and focuses on their use in pharmaceutical technology and on their regulatory and toxicological status. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low Social Status Markers: Do They Predict Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence?

PubMed

Jackson, Benita; Goodman, Elizabeth

2011-07-01

Some markers of social disadvantage are associated robustly with depressive symptoms among adolescents: female gender and lower socioeconomic status (SES), respectively. Others are associated equivocally, notably Black v. White race/ethnicity. Few studies examine whether markers of social disadvantage by gender, SES, and race/ethnicity jointly predict self-reported depressive symptoms during adolescence; this was our goal. Secondary analyses were conducted on data from a socioeconomically diverse community-based cohort study of non-Hispanic Black and White adolescents (N = 1,263, 50.4% female). Multivariable general linear models tested if female gender, Black race/ethnicity, and lower SES (assessed by parent education and household income), and their interactions predicted greater depressive symptoms reported on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale. Models adjusted for age and pubertal status. Univariate analyses revealed more depressive symptoms in females, Blacks, and participants with lower SES. Multivariable models showed females across both racial/ethnic groups reported greater depressive symptoms; Blacks demonstrated more depressive symptoms than did Whites but when SES was included this association disappeared. Exploratory analyses suggested Blacks gained less mental health benefit from increased SES. However there were no statistically significant interactions among gender, race/ethnicity, or SES. Taken together, we conclude that complex patterning among low social status domains within gender, race/ethnicity, and SES predicts depressive symptoms among adolescents.

Can variation in HIV/STD-related risk be explained by individual SES? Findings from female sex workers in a rural Chinese county.

PubMed

Fang, Xiaoyi; Li, Xiaoming; Yang, Hongmei; Hong, Yan; Stanton, Bonita; Zhao, Ran; Dong, Baiqing; Liu, Wei; Zhou, Yuejiao; Liang, Shaoling

2008-03-01

Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked to HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) at a macro level because the majority of new cases of HIV infection in the world have been reported in underdeveloped or developing countries. However, empirical data on the relationship between individual SES and HIV/STD related risk have been mixed. Employing quantitative data from 454 female sex workers (FSWs), this study was designed to examine the profile of the study sample in terms of their individual SES, HIV/STD-related sexual risk across work locations with different social, cultural, and economic conditions; and to examine the relationship between work location and HIV-related risk behaviors, controlling for individual SES. We have shown in the current study that both SES and HIV/STD-related risk behaviors significantly differed by work location. However, the difference in individual SES was not sufficient to explain the difference of HIV/STD-related risk across the work locations. The findings underscore the need for effective prevention intervention efforts targeting FSWs in rural areas. Based on the findings, we also suggest that HIV/STD intervention efforts among FSWs should take the social and cultural contextual factors of their working environment (and sexual risks) into consideration.

Can variation in HIV/STD-related risk be explained by individual SES? Findings from female sex workers in a rural Chinese county

PubMed Central

Fang, Xiaoyi; Li, Xiaoming; Yang, Hongmei; Hong, Yan; Stanton, Bonita; Zhao, Ran; Dong, Baiqing; Liu, Wei; Zhou, Yuejiao; Liang, Shaoling

2007-01-01

Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked to HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) at a macro level because the majority of new cases of HIV infection in the world have been reported in underdeveloped or developing countries. However, empirical data on the relationship between individual SES and HIV/STD related risk have been mixed. Employing quantitative data from 454 female sex workers, this study was designed to examine the profile of the study sample in terms of their individual SES, HIV/STD-related sexual risk across work locations with different social, cultural and economic conditions; and examine the relationship between work location and HIV-related risk behaviors, controlling for individual SES. We have shown in the current study that both SES and HIV/STD-related risk behaviors significantly differed by work location. However, the difference in individual SES was not sufficient to explain the difference of HIV/STD-related risk across the work locations. The findings underscore the need for effective prevention intervention efforts targeting female sex workers in rural area. Based on the findings, we also suggest that HIV/STD intervention efforts among female sex workers should take the social and cultural contextual factors of their working environment (and sexual risks) into consideration. PMID:18350430

Associations among socioeconomic status, patterns of care and outcomes in breast cancer patients in a universal health care system: Ontario's experience.

PubMed

Kumachev, Alexander; Trudeau, Maureen E; Chan, Kelvin K W

2016-03-15

The Canadian health care system provides equitable access to equivalent standards of care. The authors investigated to determine whether patients with breast cancer who had different socioeconomic status (SES) received different care and had different overall survival (OS) in Ontario, Canada. Women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2004 and 2009 were identified from the Ontario Cancer Registry and linked to provincial databases to ascertain patient demographics, screening, diagnosis, treatment patterns, and survival. SES was defined as neighborhood income by postal code and was divided into income quintiles (Q1-Q5; with Q5 the highest SES quintile). Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to examine the associations between: 1) SES and mammogram screening and breast cancer treatments, and 2) SES and OS. In total, 34,776 patients with breast cancer who had information on disease stage available at diagnosis were identified. Seventy-six percent of women were aged >50 years. Patients with higher SES were more likely to be diagnosed at an earlier stage (Q5 [44.3%] vs Q1 [37.7%]; odds ratio [OR], 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-1.41; P < .0001) and also were more likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy (Q5 vs Q1: OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.10-1.26; P < .0001) and radiotherapy (Q5 vs Q1: OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.15-1.33; P < .0001). The 5-year OS rates for Q1 through Q5 were 80%, 81%, 82.2%, 83.9%, and 85.7%, respectively (P < .0001). After adjusting for patient demographics, cancer stage at diagnosis, adjuvant chemotherapy, trastuzumab, radiotherapy and surgery types, higher SES remained associated with better OS (P = .0017). In a universal health care system, higher SES is associated with greater screening and treatments and with better OS after adjusting for screening, cancer stage at diagnosis, and treatments. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

Socioeconomic Status, Parenting, and Child Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bornstein, Marc H., Ed.; Bradley, Robert H., Ed.

Noting that there is near universal agreement that children from families with higher socioeconomic status (SES) have access to more of the resources needed to support their positive development than do lower SES children, this monograph examines the myriad questions remaining regarding relations among SES, parenting, and child development from a…

Socioeconomic Status, Economic Problems, and Delinquency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agnew, Robert; Matthews, Shelley Keith; Bucher, Jacob; Welcher, Adria N.; Keyes, Corey

2008-01-01

Research indicates that the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and delinquency is not as strong as suggested by the leading crime theories. This article argues that such theories do not predict that SES in and of itself causes delinquency but rather that the economic problems associated with SES cause delinquency. Such problems…

Belief in school meritocracy as a system-justifying tool for low status students.

PubMed

Wiederkehr, Virginie; Bonnot, Virginie; Krauth-Gruber, Silvia; Darnon, Céline

2015-01-01

The belief that, in school, success only depends on will and hard work is widespread in Western societies despite evidence showing that several factors other than merit explain school success, including group belonging (e.g., social class, gender). In the present paper, we argue that because merit is the only track for low status students to reach upward mobility, Belief in School Meritocracy (BSM) is a particularly useful system-justifying tool to help them perceive their place in society as being deserved. Consequently, for low status students (but not high status students), this belief should be related to more general system-justifying beliefs (Study 1). Moreover, low status students should be particularly prone to endorsing this belief when their place within a system on which they strongly depend to acquire status is challenged (Study 2). In Study 1, high status (boys and high SES) were compared to low status (girls and low SES) high school students. Results indicated that BSM was related to system-justifying beliefs only for low SES students and for girls, but not for high SES students or for boys. In Study 2, university students were exposed (or not) to information about an important selection process that occurs at the university, depending on the condition. Their subjective status was assessed. Although such a confrontation reduced BSM for high subjective SES students, it tended to enhance it for low subjective SES students. Results are discussed in terms of system justification motives and the palliative function meritocratic ideology may play for low status students.

The Effects of Objective and Subjective Socioeconomic Status on Subjective Well-Being among Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China: The Moderating Role of Subjective Social Mobility

PubMed Central

Huang, Silin; Hou, Jiawei; Sun, Ling; Dou, Donghui; Liu, Xia; Zhang, Hongchuan

2017-01-01

Although previous investigations have agreed that Chinese rural-to-urban migrants’ socioeconomic status (SES) increases with their migration, the association between SES and subjective well-being is uncertain. To address this research gap, the present study proposed that the association between objective SES and subjective well-being is mediated by subjective SES. This model was tested with a sample of 432 Chinese rural-to-urban migrants. The results indicate a significant association between objective SES and subjective well-being and a partial mediating effect of subjective SES. Furthermore, subjective social mobility, which is one’s expectation about the possibility to move upward in the social hierarchy, was found to moderate both the direct path from objective SES to subjective well-being and the indirect path from subjective SES to subjective well-being. These findings suggest that Chinese rural-to-urban migrants gained in subjective well-being not only because of direct financial achievement but also because of their perceptions and beliefs about their relative social status. PMID:28588531

School Performance and Poverty: The Mediating Role of Executive Functions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korzeniowski, C.; Cupani, M.; Ison, M.; Difabio, H.

2016-01-01

Introduction: This study aims at analyzing whether EFs may predict the SP of children from different low socioeconomic strata, having controlled the effects of age and socioeconomic status (SES). Method: The sample included 178 Argentine children of both genders (52% boys), between 6 and 10 years of age, belonging to the upper-low SES (41%),…

Middle Grade Students of Iris County: A Descriptive Study from Southern Appalachia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phelps, Margaret S.; And Others

Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students (N=301) from a rural county in Tennessee (Iris County is a pseudonym) completed a Rural School Success Inventory (RSSI) and the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI). The study explored differences between low Socioeconomic Status (SES) students and middle/high SES students. The RSSI provided information about…

Cross-National Estimates of the Effects of Family Background on Student Achievement: A Sensitivity Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nonoyama-Tarumi, Yuko

2008-01-01

This article uses the data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000 to examine whether the influence of family background on educational achievement is sensitive to different measures of the family's socio-economic status (SES). The study finds that, when a multidimensional measure of SES is used, the family background…

Barriers and Bridges to Positive Cross-Ethnic Relations: African American and White Parent Socialization Beliefs and Practices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamm, Jill V.

2001-01-01

Using interviews and focus groups, lower and middle socioeconomic status (SES) African American parents and middle SES white parents discussed their objectives regarding cross-ethnic relations and how they helped their children forge positive cross-ethnic relations. The groups relied on different methods to promote socialization. Parents' efforts…

Family Density and SES Related to Diabetes Management and Glycemic Control in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes.

PubMed

Caccavale, Laura J; Weaver, Patrick; Chen, Rusan; Streisand, Randi; Holmes, Clarissa S

2015-06-01

Youth with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) from single-parent families have poorer glycemic control; a finding confounded with socioeconomic status (SES). Family density (FD), or youth:adult ratio, may better characterize family risk status. Structural equation modeling assessed the relation of single-parent status, SES, and FD to parenting stress, diabetes-related conflict, parental monitoring, adherence, and glycemic control using cross-sectional parent and youth data (n = 257). Single-parent status exhibited similar relations as SES and was removed. Lower FD was associated with better glycemic control (β = -.29, p = .014) via less conflict (β = .17, p = .038) and greater adherence (β = -.54, p < .001). Beyond SES, FD plays a significant role in adherence and glycemic control via diabetes-related conflict. In contrast, the effects of single-parent status were indistinguishable from those of SES. FD provides distinct information related to adolescent glycemic control. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Socioeconomic status, child enrichment factors, and cognitive performance among preschool-age children: results from the Follow-Up of Growth and Development Experiences study.

PubMed

Christensen, Deborah L; Schieve, Laura A; Devine, Owen; Drews-Botsch, Carolyn

2014-07-01

Lower cognitive performance is associated with poorer health and functioning throughout the lifespan and disproportionately affects children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) populations. Previous studies reporting positive associations between child home enrichment and cognitive performance generally had a limited distribution of SES. We evaluated the associations of SES and child enrichment with cognitive performance in a population with a wide range of SES, particularly whether enrichment attenuates associations with SES. Children were sampled from a case-control study of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) conducted in a public hospital serving a low SES population (final n=198) and a private hospital serving a middle-to-high SES population (final n=253). SES (maternal education and income) and perinatal factors (SGA, maternal smoking and drinking) were obtained from maternal birth interview. Five child home enrichment factors (e.g. books in home) and preschool attendance were obtained from follow-up interview at age 4.5 years. Cognitive performance was assessed with the Differential Ability Scales (DAS), a standardized psychometric test administered at follow-up. SES and enrichment scores were created by combining individual factors. Analyses were adjusted for perinatal factors. Children from the public birth hospital had a significantly lower mean DAS general cognitive ability (GCA) score than children born at the private birth hospital (adjusted mean difference -21.4, 95% CI: -24.0, -18.7); this was substantially attenuated by adjustment for individual SES, child enrichment factors, and preschool attendance (adjusted mean difference -5.1, 95% CI: -9.5, -0.7). Individual-level SES score was associated with DAS score, beyond the general SES effect associated with hospital of birth. Adjustment for preschool attendance and home enrichment score attenuated the association between individual SES score and adjusted mean DAS-GCA among children born at both of the hospitals. The effect of being in the lower compared to the middle tertile of SES score was reduced by approximately a quarter; the effect of being in the upper compared to the middle tertile of SES score was reduced by nearly half, but this comparison was possible only for children born at the private hospital. A child's individual SES was associated with cognitive performance within advantaged and disadvantaged populations. Child enrichment was associated with better cognitive performance and attenuated the SES influence. Health care providers should reinforce guidelines for home enrichment and refer children with delays to early intervention and education, particularly children from disadvantaged populations. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Impact of socioeconomic adjustment on physicians' relative cost of care.

PubMed

Timbie, Justin W; Hussey, Peter S; Adams, John L; Ruder, Teague W; Mehrotra, Ateev

2013-05-01

Ongoing efforts to profile physicians on their relative cost of care have been criticized because they do not account for differences in patients' socioeconomic status (SES). The importance of SES adjustment has not been explored in cost-profiling applications that measure costs using an episode of care framework. We assessed the relationship between SES and episode costs and the impact of adjusting for SES on physicians' relative cost rankings. We analyzed claims submitted to 3 Massachusetts commercial health plans during calendar years 2004 and 2005. We grouped patients' care into episodes, attributed episodes to individual physicians, and standardized costs for price differences across plans. We accounted for differences in physicians' case mix using indicators for episode type and a patient's severity of illness. A patient's SES was measured using an index of 6 indicators based on the zip code in which the patient lived. We estimated each physician's case mix-adjusted average episode cost and percentile rankings with and without adjustment for SES. Patients in the lowest SES quintile had $80 higher unadjusted episode costs, on average, than patients in the highest quintile. Nearly 70% of the variation in a physician's average episode cost was explained by case mix of their patients, whereas the contribution of SES was negligible. After adjustment for SES, only 1.1% of physicians changed relative cost rankings >2 percentiles. Accounting for patients' SES has little impact on physicians' relative cost rankings within an episode cost framework.

Dietary intake and nutrition-related knowledge in a sample of Lebanese adolescents of contrasting socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Nabhani-Zeidan, Maya; Naja, Farah; Nasreddine, Lara

2011-06-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) is postulated to be a major predictor of dietary intake and nutrition-related knowledge in adults. To date, very few studies have addressed this effect among adolescents. To explore differences in nutrient intake and nutrition-related knowledge among adolescents of contrasting SES in Lebanon. In a cross-sectional survey, 209 males and females, aged 17 to 19 years, were recruited from a private university with high tuition and a free public university in Beirut. The participants completed a multicomponent, self-administered questionnaire that inquired about demographic characteristics and nutrition-related knowledge. Three nonconsecutive 24-hour dietary recalls were obtained through interviews. Energy-adjusted means of dietary intake and age-adjusted nutrition-related knowledge were compared between groups using a general linear model. Adolescents in the high-SES group consumed more vegetables, meats, and fats and oils (p < .05). Energy and nutrient intake analysis showed that adolescents in the high-SES group consumed significantly higher amounts of calories, protein, fat, vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron (p < .001) and significantly lower amounts of carbohydrates (p < .05). Nutritional knowledge, although high among all participants, was higher in the high-SES group (p < .05). Although both groups showed good nutrition-related knowledge, SES significantly affected dietary intake in a sample of Lebanese adolescents. This warrants consideration of other factors, such as cost and environment, that may modulate eating behavior among adolescents from different socioeconomic strata.

Parental education and living environmental influence on physical development, nutritional habits as well as level of physical activity in Polish children and adolescents.

PubMed

Suliga, Edyta

2010-01-01

The aim of this work was to evaluate the physical development and nutritional status, the nutrition habits as well as level of physical activity of boys and girls in relation to the socio-economic status of their families. The study was conducted on a group of 529 boys and 535 girls aged 7-16 years from Swietokrzyskie Province in Poland. Boys and girls from high SES families had the greatest body height, BMI, upper arm muscle area, as well as upper arm fat tissue area, while the lowest values of these features occurred among those studied coming from families of a low SES. The higher the family SES, the higher habitual frequency of consuming vegetables and fruit as well as fish. The diet of children coming from higher SES families was also linked with a higher total protein content as well as animal protein, all analysed minerals and some vitamins, but there were no significant differences of energetic value in daily food rations as well as fat content. The longer time spent on some sedentary activities was connected with a higher family SES. The girls coming from a high status families also declared a higher level of physical activity, whereas such relationship was not observed among boys. A more rational set of nutritional habits observed among children from a higher SES families can be the basic reason for their higher advancement in development. A shorter time devoted to sedentary activities is assumed to be the main cause of a smaller relative body mass and less obesity among girls and boys from low SES families.

Relationship of different measures of socioeconomic status with cardiovascular disease risk factors and lifestyle in a New Zealand workforce survey.

PubMed

Metcalf, Patricia; Scragg, Robert; Davis, Peter

2007-01-26

To compare cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor levels of men and women in a local workforce with measures of socioeconomic (SES) status. Participants were from a cross-sectional health screening survey of a multiracial workforce carried out between May 1988 and April 1990. 5677 Maori, Pacific Island, and Other workers (comprising 4108 men and 1569 women) aged 40 to 78 years participated. SES measures included the New Zealand Socioeconomic Index (NZSEI), combined household income, and level of education. In general, all SES status measures showed higher mean body mass index levels and waist-to-hip ratios, higher odds of cigarette smoking, and lower stature in the lower SES strata compared to the highest SES stratum. Both income and education showed higher 5-year CVD risks and lower leisure time physical activity levels in the lower SES strata compared to the highest. The odds of raised blood pressure were highest in people with no tertiary education compared to those with a university education. Lower income groups had higher fasting and 2-hour glucose levels, higher urinary albumin excretion, and an almost 2-fold odds of diabetes mellitus compared to the highest income group. There was a trend to a more adverse pattern of CVD risk factor levels in the lower SES groups. The strongest associations were related to income and education rather than the NZSEI. Raised blood pressure was associated with education, and prevalence of diabetes mellitus with income. An increased living standard, more resources for primary health care, and health promotion targeting the community level should be beneficial. Effective strategies for reducing the risk level among deprived groups are needed to minimise the adverse social gradient in CVD risk factors.

Validation of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess folate status. Results discriminate a high-risk group of women residing on the Mexico-US border.

PubMed

Bacardí-Gascón, Montserrat; Ley y de Góngora, Silvia; Castro-Vázquez, Brenda Yuniba; Jiménez-Cruz, Arturo

2003-01-01

The purpose of the study was to estimate dietary intake of folate in two groups of women from different economic backgrounds and to evaluate validity of the 5-day-weighed food registry (5-d-WFR) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) using biological markers. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two samples of urban Mexican women: one represented the middle socioeconomic status (middle SES) and the other, low socioeconomic status (low SES). Middle SES included 34 women recruited from 1998 to 1999. Participants were between the ages of 18 and 32 years and were employed in the banking industry (middle SES) in the US-Mexican border city of Tijuana, Baja California. Low SES included 70 women between the ages of 18 and 35 years recruited during the year 2000. These women were receiving care at a primary health care center in Ensenada, Baja California Norte State, Mexico (low SES). Pearson correlations were calculated between folate intake among 5-day diet registry, FFQ, and biochemical indices. FFQ reproducibility was performed by Spearman correlation of each food item daily and of weekly intake. Average folate intake in middle SES from 5-d-WFR was 210 microg +/- 171. Fifty four percent of participants had intakes <200 microg/daily. Average folate intake from FFQ was 223 +/- 78 microg/day. Pearson correlation between log transformed and within individually adjusted 5-d-WFR folate intakes and serum folate was 0.40 (p=0.02). Mexican women of reproductive age living in the US-Mexican border State of Baja California are at very high risk of NTDs as a result of low folate intake and low serum folate and RBC folate concentrations.

Physical activity patterns of children in Toronto: the relative role of neighbourhood type and socio-economic status.

PubMed

Stone, Michelle R; Faulkner, Guy E; Mitra, Raktim; Buliung, Ron

2012-07-23

A child's opportunity for physical activity and the safety of engaging in activity are influenced by built environment (BE) elements. This study examined the relationship of neighbourhood type and socio-economic status (SES) with activity using a sampling frame that purposely located schools in varying neighbourhoods to ensure that there was variability in BE characteristics and SES. Participants (1,027 Grade 5 & 6 students, Toronto, ON) were drawn from 16 schools that varied by neighbourhood type (pre-1946 "old/urban BE" with grid-based street layout versus post-1946 "new/inner-suburban BE" with looping street layout) and socio-economic status (low and high SES). Physical activity was recorded by accelerometry for seven days. Only children living within 1.6 km of school were included in the analyses (n=713; boys=339, girls=374). Generalized linear mixed models examined sex-specific differences in physical activity across four geographic stratifications: old BE, low-SES (OL); old BE, high-SES (OH); new BE, low-SES (NL); and new BE, high-SES (NH). Children who attended schools in more affluent neighbourhoods (urban and inner-suburban) had more positive physical activity profiles. Across school days, boys were more active in inner-suburban neighbourhoods whereas urban and inner-suburban girls' activity levels were similar. On the weekend, the influence of the neighbourhood environment was stronger, especially for girls and also for boys with respect to total activity and the accumulation of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. These findings focus attention on the need to consider the broader social and temporal contexts of specific geographic locations when planning and implementing built environment interventions to increase physical activity among children.

Binge drinking among Brazilian students: a gradient of association with socioeconomic status in five geo-economic regions.

PubMed

Sanchez, Zila M; Locatelli, Danilo P; Noto, Ana R; Martins, Silvia S

2013-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) may be directly associated with binge drinking (BD) and country inequality. The aims of this study were to describe the characteristics of BD among high school students in Brazil and the association of BD with students' socioeconomic status in the five different Brazilian macro-regions. A national cross sectional survey was carried out using a multistage probabilistic sample of 17,297 high school students aged 14-18 years drawn from 789 public and private schools in each of the 27 Brazilian state capitals. Self-report data about BD behaviors and SES were analyzed via weighted logistic regressions and a funnel plot. Almost 32% of the students engaged in BD in the past-year. Being in the highest SES stratum doubled the risk of BD among students in all five Brazilian macro-regions. There was a gradient in the association between past-year BD and socioeconomic status: as SES increased; the chance of having recently engaged in BD also increased. In Brazilian capitals as a whole, being a boy versus being a girl (adjusted odds ratio - aOR=1.40 [95%CI 1.26; 1.58]), being older (aOR=1.47 [95%CI 1.40; 1.55]) and attending private versus public schools (aOR=1.39 [95%CI 1.18; 1.62]) were associated with greater risk for BD. Contrary to what is observed in developed countries, students living in Brazilian capitals may be at an increased risk of BD when they belong to the highest socioeconomic status. There might be similar associations between high SES and BD among adolescents growing up in other emerging economies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enduring links from childhood mathematics and reading achievement to adult socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Ritchie, Stuart J; Bates, Timothy C

2013-07-01

Understanding the determinants of socioeconomic status (SES) is an important economic and social goal. Several major influences on SES are known, yet much of the variance in SES remains unexplained. In a large, population-representative sample from the United Kingdom, we tested the effects of mathematics and reading achievement at age 7 on attained SES by age 42. Mathematics and reading ability both had substantial positive associations with adult SES, above and beyond the effects of SES at birth, and with other important factors, such as intelligence. Achievement in mathematics and reading was also significantly associated with intelligence scores, academic motivation, and duration of education. These findings suggest effects of improved early mathematics and reading on SES attainment across the life span.

Feeling frugal: socioeconomic status, acculturation, and cultural health beliefs among women of Mexican descent.

PubMed

Borrayo, Evelinn A; Jenkins, Sharon Rae

2003-05-01

Psychosocial and socioeconomic variables are often confounded. The authors combined quantitative with grounded theory analysis to investigate influences of acculturation, socioeconomic status (SES), and cultural health beliefs on Mexican-descent women's preventive health behaviors. In 5 focus group interviews sampling across levels of acculturation and SES, women expressing more traditional Mexican health beliefs about breast cancer screening were of lower SES and were less U.S. acculturated. However, SES and acculturation were uncorrelated with screening behaviors. Qualitative analysis generated hypotheses about joint influences of SES and traditional health beliefs; for example, low-SES women may learn frugal habits as part of their cultural traditions that influence their health care decision making, magnifying SES-imposed structural restrictions on health care access.

Race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and lifetime morbidity burden in the women's health initiative: a cross-sectional analysis.

PubMed

Gold, Rachel; Michael, Yvonne L; Whitlock, Evelyn P; Hubbell, F Allan; Mason, Ellen D; Rodriguez, Beatriz L; Safford, Monika M; Sarto, Gloria E

2006-12-01

We sought to assess the extent to which race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) are independently and jointly related to lifetime morbidity burden by comparing the impact of SES on lifetime morbidity among women of different racial/ethnic groups: white, black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN), and Asian/Pacific Islander (API). Using baseline data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a national study of 162,000 postmenopausal women, we measured lifetime morbidity burden using a modified version of the Charlson Index, and measured SES with educational attainment and household income. In multivariable simple polytomous logistic regression models, we first assessed the effect of SES on lifetime morbidity burden among women of each racial/ethnic group, then assessed the combined effect of race/ethnicity and SES. Five percent of all women in the study population had high lifetime morbidity burden. Women with high lifetime morbidity were more likely to be AIAN or black; poor; less educated; divorced, separated, or widowed; past or current smokers; obese; uninsured or publicly insured. Lower SES was associated with higher morbidity among most women. The extent to which morbidity was higher among lower SES compared to higher SES women was about the same among Hispanic women and white women, but was substantially greater among black and AIAN women compared with white women. This study demonstrates the importance of considering race/ethnicity and class together in relation to health outcomes.

Mediating Role of Psychological Resources on the Association Between Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Current Health in the Community Adult Population of Japan.

PubMed

Kan, Chiemi; Kawakami, Norito; Umeda, Maki

2015-12-01

The majority of studies on the role of psychological resources linking childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and adult health have been conducted in Western countries. Empirical evidence for mediation effects of psychological resources is currently lacking in Japan. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of psychological resources (mastery and sense of coherence [SOC]) on the association between childhood SES and current health. Analyses were conducted on cross-sectional data (1,497 men and 1,764 women) from the Japanese Study of Stratification, Health, Income, and Neighborhood Study (J-SHINE) in Tokyo. Psychological resources (mastery and SOC), childhood SES (parents' education and perceived childhood SES), and current health of adults (psychological distress measured by K6 and self-rated health) were measured using a self-report questionnaire. Mastery and SOC significantly and independently mediated the association between childhood SES and current health in the total sample after adjusting for age, gender, and respondent education, regardless of type of SES or health outcome indicators. Similar mediation effects were observed for both men and women. A few gender differences were observed; specifically, SOC significantly mediated the association between parents' education and current health only among women, and it mediated the association between perceived childhood SES and current health only among men. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of the mediating role of psychological resources in the association between childhood SES and current health.

Skeletal maturity of the hand in an East African group from Sudan.

PubMed

Elamin, Fadil; Abdelazeem, Nihal; Elamin, Ahmed; Saif, Duaa; Liversidge, Helen M

2017-08-01

Studies of skeletal maturity from Africa indicate a delay, reflected in a negative relative skeletal age (RSA). This study aims to evaluate the influence of age, socioeconomic status (SES) and nutritional status on skeletal maturation in a large sample of children from North Sudan. The sample consisted 665 males and 1018 females from 3-25 years from Khartoum. Height, weight, age of menarche and, SES were recorded of patients attending for dental treatment. Skeletal age was assigned from hand-wrist radiographs using the Greulich-Pyle (GP) atlas (1952). RSA (difference between skeletal and chronological ages) was compared in groups divided by age, sex, height-for-age and body-mass-index z scores, and SES. Spearman's correlation and student t-test was used to compare groups. Delayed skeletal age was noted across all age in boys. In girls, a delay was observed between ages 6-10, while advancement occurred between ages 13-18. Maturity was delayed in low height groups (p < .05) and low SES groups. RSA was negatively associated with HAZ in low SES males (R = -0.0.27, p < .001) and low SES females (R = -0.32, p < .001). There were statistically significant skeletal delays in North Sudanese males and most pre-menarche females, low height and low SES groups. Post-menarche females were advanced relative to males and GP references. Low SES impacts were statistically correlated to skeletal delay. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Life Course Approach to Inequality: Examining Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Relationship between Early Life Socioeconomic Conditions and Adult Health Among Men.

PubMed

Hargrove, Taylor W; Brown, Tyson H

2015-08-07

Previous research has documented a relationship between childhood socioeconomic conditions and adult health, but less is known about racial/ethnic differences in this relationship, particularly among men. This study utilizes a life course approach to investigate racial/ethnic differences in the relationships among early and later life socioeconomic circumstances and health in adulthood among men. Panel data from the Health and Retirement Study and growth curve models are used to examine group differences in the relationships among childhood and adult socioeconomic factors and age-trajectories of self-rated health among White, Black and Mexican American men aged 51-77 years (N=4147). Multiple measures of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) predict health in adulthood for White men, while significantly fewer measures of childhood SES predict health for Black and Mexican American men. Moreover, the health consequences of childhood SES diminish with age for Black and Mexican American men. The childhood SES-adult health relationship is largely explained by measures of adult SES for White men. The life course pathways linking childhood SES and adult health differ by race/ethnicity among men. Similar to arguments that the universality of the adult SES-health relationship should not be assumed, results from our study suggest that scholars should not assume that the significance and nature of the association between childhood SES and health in adulthood is similar across race/ethnicity among men.

Is Childhood Socioeconomic Status Related to Coronary Heart Disease? Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study (1992-2012).

PubMed

Lee, Minjee; Khan, M Mahmud; Wright, Brad

2017-01-01

Objective: We investigated the association between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and coronary heart disease (CHD) in older Americans. Method: We used Health and Retirement Study data from 1992 to 2012 to examine a nationally representative sample of Americans aged ≥50 years ( N = 30,623). We modeled CHD as a function of childhood and adult SES using maternal and paternal educational level as a proxy for childhood SES. Results: Respondents reporting low childhood SES were significantly more likely to have CHD than respondents reporting high childhood SES. Respondents reporting both low childhood and adult SES were 2.34 times more likely to have CHD than respondents reporting both high childhood and adult SES. People with low childhood SES and high adult SES were 1.60 times more likely than people with high childhood SES and high adult SES to report CHD in the fully adjusted model. High childhood SES and low adult SES increased the likelihood of CHD by 13%, compared with high SES both as a child and adult. Conclusion: Childhood SES is significantly associated with increased risk of CHD in later life among older adult Americans.

Socioeconomic status and the incidence of child injuries in China.

PubMed

Fang, Xiangming; Jing, Ruiwei; Zeng, Guang; Linnan, Huan Wan; Zhu, Xu; Linnan, Michael

2014-02-01

Injuries are the major cause of morbidity among children and one of the leading causes of death for children ages 1-17 years in developing countries. Of particular importance is whether child injuries are equally distributed across all socioeconomic groups and the implications of this question for child injury prevention, but there is a lack of research on the relationship between socioeconomic status and risk of child injuries in developing countries, including China. This study used a provincially-representative, population-based sample of 98,385 Chinese children under age 18 to investigate the relationships between socioeconomic status (SES) and child injuries. Despite the lack of a SES gradient in the overall incidence of nonhospitalized injuries, evidence of SES disparity was found for the overall incidence of H/PD injuries (injuries resulting in hospitalization or permanent disability) and fatal injuries. The odds of getting injured in the poorest wealth quintile were about 1.3 and 3.5 times greater than the odds found in the richest wealth quintile for H/PD and fatal injuries respectively. Further analyses showed that the associations between SES and injuries varied by type and severity of injury, and across different life stages. The findings have important implications for identifying at-risk populations and the optimal times for interventions to reduce different types and severity levels of child injuries. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Evaluating Area-Based Socioeconomic Status Indicators for Monitoring Disparities within Health Care Systems: Results from a Primary Care Network

PubMed Central

Berkowitz, Seth A; Traore, Carine Y; Singer, Daniel E; Atlas, Steven J

2015-01-01

Objective To determine which area-based socioeconomic status (SES) indicator is best suited to monitor health care disparities from a delivery system perspective. Data Sources/Study Setting 142,659 adults seen in a primary care network from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2011. Study Design Cross-sectional, comparing associations between area-based SES indicators and patient outcomes. Data Collection Address data were geocoded to construct area-based SES indicators at block group (BG), census tract (CT), and ZIP code (ZIP) levels. Data on health outcomes were abstracted from electronic records. Relative indices of inequality (RIIs) were calculated to quantify disparities detected by area-based SES indicators and compared to RIIs from self-reported educational attainment. Principal Findings ZIP indicators had less missing data than BG or CT indicators (p < .0001). Area-based SES indicators were strongly associated with self-report educational attainment (p < .0001). ZIP, BG, and CT indicators all detected expected SES gradients in health outcomes similarly. Single-item, cut point defined indicators performed as well as multidimensional indices and quantile indicators. Conclusions Area-based SES indicators detected health outcome differences well and may be useful for monitoring disparities within health care systems. Our preferred indicator was ZIP-level median household income or percent poverty, using cut points. PMID:25219917

[Effects of transtheoretical model intervention on improving self-esteem of obese children].

PubMed

Zhang, Xueyan; Zhou, Leshan; Li, Chenchen

2013-07-01

To explore the effects of transtheoretical model (TTM) intervention on improving self-esteem status of obese children. A quasi-experimental research was conducted using a repeated-measure, pretest-posttest control group design in one randomly-selected boarding school of Changsha, Hunan Province in China. Seventy-three obesity students (54 males, 19 females) among grade three to six were included. All participants received first assessment, including: demographic data, stage of change questionnaire, and the Self-Esteem Scale (SES). According to the baseline data, different intervention measures based on TTM were given to different students to promote them to begin exercise and improve their self-esteem status. Follow-up assessments were collected respectively at 1- and 6- month after intervention. Intervention effects on proportion of obese children and self-esteem status as well as BMI were explored. All analyses were conducted using SPSS 17.0. After intervention, the proportion of obese children in precontemplation and maintenance stages was significantly different (P < 0.001). BMI and SES scores didn't change significantly. SES score was significantly different in five stages among three intervention points (P < 0.001). Obesity children who are in the later stages have higher self-esteem scores than those in former stages. Intervention based on TTM can help obese children move through the stages of change.

The link between body dissatisfaction and self-esteem in adolescents: similarities across gender, age, weight status, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

PubMed

van den Berg, Patricia A; Mond, Jonathan; Eisenberg, Marla; Ackard, Diann; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne

2010-09-01

The present study examined whether the cross-sectional association between body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem varies across gender, age, body weight status, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES). We also examined the association longitudinally. A school-based survey of eating, weight, and related attitudes was conducted with a diverse sample of adolescents aged 11-18 years (N = 4,746). Height and weight were measured in the schools at Time 1. Participants were resurveyed through mails 5 years later (Time, 2; N = 2,516). The relationship between body dissatisfaction and self-esteem was strong and significant in both boys and girls (all p values < .0001), and did not differ significantly between genders (p = .16), or between the middle school and high school cohorts in either boys (p = .79) or girls (p = .80). Among girls, the relationship between body dissatisfaction and self-esteem was strong, but did vary across weight status, race/ethnicity, and SES (all p values = .0001-.03). The relationship was nonsignificant in underweight girls (p = .36), and weaker but still significant among black, Asian, and low SES group girls (all p values < .0001) in comparison to white and high SES group girls. Among boys, the association did not differ significantly across demographic groups (all p values = .18-.79). In longitudinal analyses, the strength of the association did not change significantly as adolescents grew older. Findings indicate that body dissatisfaction and self-esteem are strongly related among nearly all groups of adolescents. This suggests the importance of addressing body image concerns with adolescents of all backgrounds and ages.

Impact of insurance status on heart transplant wait-list mortality for patients with left ventricular assist devices.

PubMed

Emani, Sitaramesh; Tumin, Dmitry; Foraker, Randi E; Hayes, Don; Smith, Sakima A

2017-02-01

To test the hypotheses that receipt of Medicaid or Medicare (versus private insurance or self-pay) and low socioeconomic status (SES) leads to increased mortality and lower chances of transplantation among heart transplant (HTx) candidates with bridge to transplant left ventricular assist devices (BTT LVADs). Survival while awaiting HTx has improved with the use of BTT LVADs. However, it is unknown whether benefits extend uniformly across patient groups based on insurance status. Data from the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry between 2006 and 2015 were examined for first-time HTx candidates ≥18 and <65 years who had LVAD support while wait-listed. Multivariable survival analysis was conducted on competing outcomes of mortality and time to transplant stratified by insurance source at the time of listing. Additional covariates included demographic information and SES. A total of 4626 patients met inclusion criteria, with 3353 being used for multivariable analysis. A majority of patients (68%) underwent HTx during the study period. BTT LVAD wait-list mortality was found to be greater among Medicaid beneficiaries vs. private insurance (SHR 1.57, P<.05) and did not diminish with the inclusion of neighborhood SES. Transplantation as an outcome demonstrated no difference by insurance status. Medicaid insurance status is associated with worse survival on the HTx wait-list among patients with BTT LVADs, although access to transplant was not different among insurance groups. The disparity is not reflective of SES in general and therefore points to other barriers inherent to Medicaid beneficiaries. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Population Health: Challenges for Science and Society

PubMed Central

Mechanic, David

2007-01-01

The emphasis on risk factor intervention at the individual level has predominated in efforts to reduce mortality and promote health. Interest in social and other nonmedical interventions, particularly socioeconomic status (SES) influences, has increased in recent years. This article focuses on the interaction of social structure and socioeconomic status with other influences in complex pathways to affect health, and their contribution to health disparities. It examines both social class as an explanation of health differences and competing hypotheses concerning prenatal and early nutrition and cognitive capacity. Although education is associated with income, wealth, occupation, and other SES indicators and may not be the most important SES determinant, it influences a variety of pathways to health outcomes and offers strategic leverage for intervention because of social and political consensus on its value beyond health. PMID:17718667

Population health: challenges for science and society.

PubMed

Mechanic, David

2007-09-01

The emphasis on risk factor intervention at the individual level has predominated in efforts to reduce mortality and promote health. Interest in social and other nonmedical interventions, particularly socioeconomic status (SES) influences, has increased in recent years. This article focuses on the interaction of social structure and socioeconomic status with other influences in complex pathways to affect health, and their contribution to health disparities. It examines both social class as an explanation of health differences and competing hypotheses concerning prenatal and early nutrition and cognitive capacity. Although education is associated with income, wealth, occupation, and other SES indicators and may not be the most important SES determinant, it influences a variety of pathways to health outcomes and offers strategic leverage for intervention because of social and political consensus on its value beyond health.

Stable isotopes (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur), diet, and anthropometry in urban Colombian women: investigating socioeconomic differences.

PubMed

Bender, Richard L; Dufour, Darna L; Valenzuela, Luciano O; Cerling, Thure E; Sponheimer, Matt; Reina, Julio C; Ehleringer, James R

2015-01-01

We conducted stable isotope and dietary analyses of women from higher and lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups in Cali, Colombia. The objectives were to test between-group differences in stable isotope, dietary, and anthropometric characteristics, and to evaluate relationships between diet and stable isotope values. Hair samples from 38 women (mean age 33.4) from higher and lower SES groups were analyzed for δ(13) C, δ(15) N, and δ(34) S values. Dietary intake was assessed via 24-h recalls. Anthropometric variables measured were body mass index, five body circumferences, and six skinfold thicknesses. Mean δ(13) C and δ(15) N values of the higher SES group (-16.4 and 10.3‰) were significantly greater than those of the lower SES group (-17.2 and 9.6‰; P < 0.01), but mean δ(34) S values did not differ significantly between groups (higher SES: 4.6‰; lower SES: 5.1‰). The higher SES group consumed a greater percentage of protein than the lower SES group (14% vs. 12% of energy; P = 0.03), but the groups did not differ in other dietary characteristics or in anthropometric characteristics. δ(13) C, δ(15) N, and δ(34) S values were not correlated with intake of the dietary items predicted (sugars, animal-source protein, and marine foods, respectively). The lower SES group was more variable in all three stable isotope values (P < 0.05), mirroring a trend toward greater dietary variability in this group. Stable isotope values revealed a difference between SES groups that was not explained by the dietary data. The relationship between diet and stable isotope composition is complex. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An examination of eating behaviors, physical activity, and obesity in african american adolescents: gender, socioeconomic status, and residential status differences.

PubMed

Tate, Nutrena H; Dillaway, Heather E; Yarandi, Hossein N; Jones, Lenette M; Wilson, Feleta L

2015-01-01

African American adolescents experience higher rates of obesity and have an increased risk of obesity-related diseases than do White American adolescents. Despite culturally sensitive obesity preventive interventions, obesity rates are increasing within the African American adolescent population. Current obesity interventions do not usually address the heterogeneity (e.g., socioeconomic status [SES], gender, and residential status differences) within the African American adolescent community that can affect the efficacy of these interventions. To examine the gender, SES, and residential status differences related to obesity and weight behaviors in African American adolescents. A descriptive correlational study was conducted with 15- to 17-year-old African American adolescents (n = 145) from community clinics, youth organizations, churches, and social networks in metropolitan and inner-city Detroit. Data were collected through use of survey methods and analyzed with use of descriptive statistics, independent sample t tests, and multiple regression equations. Female adolescents consumed foods higher in fat and calories (t = -2.36, p = .019) and had more body fat (t = -9.37, p = .000) than did males. Adolescents of lower SES consumed food higher in fat and calories (t = -2.23, p = .027) and had higher body mass (t = -2.57, p = .011) than did adolescents of higher SES. Inner-city African American adolescents had higher levels of physical activity (t = -2.39, p = .018) and higher body mass (t = 2.24, p = .027) than did suburban African American adolescent counterparts. Gender, SES, and residential status were statistically significant predictors of eating behaviors, physical activity, body mass index, and body fat. The initial findings from the study will assist in better understanding the obesity epidemic that affects African American adolescents in disparate proportions. Further examination of the study variables is essential to serve as a basis for developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant targeted interventions with this population. Health care providers and obesity researchers who work with youth can use the initial findings from this study to advocate for healthy lifestyles while reducing the obesity disparity within the African American adolescent population. Copyright © 2015 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Childhood socioeconomic status and lifetime health behaviors: The Young Finns Study.

PubMed

Puolakka, Elina; Pahkala, Katja; Laitinen, Tomi T; Magnussen, Costan G; Hutri-Kähönen, Nina; Männistö, Satu; Pälve, Kristiina S; Tammelin, Tuija; Tossavainen, Päivi; Jokinen, Eero; Smith, Kylie J; Laitinen, Tomi; Elovainio, Marko; Pulkki-Råback, Laura; Viikari, Jorma S A; Raitakari, Olli T; Juonala, Markus

2018-05-01

Differences in health behaviors partly explain the socioeconomic gap in cardiovascular health. We prospectively examined the association between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and lifestyle factors in adulthood, and the difference of lifestyle factors according to childhood SES in multiple time points from childhood to adulthood. The sample comprised 3453 participants aged 3-18 years at baseline (1980) from the longitudinal Young Finns Study. The participants were followed up for 31 years (N = 1675-1930). SES in childhood was characterized as reported annual family income and classified on an 8-point scale. Diet, smoking, alcohol intake and physical activity were used as adult and life course lifestyle factors. Higher childhood SES predicted a healthier diet in adulthood in terms of lower consumption of meat (β ± SE -3.6 ± 0.99,p < 0.001), higher consumption of fish (1.1 ± 0.5, p = 0.04) and higher diet score (0.14 ± 0.044, p = 0.01). Childhood SES was also directly associated with physical activity index (0.059 ± 0.023, p = 0.009) and inversely with the risk of being a smoker (RR 0.90 95%CI 0.85-0.95, p < 0.001) and the amount of pack years (-0.47 ± 0.18, p = 0.01). Life course level of smoking was significantly higher and physical activity index lower among those below the median childhood SES when compared with those above the median SES. These results show that childhood SES associates with several lifestyle factors 31 years later in adulthood. Therefore, attention could be paid to lifestyle behaviors of children of low SES families to promote cardiovascular health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Feeling Frugal: Socioeconomic Status, Acculturation, and Cultural Health Beliefs among Women of Mexican Descent.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borrayo, Evelinn A.; Jenkins, Sharon Rae

2003-01-01

Investigates influences of acculturation, socioeconomic status (SES), and cultural health beliefs on Mexican-descent women's preventive health behaviors. In 5 focus group interviews sampling across levels of acculturation and SES, women expressing more traditional Mexican health beliefs about breast cancer screening were of lower SES and were less…

The Combined Effect of Individual and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status on Cancer Survival Rates

PubMed Central

Lai, Ning-Sheng; Huang, Kuang-Yung; Chien, Sou-Hsin; Chang, Yu-Han; Lian, Wei-Cheng; Hsu, Ta-Wen; Lee, Ching-Chih

2012-01-01

Background This population-based study investigated the relationship between individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and mortality rates for major cancers in Taiwan. Methods A population-based follow-up study was conducted with 20,488 cancer patients diagnosed in 2002. Each patient was traced to death or for 5 years. The individual income-related insurance payment amount was used as a proxy measure of individual SES for patients. Neighborhood SES was defined by income, and neighborhoods were grouped as living in advantaged or disadvantaged areas. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the death-free survival rates between the different SES groups after adjusting for possible confounding and risk factors. Results After adjusting for patient characteristics (age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index Score, urbanization, and area of residence), tumor extent, treatment modalities (operation and adjuvant therapy), and hospital characteristics (ownership and teaching level), colorectal cancer, and head and neck cancer patients under 65 years old with low individual SES in disadvantaged neighborhoods conferred a 1.5 to 2-fold higher risk of mortality, compared with patients with high individual SES in advantaged neighborhoods. A cross-level interaction effect was found in lung cancer and breast cancer. Lung cancer and breast cancer patients less than 65 years old with low SES in advantaged neighborhoods carried the highest risk of mortality. Prostate cancer patients aged 65 and above with low SES in disadvantaged neighborhoods incurred the highest risk of mortality. There was no association between SES and mortality for cervical cancer and pancreatic cancer. Conclusions Our findings indicate that cancer patients with low individual SES have the highest risk of mortality even under a universal health-care system. Public health strategies and welfare policies must continue to focus on this vulnerable group. PMID:22957007

Is socioeconomic status associated with dietary sodium intake in Australian children? A cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Grimes, Carley A; Campbell, Karen J; Riddell, Lynn J; Nowson, Caryl A

2013-01-01

Objective To assess the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and dietary sodium intake, and to identify if the major dietary sources of sodium differ by socioeconomic group in a nationally representative sample of Australian children. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. Participants A total of 4487 children aged 2–16 years completed all components of the survey. Primary and secondary outcome measures Sodium intake was determined via one 24 h dietary recall. The population proportion formula was used to identify the major sources of dietary salt. SES was defined by the level of education attained by the primary carer. In addition, parental income was used as a secondary indicator of SES. Results Dietary sodium intake of children of low SES background was 2576 (SEM 42) mg/day (salt equivalent 6.6 (0.1) g/day), which was greater than that of children of high SES background 2370 (35) mg/day (salt 6.1 (0.1) g/day; p<0.001). After adjustment for age, gender, energy intake and body mass index, low SES children consumed 195 mg/day (salt 0.5 g/day) more sodium than high SES children (p<0.001). Low SES children had a greater intake of sodium from processed meat, gravies/sauces, pastries, breakfast cereals, potatoes and potato snacks (all p<0.05). Conclusions Australian children from a low SES background have on average a 9% greater intake of sodium from food sources compared with those from a high SES background. Understanding the socioeconomic patterning of salt intake during childhood should be considered in interventions to reduce cardiovascular disease. PMID:23396559

Assessment of neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status as a modifier of air pollution-asthma associations among children in Atlanta.

PubMed

O'Lenick, Cassandra R; Winquist, Andrea; Mulholland, James A; Friberg, Mariel D; Chang, Howard H; Kramer, Michael R; Darrow, Lyndsey A; Sarnat, Stefanie Ebelt

2017-02-01

A broad literature base provides evidence of association between air pollution and paediatric asthma. Socioeconomic status (SES) may modify these associations; however, previous studies have found inconsistent evidence regarding the role of SES. Effect modification of air pollution-paediatric asthma morbidity by multiple indicators of neighbourhood SES was examined in Atlanta, Georgia. Emergency department (ED) visit data were obtained for 5-18 years old with a diagnosis of asthma in 20-county Atlanta during 2002-2008. Daily ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA)-level concentrations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter and elemental carbon were estimated using ambient monitoring data and emissions-based chemical transport model simulations. Pollutant-asthma associations were estimated using a case-crossover approach, controlling for temporal trends and meteorology. Effect modification by ZCTA-level (neighbourhood) SES was examined via stratification. We observed stronger air pollution-paediatric asthma associations in 'deprivation areas' (eg, ≥20% of the ZCTA population living in poverty) compared with 'non-deprivation areas'. When stratifying analyses by quartiles of neighbourhood SES, ORs indicated stronger associations in the highest and lowest SES quartiles and weaker associations among the middle quartiles. Our results suggest that neighbourhood-level SES is a factor contributing vulnerability to air pollution-related paediatric asthma morbidity in Atlanta. Children living in low SES environments appear to be especially vulnerable given positive ORs and high underlying asthma ED rates. Inconsistent findings of effect modification among previous studies may be partially explained by choice of SES stratification criteria, and the use of multiplicative models combined with differing baseline risk across SES populations. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Is Childhood Socioeconomic Status Independently Associated with Adult BMI after Accounting for Adult and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status?

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) is inversely associated with adult weight in high income countries. Whether the influence of childhood SES on adult weight is best described using a critical period model or an accumulation of risk model is not yet settled. This research tests whether childhood SES is associated with adult BMI and likelihood of obesity independent of adult socioeconomic status and neighborhood characteristics. Data on individual childhood and adult characteristics come from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 13,545). Data on neighborhood characteristics come from the 2000 Decennial Census and American Community Survey (2005–2009). In the fully adjusted models, perceived financial hardship before the age of sixteen and having a father who was unemployed are associated with higher BMI among males and, among females, paternal education remains associated with adult BMI. However, childhood SES is not associated with likelihood of obesity after fully adjusting for adult SES and neighborhood characteristics, suggesting that the direct effects of early childhood SES on BMI are small relative to the other factors associated with obesity in adulthood. PMID:28095430

Does breast-feeding reduce offspring junk food consumption during childhood? Examinations by socio-economic status and race/ethnicity.

PubMed

Jackson, Dylan B; Johnson, Kecia R

2017-06-01

To examine whether breast-feeding duration and socio-economic status (SES) interact to predict junk food consumption among offspring and whether the interaction differs across racial/ethnic groups. Survey research using a longitudinal panel design. Hierarchical linear regression was used to analyse the data. In-home interviews with the child's parents over a 5-year period across the USA. Approximately 10 000 American children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). The findings revealed that longer breast-feeding durations correspond to lower levels of junk food consumption, but that this relationship emerges consistently only among low-SES blacks. Efforts to promote breast-feeding among low-SES black women may have the added benefit of reducing their children's junk food intake, and may thereby promote their general health and well-being. Future research should seek to explore the mechanisms by which breast-feeding might benefit the dietary habits of low-SES black children.

Socioeconomic Status, Nocturnal Blood Pressure Dipping, and Psychosocial Factors: A Cross-Sectional Investigation in Mexican-American Women

PubMed Central

Gallo, Linda C.; Roesch, Scott C.; Mills, Paul J.; Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth; Talavera, Greg A.; Elder, John P.; Matthews, Karen A.

2013-01-01

Background Despite established links between reduced nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping and cardiovascular disease, BP dipping research in Hispanics is limited. Purpose This study investigated socioeconomic status (SES) as a predictor of BP dipping and the contributions of psychosocial factors to this relationship. Analyses were conducted for the overall sample and separately for higher and lower acculturated women. Methods Mexican-American women (N=291; 40–65 years) reported demographics and completed psychosocial assessments and 36-h ambulatory BP monitoring. Results Lower SES related to reduced BP dipping in the overall sample and in more US-acculturated women (r’s=.17–.30, p’s<.05), but not in less-acculturated women (r’s=.07, p’s>.10). An indirect effect model from SES to BP dipping via psychosocial resources/risk fits well across samples. Conclusions In Mexican-American women, the nature of SES gradients in BP dipping and the roles of psychosocial resources/risk differ by acculturation level. PMID:22777880

"Macho men" and preventive health care: implications for older men in different social classes.

PubMed

Springer, Kristen W; Mouzon, Dawne M

2011-06-01

The gender paradox in mortality--where men die earlier than women despite having more socioeconomic resources--may be partly explained by men's lower levels of preventive health care. Stereotypical notions of masculinity reduce preventive health care; however, the relationship between masculinity, socioeconomic status (SES), and preventive health care is unknown. Using the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, the authors conduct a population-based assessment of masculinity beliefs and preventive health care, including whether these relationships vary by SES. The results show that men with strong masculinity beliefs are half as likely as men with more moderate masculinity beliefs to receive preventive care. Furthermore, in contrast to the well-established SES gradient in health, men with strong masculinity beliefs do not benefit from higher education and their probability of obtaining preventive health care decreases as their occupational status, wealth, and/or income increases. Masculinity may be a partial explanation for the paradox of men's lower life expectancy, despite their higher SES.

Dietary Research to Reduce Children's Oral Health Disparities: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Analysis of Socioeconomic Status, Food Insecurity, and Fast-Food Consumption.

PubMed

Chi, Donald L; Dinh, Mai A; da Fonseca, Marcio A; Scott, JoAnna M; Carle, Adam C

2015-10-01

Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease and it disproportionately affects low-income children. The dietary risk factors associated with socioeconomic status (SES), such as food insecurity and fast-food consumption, are poorly understood. To better understand how upstream social factors are related to dietary behaviors by testing the hypothesis that food insecurity mediates the SES-fast-food consumption relationship. A 36-item survey was administered to caregivers of children younger than age 18 years (n=212). The predictor variable was SES, measured by whether the child was insured by Medicaid (no/yes). Food insecurity, the potential dietary mediator, was measured using the six-item US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey (food secure/food insecure without hunger/food insecure with hunger). The outcome variable was whether the household reported eating at a fast-food restaurant ≥2 times a week (no/yes). We used logistic structural equation and mediation models to test our hypothesis. About 63% of children were classified as low SES. Thirty percent of caregivers reported food insecurity (with or without hunger) and 18.6% of households consumed fast food ≥2 times per week. Lower SES was significantly associated with food insecurity (odds ratio [OR] 3.03, 95% CI 1.51 to 6.04; P=0.002), but SES was not related to fast-food consumption (OR 1.94, 95% CI 0.86 to 4.36; P=0.11). Food insecurity was not associated with fast-food consumption (OR 1.76, 95% CI 0.86 to 3.62; P=0.12). The mediation analyses suggest food insecurity does not mediate the relationship between SES and fast-food consumption. However, there are important potential differences in fast-food consumption by SES and food insecurity status. Future dietary research focusing on tooth decay prevention in vulnerable children may need to account for the differential effects of SES on food insecurity and dietary behaviors like fast-food consumption. Studies are needed to further elucidate the mechanisms linking SES, dietary behaviors, and tooth decay in children. Copyright © 2015 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association of socioeconomic status with overall and cause specific mortality in the Republic of Seychelles: results from a cohort study in the African region.

PubMed

Stringhini, Silvia; Rousson, Valentin; Viswanathan, Bharathi; Gedeon, Jude; Paccaud, Fred; Bovet, Pascal

2014-01-01

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is consistently associated with higher mortality in high income countries. Only few studies have assessed this association in low and middle income countries, mainly because of sparse reliable mortality data. This study explores SES differences in overall and cause-specific mortality in the Seychelles, a rapidly developing small island state in the African region. All deaths have been medically certified over more than two decades. SES and other lifestyle-related risk factors were assessed in a total of 3246 participants from three independent population-based surveys conducted in 1989, 1994 and 2004. Vital status was ascertained using linkage with vital statistics. Occupational position was the indicator of SES used in this study and was assessed with the same questions in the three surveys. During a mean follow-up of 15.0 years (range 0-23 years), 523 participants died (overall mortality rate 10.8 per 1000 person-years). The main causes of death were cardiovascular disease (CVD) (219 deaths) and cancer (142 deaths). Participants in the low SES group had a higher mortality risk for overall (HR = 1.80; 95% CI: 1.24-2.62), CVD (HR = 1.95; 1.04-3.65) and non-cancer/non-CVD (HR = 2.14; 1.10-4.16) mortality compared to participants in the high SES group. Cancer mortality also tended to be patterned by SES (HR = 1.44; 0.76-2.75). Major lifestyle-related risk factors (smoking, heavy drinking, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia) explained a small proportion of the associations between low SES and all-cause, CVD, and non-cancer/non-CVD mortality. In this population-based study assessing social inequalities in mortality in a country of the African region, low SES (as measured by occupational position) was strongly associated with overall, CVD and non-cancer/non-CVD mortality. Our findings support the view that the burden of non-communicable diseases may disproportionally affect people with low SES in low and middle income countries.

Association of Socioeconomic Status with Overall and Cause Specific Mortality in the Republic of Seychelles: Results from a Cohort Study in the African Region

PubMed Central

Stringhini, Silvia; Rousson, Valentin; Viswanathan, Bharathi; Gedeon, Jude; Paccaud, Fred; Bovet, Pascal

2014-01-01

Background Low socioeconomic status (SES) is consistently associated with higher mortality in high income countries. Only few studies have assessed this association in low and middle income countries, mainly because of sparse reliable mortality data. This study explores SES differences in overall and cause-specific mortality in the Seychelles, a rapidly developing small island state in the African region. Methods All deaths have been medically certified over more than two decades. SES and other lifestyle-related risk factors were assessed in a total of 3246 participants from three independent population-based surveys conducted in 1989, 1994 and 2004. Vital status was ascertained using linkage with vital statistics. Occupational position was the indicator of SES used in this study and was assessed with the same questions in the three surveys. Results During a mean follow-up of 15.0 years (range 0–23 years), 523 participants died (overall mortality rate 10.8 per 1000 person-years). The main causes of death were cardiovascular disease (CVD) (219 deaths) and cancer (142 deaths). Participants in the low SES group had a higher mortality risk for overall (HR = 1.80; 95% CI: 1.24–2.62), CVD (HR = 1.95; 1.04–3.65) and non-cancer/non-CVD (HR = 2.14; 1.10–4.16) mortality compared to participants in the high SES group. Cancer mortality also tended to be patterned by SES (HR = 1.44; 0.76–2.75). Major lifestyle-related risk factors (smoking, heavy drinking, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia) explained a small proportion of the associations between low SES and all-cause, CVD, and non-cancer/non-CVD mortality. Conclusions In this population-based study assessing social inequalities in mortality in a country of the African region, low SES (as measured by occupational position) was strongly associated with overall, CVD and non-cancer/non-CVD mortality. Our findings support the view that the burden of non-communicable diseases may disproportionally affect people with low SES in low and middle income countries. PMID:25057938

Are all immigrant mothers really at risk of low birth weight and perinatal mortality? The crucial role of socio-economic status.

PubMed

Racape, Judith; Schoenborn, Claudia; Sow, Mouctar; Alexander, Sophie; De Spiegelaere, Myriam

2016-04-08

Increasing studies show that immigrants have different perinatal health outcomes compared to native women. Nevertheless, we lack a systematic examination of the combined effects of immigrant status and socioeconomic factors on perinatal outcomes. Our objectives were to analyse national Belgian data to determine 1) whether socioeconomic status (SES) modifies the association between maternal nationality and perinatal outcomes (low birth weight and perinatal mortality); 2) the effect of adopting the Belgian nationality on the association between maternal foreign nationality and perinatal outcomes. This study is a population-based study using the data from linked birth and death certificates from the Belgian civil registration system. Data are related to all singleton births to mothers living in Belgium between 1998 and 2010. Perinatal mortality and low birth weight (LBW) were estimated by SES (maternal education and parental employment status) and by maternal nationality (at her own birth and at her child's birth). We used logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios for the associations between nationality and perinatal outcomes after adjusting for and stratifying by SES. The present study includes, for the first time, all births in Belgium; that is 1,363,621 singleton births between 1998 and 2010. Compared to Belgians, we observed an increased risk of perinatal mortality in all migrant groups (p < 0.0001), despite lower rates of LBW in some nationalities. Immigrant mothers with the Belgian nationality had similar rates of perinatal mortality to women of Belgian origin and maintained their protection against LBW (p < 0.0001). After adjustment, the excess risk of perinatal mortality among immigrant groups was mostly explained by maternal education; whereas for sub-Saharan African mothers, mortality was mainly affected by parental employment status. After stratification by SES, we have uncovered a significant protective effect of immigration against LBW and perinatal mortality for women with low SES but not for high SES. Our results show a protective effect of migration in relation to perinatal mortality and LBW among women of low SES. Hence, the study underlines the importance of taking into account socioeconomic status in order to understand more fully the relationship between migration and perinatal outcomes. Further studies are needed to analyse more finely the impact of socio-economic characteristics on perinatal outcomes.

Maternal styles of talking about child feeding across sociodemographic groups.

PubMed

Pesch, Megan H; Harrell, Kristina J; Kaciroti, Niko; Rosenblum, Katherine L; Lumeng, Julie C

2011-12-01

This study sought to identify maternal styles of talking about child feeding from a semistructured interview and to evaluate associated maternal and child characteristics. Mothers of preschool-aged children (n=133) of diverse race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) (45 lower SES black, 29 lower SES white, 32 lower SES Hispanic, 15 middle to upper SES white, and 12 middle to upper SES Asian) participated in a semistructured interview about feeding. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Themes were identified, and individual interviews were coded within these themes: authority (high/low), confidence (confident/conflicted/unopinionated), and investment (deep/mild/removed). Demographic characteristics were collected and a subset of children had measured weights and heights. Cluster analysis was used to identify narrative styles. Participant characteristics were compared across clusters using Fisher's exact test and analysis of variance. Six narrative styles were identified: Easy-Going, Practical No-Nonsense, Disengaged, Effortful No-Nonsense, Indulgent Worry, and Conflicted Control. Cluster membership differed significantly based on maternal demographic group (P<0.001) and child weight status (P<0.05). More than half (60%) of children of mothers in the Conflicted Control cluster were obese. Maternal styles of talking about feeding are associated with maternal and child characteristics. Copyright © 2011 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association of Socioeconomic Status in Childhood With Left Ventricular Structure and Diastolic Function in Adulthood: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.

PubMed

Laitinen, Tomi T; Puolakka, Elina; Ruohonen, Saku; Magnussen, Costan G; Smith, Kylie J; Viikari, Jorma S A; Heinonen, Olli J; Kartiosuo, Noora; Hutri-Kähönen, Nina; Kähönen, Mika; Jokinen, Eero; Laitinen, Tomi P; Tossavainen, Päivi; Pulkki-Råback, Laura; Elovainio, Marko; Raitakari, Olli T; Pahkala, Katja; Juonala, Markus

2017-08-01

Increased left ventricular (LV) mass and diastolic dysfunction are associated with cardiovascular disease. Prospective data on effects of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) on measures of LV structure and function are lacking. To examine whether family SES in childhood was associated with LV mass and diastolic function after adjustment for conventional cardiovascular disease risk factors in childhood and adulthood. The analyses were performed in 2016 using data gathered in 1980 and 2011 within the longitudinal population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. The sample comprised 1871 participants who reported family SES at ages 3 to 18 years and were evaluated for LV structure and function 31 years later. Socioeconomic status was characterized as annual income of the family and classified on a 3-point scale. Left ventricular mass indexed according to height at the allometric power of 2.7 and the E/e' ratio describing LV diastolic performance at ages 34 to 49 years. The participants were aged 3 to 18 years at baseline (mean [SD], 10.8 [5.0] years), and the length of follow-up was 31 years. Family SES was inversely associated with LV mass (mean [SD] LV mass index, 31.8 [6.7], 31.0 [6.6], and 30.1 [6.4] g/m2.7 in the low, medium, and high SES groups, respectively; differences [95% CI], 1.7 [0.6 to 2.8] for low vs high SES; 0.8 [-0.3 to 1.9] for low vs medium; and 0.9 [0.1 to 1.6] for medium vs high; overall P = .001) and E/e' ratio (mean [SD] E/e' ratio, 5.0 [1.0], 4.9 [1.0], and 4.7 [1.0] in the low, medium, and high SES groups, respectively; differences [95% CI], 0.3 [0.1 to 0.4] for low vs high SES; 0.1 [-0.1 to 0.3] for low vs medium; and 0.2 [0 to 0.3] for medium vs high; overall P < .001) in adulthood. After adjustment for age, sex, and conventional cardiovascular disease risk factors in childhood and adulthood, and participants' own SES in adulthood, the relationship with LV mass (differences [95% CI], 1.5 [0.2 to 2.8] for low vs high SES; 1.3 [0 to 2.6] for low vs medium; and 0.2 [-0.6 to 1.0] for medium vs high; P = .03) and E/e' ratio (differences [95% CI], 0.2 [0 to 0.5] for low vs high SES; 0.1 [-0.1 to 0.4] for low vs medium; and 0.1 [0 to 0.3] for medium vs high; P = .02) remained significant. Low family SES was associated with increased LV mass and impaired diastolic performance more than 3 decades later. These findings emphasize that approaches of cardiovascular disease prevention must be directed also to the family environment of the developing child.

Between-group differences in nutrition- and health- related psychosocial factors among US adults and their associations with diet, exercise, and weight status

PubMed Central

Wang, Youfa; Chen, Xiaoli

2012-01-01

Background Large disparities exist across ethnic and socioeconomic status (SES) groups regarding obesity and other chronic diseases. Eliminating health disparities is a national priority in the US. Objective To test between-group differences in nutrition- and health-related psychosocial factors (NHRPF) and their associations with US adults’ diet, exercise, and weight status. Design and participants/setting Nationally representative data from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and the Diet and Health Knowledge Survey in 1994-96 from 4,356 US adults aged 20-65 years were used. Diet was assessed using 24-hour recalls; NHRPF, by 25 questions; weight status, by self-reported weight and height. Index scores were created to measure NHRPF. Diet quality was assessed using the US Department of Agriculture 2005 Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Statistical analyses Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were conducted to examine the associations. Results Some ethnic differences in NHRPF existed but were small. There were statistically significant (P<0.05) and large ethnic differences in diet (blacks had the worst average HEI; whites, the best, at 47.6 vs. 52.3, respectively). Groups with higher SES had better NHRPF (had better nutrition knowledge and beliefs, made better food choices, and had better awareness of nutrition-related health risks) and HEI. Subjects with high school education had higher NHRPF score (37.2 vs. 35.7) and HEI (54.5 vs. 49.5) than those with less than a high school education. Conclusions Ethnic differences among American adults’ NHRPF were small, but SES differences were greater. More efforts are needed to study the influences of the complex interactions between individual and social environmental factors that affect Americans’ diet and weight status and to explain related ethnic disparities. PMID:22709700

Life Strain, Social Control, Social Learning, and Delinquency: The Effects of Gender, Age, and Family SES Among Chinese Adolescents.

PubMed

Bao, Wan-Ning; Haas, Ain; Xie, Yunping

2016-09-01

Very few studies have examined the pathways to delinquency and causal factors for demographic subgroups of adolescents in a different culture. This article explores the effects of gender, age, and family socioeconomic status (SES) in an integrated model of strain, social control, social learning, and delinquency among a sample of Chinese adolescents. ANOVA is used to check for significant differences between categories of demographic groups on the variables in the integrated model, and the differential effects of causal factors in the theoretical path models are examined. Further tests of interaction effects are conducted to compare path coefficients between "high-risk" youths (i.e., male, mid-teen, and low family SES adolescents) and other subgroups. The findings identified similar pathways to delinquency across subgroups and clarified the salience of causal factors for male, mid-teen, and low SES adolescents in a different cultural context. © The Author(s) 2015.

Vocabulary knowledge mediates the link between socioeconomic status and word learning in grade school.

PubMed

Maguire, Mandy J; Schneider, Julie M; Middleton, Anna E; Ralph, Yvonne; Lopez, Michael; Ackerman, Robert A; Abel, Alyson D

2018-02-01

The relationship between children's slow vocabulary growth and the family's low socioeconomic status (SES) has been well documented. However, previous studies have often focused on infants or preschoolers and primarily used static measures of vocabulary at multiple time points. To date, there is no research investigating whether SES predicts a child's word learning abilities in grade school and, if so, what mediates this relationship. In this study, 68 children aged 8-15 years performed a written word learning from context task that required using the surrounding text to identify the meaning of an unknown word. Results revealed that vocabulary knowledge significantly mediated the relationship between SES (as measured by maternal education) and word learning. This was true despite the fact that the words in the linguistic context surrounding the target word are typically acquired well before 8 years of age. When controlling for vocabulary, word learning from written context was not predicted by differences in reading comprehension, decoding, or working memory. These findings reveal that differences in vocabulary growth between grade school children from low and higher SES homes are likely related to differences in the process of word learning more than knowledge of surrounding words or reading skills. Specifically, children from lower SES homes are not as effective at using known vocabulary to build a robust semantic representation of incoming text to identify the meaning of an unknown word. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of work-related physical assaults on mental health among Japanese employees with different socioeconomic status: The Japan Work Stress and Health Cohort Study (JSTRESS).

PubMed

Tsuno, Kanami; Kawakami, Norito

2016-12-01

Work-related physical assaults or violence has severely impacted on the safety of the work environment and employees' mental health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of physical assaults, the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on it and depression associated with it in employees working at large companies. A total of 22,770 Japanese employees responded to a self-administered questionnaire including SES (educational status and occupational status), violence victimization, worksite social support and depression (response rate, 85%). The 12-month prevalence of physical assaults and depression was examined using a single question and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, respectively. The prevalence of physical assaults was 1.8% both in males and females. Although the risk of exposure to physical assaults was 2-3 times higher in the blue-collar group than in the manager group, the association of exposure to physical assaults with depression was stronger in the manager and white-collar worker group (Prevalence ratio [PR]=2.1 in males; 1.8 in females) than in the blue-collar worker group (PR=1.7 in males; 1.5 in females) after adjusting demographic and occupational covariates. A similar pattern was observed for education in males; the association was stronger than in the lower education group (PR=2.1 and 1.8). Low SES is a risk factor of exposure to physical assaults, however, the association of physical assaults with depression was significantly greater among company employees of higher SES than those of lower SES.

Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Mortality after Bacteremia in Working-Age Patients. A Danish Population-Based Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Koch, Kristoffer; Nørgaard, Mette; Schønheyder, Henrik Carl; Thomsen, Reimar Wernich; Søgaard, Mette

2013-01-01

Objectives To examine the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on mortality in patients with bacteremia and the underlying factors that may mediate differences in mortality. Methods We conducted a population-based cohort study in two Danish regions. All patients 30 to 65 years of age with first time bacteremia from 2000 through 2008 were identified in a population-based microbiological bacteremia database (n = 8,653). Individual-level data on patients’ SES (educational level and personal income) and comorbid conditions were obtained from public and medical registries. We used Cox regression to examine mortality within 30 days after bacteremia with and without cumulative adjustment for potential mediators. Results Bacteremia patients of low SES were more likely to live alone and be unmarried than patients of high SES. They also had more pre-existing comorbidity, more substance abuse, more Staphylococcus aureus and nosocomial infections, and more admissions to small nonteaching hospitals. Overall, 1,374 patients (15.9%) died within 30 days of follow-up. Patients of low SES had consistently higher mortality after bacteremia than those of high SES crude hazard ratio for low vs. high education, 1.38 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.18–1.61]; crude hazard ratio for low-income vs. high-income tertile, 1.58 [CI, 1.39–1.80]. Adjustment for differences in social support, pre-existing comorbidity, substance abuse, place of acquisition of the infection, and microbial agent substantially attenuated the effect of SES on mortality (adjusted hazard ratio for low vs. high education, 1.15 [95% CI, 0.98–1.36]; adjusted hazard ratio for low-income vs. high-income tertile, 1.29 [CI, 1.12–1.49]). Further adjustment for characteristics of the admitting hospital had minimal effect on observed mortality differences. Conclusions Low SES was strongly associated with increased 30-day mortality after bacteremia. Less social support, more pre-existing comorbidity, more substance abuse, and differences in place of acquisition and agent of infection appeared to mediate much of the observed disparities in mortality. PMID:23936145

Effect of socioeconomic status on mortality after bacteremia in working-age patients. A Danish population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Koch, Kristoffer; Nørgaard, Mette; Schønheyder, Henrik Carl; Thomsen, Reimar Wernich; Søgaard, Mette

2013-01-01

To examine the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on mortality in patients with bacteremia and the underlying factors that may mediate differences in mortality. We conducted a population-based cohort study in two Danish regions. All patients 30 to 65 years of age with first time bacteremia from 2000 through 2008 were identified in a population-based microbiological bacteremia database (n = 8,653). Individual-level data on patients' SES (educational level and personal income) and comorbid conditions were obtained from public and medical registries. We used Cox regression to examine mortality within 30 days after bacteremia with and without cumulative adjustment for potential mediators. Bacteremia patients of low SES were more likely to live alone and be unmarried than patients of high SES. They also had more pre-existing comorbidity, more substance abuse, more Staphylococcus aureus and nosocomial infections, and more admissions to small nonteaching hospitals. Overall, 1,374 patients (15.9%) died within 30 days of follow-up. Patients of low SES had consistently higher mortality after bacteremia than those of high SES crude hazard ratio for low vs. high education, 1.38 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.18-1.61]; crude hazard ratio for low-income vs. high-income tertile, 1.58 [CI, 1.39-1.80]. Adjustment for differences in social support, pre-existing comorbidity, substance abuse, place of acquisition of the infection, and microbial agent substantially attenuated the effect of SES on mortality (adjusted hazard ratio for low vs. high education, 1.15 [95% CI, 0.98-1.36]; adjusted hazard ratio for low-income vs. high-income tertile, 1.29 [CI, 1.12-1.49]). Further adjustment for characteristics of the admitting hospital had minimal effect on observed mortality differences. Low SES was strongly associated with increased 30-day mortality after bacteremia. Less social support, more pre-existing comorbidity, more substance abuse, and differences in place of acquisition and agent of infection appeared to mediate much of the observed disparities in mortality.

The Importance of SES, Home and School Language and Literacy Practices, and Oral Vocabulary in Bilingual Children's English Reading Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Elizabeth R.; Páez, Mariela M.; August, Diane L.; Barr, Christopher D.; Kenyon, Dorry; Malabonga, Valerie

2014-01-01

This study explores the role that socioeconomic status (SES), home and school language and literacy practices, and oral vocabulary play in the development of English reading skills in Latino English language learners (ELLs) and how these factors contribute differentially to English reading outcomes for children of different ages and in different…

Teacher Expectations and Students from Low Socioeconomic Background: A Perspective from Costa Rica

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regalla, Michele

2013-01-01

This study explores teachers' academic expectations of students from low socioeconomic status (SES) in Costa Rica for the purpose of cross-cultural comparison. A group of 17 teachers from two different elementary schools located in a small town in Costa Rica were questioned about their expectations of low SES students enrolled in their classes.…

Childhood socioeconomic status and race are associated with adult sleep.

PubMed

Tomfohr, Lianne M; Ancoli-Israel, Sonia; Dimsdale, Joel E

2010-01-01

Race and current socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with sleep. Parental education, a commonly studied component of childhood SES, is predictive of adult health outcomes; yet, its impact on adult sleep remains unclear. In this study, the sleep of 128 Black and White adults was investigated. Participants with lower childhood SES (assessed via parental education) spent more time in Stage 2 sleep and less time in slow-wave sleep (SWS) than those with higher childhood SES. In addition, women from low childhood SES backgrounds took longer to fall asleep than women from high SES backgrounds. Black participants spent less time in SWS than their White counterparts, and an Age × Race interaction was detected in the prediction of subjective sleep quality. Results were not mediated via current SES or health practices.

Combined effect of individual and neighbourhood socioeconomic status on mortality of rheumatoid arthritis patients under universal health care coverage system.

PubMed

Chen, Cheng-Hsin; Huang, Kuang-Yung; Wang, Jen-Yu; Huang, Hsien-Bin; Chou, Pesus; Lee, Ching-Chih

2015-02-01

The National Health Insurance program in Taiwan is a public insurance system for the entire population of Taiwan initiated since March 1995. However, the association of socioeconomic status (SES) and prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under this program has not been identified. Using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan, we aimed to examine the combined effect of individual and neighbourhood SES on the mortality rates of RA patients under a universal health care coverage system. A study population included patients with RA from 2004 to 2008. The primary end point was the 5-year overall mortality rate. Individual SES was categorized into low, moderate and high levels based on the income-related insurance payment amount. Neighbourhood SES was defined by household income and neighbourhoods were grouped as an 'advantaged' area or a 'disadvantaged' area. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to compare outcomes between different SES categories. A two-sided P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Medical data of 23900 RA patients from 2004 to 2008 were reviewed. Analysis of the combined effect of individual SES and neighbourhood SES revealed that 5-year mortality rates were worse among RA patients with a low individual SES compared to those with a high SES (P < 0.001). In the Cox proportional hazards regression model, RA patients with low individual SES in disadvantaged neighbourhoods incurred the highest risk of mortality (Hazard ratio = 1.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.26-2.13, P < 0.001). RA patients with a low SES have a higher overall mortality rate than those with a higher SES, even with a universal health care system. It is crucial that more public policy and health care efforts be put into alleviating the health disadvantages, besides providing treatment payment coverage. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Gender differences in the relationship between socioeconomic status and height loss among the elderly in South Korea: Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2010.

PubMed

Kim, Yang-Hyun; Ahn, Kyung-Sik; Cho, Kyung-Hwan; Kang, Chang Ho; Cho, Sung Bum; Han, Kyungdo; Rho, Yong-Kyun; Park, Yong-Gyu

2017-08-01

This study aimed to examine average height loss and the relationship between height loss and socioeconomic status (SES) among the elderly in South Korea.Data were obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2010. A total of 5265 subjects (2818 men and 2447 women) were included. Height loss was calculated as the difference between the subject's self-reported maximum adult height and their measured current height. The height loss values were divided into quartiles (Q1-Q4) for men and women. SES was determined using a self-reported questionnaire for education level, family income, and occupation.Height loss was associated with SES in all age groups, and mean height loss increased with age. In the relationship between education level and maximum height loss (Q4), men with ≤6, 7-9, or 10-12 years of education had higher odds ratios for the prevalence of height loss (Q4) than men with the highest education level (≥13 years). With regard to the relationship between the income level and height loss (Q4), the subjects with the lowest income had an increased prevalence of maximum height loss (Q4) than the subjects with the highest income (odds ratios = 2.03 in men and 1.94 in women). Maximum height loss (Q4) was more prevalent in men and women with a low SES and less prevalent in men with a high SES than in men with a middle SES.Height loss (Q4) was associated with education level in men and with income level (especially low income) in men and women. Height loss was also associated with a low SES in men and women.

Ethnicity- and socio-economic status-related stresses in context: an integrative review and conceptual model.

PubMed

Myers, Hector F

2009-02-01

There continues to be debate about how best to conceptualize and measure the role of exposure to ethnicity-related and socio-economic status-related stressors (e.g. racism, discrimination, class prejudice) in accounting for ethnic health disparities over the lifecourse and across generations. In this review, we provide a brief summary of the evidence of health disparities among ethnic groups, and the major evidence on the role of exposure to ethnicity- and SES-related stressors on health. We then offer a reciprocal and recursive lifespan meta-model that considers the interaction of ethnicity and SES history as impacting exposure to psychosocial adversities, including ethnicity-related stresses, and mediating biopsychosocial mechanisms that interact to result in hypothesized cumulative biopsychosocial vulnerabilities. Ultimately, group differences in the burden of cumulative vulnerabilities are hypothesized as contributing to differential health status over time. Suggestions are offered for future research on the unique role that ethnicity- and SES-related processes are likely to play as contributors to persistent ethnic health disparities.

Community, Family, and Subjective Socioeconomic Status: Relative Status and Adolescent Health

PubMed Central

Quon, Elizabeth C.; McGrath, Jennifer J.

2017-01-01

Objective Relative socioeconomic status (SES) may be an important social determinant of health. The current study aimed to examine how relative SES, as measured by subjective SES, income inequality, and individual SES relative to others in the community, is associated with a wide range of adolescent health outcomes, after controlling for objective family SES. Method Adolescents (13–16 years; N = 2,199) from the Quebec Child and Adolescent Health and Social Survey were included. Socioeconomic measures included adolescents’ subjective SES; parental education and household income; community education/employment, income, and poverty rate; and community income inequality. Health outcomes included self-rated health, mental health problems, dietary and exercise health behaviors, substance-related health behaviors, reported physical health, and biomarkers of health. Best-fitting multilevel regression models (participants nested within schools) were used to test associations. Results Findings indicated that lower subjective SES was associated with poorer health outcomes. After accounting for family SES, lower community education/employment had an additional negative effect on health, while lower community income had a protective effect for certain health outcomes. There was less evidence for an independent effect of income inequality. Conclusions Findings highlight the importance of measures of relative SES that span across a number of levels and contexts, and provide further understanding into the socioeconomic gradient in adolescence. PMID:25222085

Community, family, and subjective socioeconomic status: Relative status and adolescent health.

PubMed

Quon, Elizabeth C; McGrath, Jennifer J

2015-06-01

Relative socioeconomic status (SES) may be an important social determinant of health. The current study aimed to examine how relative SES, as measured by subjective SES, income inequality, and individual SES relative to others in the community, is associated with a wide range of adolescent health outcomes, after controlling for objective family SES. Adolescents (13-16 years; N = 2,199) from the Quebec Child and Adolescent Health and Social Survey were included. Socioeconomic measures included adolescents' subjective SES; parental education and household income; community education/employment, income, and poverty rate; and community income inequality. Health outcomes included self-rated health, mental health problems, dietary and exercise health behaviors, substance-related health behaviors, reported physical health, and biomarkers of health. Best-fitting multilevel regression models (participants nested within schools) were used to test associations. Findings indicated that lower subjective SES was associated with poorer health outcomes. After accounting for family SES, lower community education/employment had an additional negative effect on health, while lower community income had a protective effect for certain health outcomes. There was less evidence for an independent effect of income inequality. Findings highlight the importance of measures of relative SES that span across a number of levels and contexts, and provide further understanding into the socioeconomic gradient in adolescence. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

An Examination of Fast Mapping Skills in Preschool Children from Families with Low Socioeconomic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spencer, Elizabeth J.; Schuele, C. Melanie

2012-01-01

Researchers consistently report that children from low socioeconomic status (SES) families have, on average, smaller vocabularies as assessed by measures of existing vocabulary knowledge than children from higher SES families. Yet, few studies have examined the word-learning process of children from low SES families. The present study was an…

Parental Socioeconomic Status and Risk of Offspring Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Swedish Population-Based Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rai, Dheeraj; Lewis, Glyn; Lundberg, Michael; Araya, Ricardo; Svensson, Anna; Dalman, Christina; Carpenter, Peter; Magnusson, Cecilia

2012-01-01

Objective: Epidemiological studies in the United States consistently find autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to be overrepresented in high socioeconomic status (SES) families. These findings starkly contrast with SES gradients of many health conditions, and may result from SES inequalities in access to services. We hypothesized that prenatal measures…

The Effects of Socio-Economic Status on Prospective English Language Teachers' Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koban Koç, Didem

2016-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES), which generally involves factors such as parental educational background, occupation and income level, is a strong predictor of student achievement. That is, students with higher parental SES demonstrate increased academic performance when compared to those with lower parental SES. The purpose of the present study is to…

Relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic status and venous thromboembolism: results from a population-based study.

PubMed

Kort, D; van Rein, N; van der Meer, F J M; Vermaas, H W; Wiersma, N; Cannegieter, S C; Lijfering, W M

2017-12-01

Essentials Literature on socioeconomic status (SES) and incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is scarce. We assessed neighborhood SES with VTE risk in a population of over 1.4 million inhabitants. Higher neighborhood SES was associated with lower incidence of VTE. These findings are helpful to inform policy and resource allocation in health systems. Background The association between socioeconomic status and arterial cardiovascular disease is well established. However, despite its high burden of disability-adjusted life years, little research has been carried out to determine whether socioeconomic status is associated with venous thromboembolism. Objective To determine if neighborhood socioeconomic status is associated with venous thromboembolism in a population-based study from the Netherlands. Methods We identified all patients aged 15 years and older with a first event of venous thromboembolism from inhabitants who lived in the urban districts of The Hague, Leiden and Utrecht in the Netherlands in 2008-2012. Neighborhood socioeconomic status was based on the status score, which combines educational level, income and unemployment on a four-digit postal code level. Incidence rate ratios of venous thromboembolism were calculated for different levels of neighborhood socioeconomic status, with adjustments for age and sex. Results A total of 7373 patients with a first venous thromboembolism (median age 61 years; 50% deep vein thrombosis) were identified among more than 1.4 million inhabitants. Higher neighborhood SES was associated with lower incidence of VTE. In the two highest status score groups (i.e. the 95-99th and > 99th percentile), the adjusted incidence rate ratios were 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84-1.00) and 0.80 (95% CI, 0.69-0.93), respectively, compared with the reference status score group (i.e. 30-70th percentile). Conclusions High neighborhood socioeconomic status is associated with a lower risk of first venous thromboembolism. © 2017 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and differences in the availability of healthy food stores and restaurants in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

PubMed

Duran, Ana Clara; Diez Roux, Ana V; Latorre, Maria do Rosario D O; Jaime, Patricia Constante

2013-09-01

Differential access to healthy foods has been hypothesized to contribute to health disparities, but evidence from low and middle-income countries is still scarce. This study examines whether the access of healthy foods varies across store types and neighborhoods of different socioeconomic statuses (SES) in a large Brazilian city. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010-2011 across 52 census tracts. Healthy food access was measured by a comprehensive in-store data collection, summarized into two indexes developed for retail food stores (HFSI) and restaurants (HMRI). Descriptive analyses and multilevel models were used to examine associations of store type and neighborhood SES with healthy food access. Fast food restaurants were more likely to be located in low SES neighborhoods whereas supermarkets and full service restaurants were more likely to be found in higher SES neighborhoods. Multilevel analyses showed that both store type and neighborhood SES were independently associated with in-store food measures. We found differences in the availability of healthy food stores and restaurants in Sao Paulo city favoring middle and high SES neighborhoods. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic inequalities in children's diet: the role of the home food environment.

PubMed

Ranjit, Nalini; Wilkinson, Anna V; Lytle, Leslie M; Evans, Alexandra E; Saxton, Debra; Hoelscher, Deanna M

2015-07-27

It is well documented in the literature that low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with lower consumption of healthy foods and that these differences in consumption patterns are influenced by neighborhood food environments. Less understood is the role that SES differences in physical and social aspects of the home food environment play in consumption patterns. Using data on 4th grade children from the 2009-2011 Texas School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) study, we used mixed-effects regression models to test the magnitude of differences in the SPAN Health Eating Index (SHEI) by parental education as an indicator of SES, and the extent to which adjusting for measures of the home food environment, and measures of the neighborhood environment accounted for these SES differences. Small but significant differences in children’s SHEI by SES strata exist (-1.33 between highest and lowest SES categories, p<0.01). However, incorporating home food environment and neighborhood environment measures in this model eliminates these differences (-0.7, p=0.145). Home food environment explains a greater portion of the difference. Both social (mealtime structure) and physical aspects (food availability) of the home food environment are strongly associated with consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods. Our findings suggest that modifiable parent behaviors at home can improve children’s eating habits and that the neighborhood may impact diet in ways other than through access to healthy food.

Psychosocial correlates of physical activity in school children aged 8-10 years.

PubMed

Seabra, Ana C; Seabra, André F; Mendonça, Denisa M; Brustad, Robert; Maia, José A; Fonseca, António M; Malina, Robert M

2013-10-01

Understanding correlates of physical activity (PA) among children in different populations may contribute to fostering active lifestyles. This study considered gender differences in relationships between biologic (body mass index, BMI), demographic (socioeconomic sport status, SES) and psychosocial correlates of PA and level of PA in Portuguese primary school children. 683 children, aged 8-10 years, from 20 different elementary schools in northern Portugal were surveyed. Weight status was classified using International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria for the BMI. Family SES was estimated from school records. PA level and psychosocial correlates (attraction to PA, perceived physical competence and parental socialization) were obtained with interview and standardized questionnaires, respectively. Sex-specific hierarchical multiple regression analyses (SPSS 18.0) were conducted and included two blocks of predictor variables (biologic and demographic, and psychosocial). Level of PA was significantly higher in boys than girls. Enjoyment of participation in vigorous PA was positively associated with level of PA. Perceived acceptance by peers in games and sports and parental encouragement were positively and significantly related to PA in girls. Perceived physical competence was positively and significantly related to PA in boys. Weight status and SES were not associated with PA. Boys and girls differed in perceived attractiveness of PA and perceived physical competence, both of which influenced level of PA. Differences in perceptions may be important aspects of motivation for PA in school children.

Low Socioeconomic Status Negatively Affects Sleep in Pregnant Women

PubMed Central

Okun, Michele L.; Tolge, Madeline; Hall, Martica

2014-01-01

Objective To evaluate the effect of socioeconomic status on measures of sleep quality, continuity, and quantity in a large cohort of pregnant women. Design Prospective, longitudinal study. Participants One hundred seventy (170) pregnant women at 10-20 weeks gestation. Methods Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Sleep duration and continuity (sleep fragmentation index [SFI]) were assessed with actigraphy at 10-12, 14-16, and 18-20 weeks gestation. Since sleep did not significantly differ across time, averages across all three time points were used in analyses. Socioeconomic status (SES) was defined by self-reported annual household income. Linear regression analyses were used to model the independent associations of SES on sleep after adjusting for age, race, parity, marital status, body mass index (BMI), perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and financial strain. Results On average, women reported modestly poor sleep quality (M = 5.4, SD= 2.7), short sleep duration (391 (55.6) min) and fragmented sleep (SFI M = 33.9, SD= 10.4. A household income < $50,000/year was associated with poorer sleep quality (β = -.18, p < .05) and greater sleep fragmentation (β= -.18, p < .05) following covariate adjustment. Conclusions Low SES was associated with poorer sleep quality and fragmented sleep, even after statistical adjustments. Perceived stress and financial strain attenuated SES-sleep associations indicating that psychosocial situations preceding pregnancy are also important to consider. PMID:24617761

Gender and reinforcing associations between socioeconomic disadvantage and body mass over the life course.

PubMed

Pudrovska, Tetyana; Reither, Eric N; Logan, Ellis S; Sherman-Wilkins, Kyler J

2014-09-01

Using the 1957-1993 data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we explore reciprocal associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and body mass in the 1939 birth cohort of non-Hispanic white men and women. We integrate the fundamental cause theory, the gender relations theory, and the life course perspective to analyze gender differences in (a) the ways that early socioeconomic disadvantage launches bidirectional associations of body mass and SES and (b) the extent to which these mutually reinforcing effects generate socioeconomic disparities in midlife body mass. Using structural equation modeling, we find that socioeconomic disadvantage at age 18 is related to higher body mass index and a greater risk of obesity at age 54, and that this relationship is significantly stronger for women than men. Moreover, women are more adversely affected by two mechanisms underlying the focal association: the obesogenic effect of socioeconomic disadvantage and the SES-impeding effect of obesity. These patterns were also replicated in propensity score-matching models. We conclude that gender and SES act synergistically over the life course to shape reciprocal chains of two disadvantaged statuses: heavier body mass and lower SES. © American Sociological Association 2014.

Gender and Reinforcing Associations between Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Body Mass over the Life Course

PubMed Central

Pudrovska, Tetyana; Reither, Eric; Logan, Ellis; Sherman-Wilkins, Kyler

2014-01-01

Using the 1957–1993 data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we explore reciprocal associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and body mass in this 1939 birth cohort of non-Hispanic white men and women. We integrate the fundamental cause theory, the gender relations theory, and the life-course perspective to analyze gender differences in (a) the ways that early socioeconomic disadvantage launches bidirectional associations of body mass and SES, and (b) the extent to which these mutually-reinforcing effects generate socioeconomic disparities in midlife body mass. Using structural equation modeling, we find that socioeconomic disadvantage at age 18 is related to higher body mass index and a greater risk of obesity at age 54, and that this relationship is significantly stronger for women than men. Moreover, women are more adversely affected by two mechanisms underlying the focal association: the obesogenic effect of socioeconomic disadvantage and the SES-impeding effect of obesity. These patterns were also replicated in propensity score matching models. Gender and SES act synergistically over the life course to shape reciprocal chains of two disadvantaged statuses: heavier body mass and lower SES. PMID:25138198

Socioeconomic Status and Performance in the US Army and US Marine Corps

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-03-01

education levels, recruits’ parents are slightly under- represented as homeowners in the highest category and overrepresented among those who pay neither... DIFFERENCES IN SES REPRESENTATION 82 1. Race/Ethnicity 82 2. Region 85 3. Gender 87 4. Omission of Officers 89 5. Reasons for Joining the Military 90...his or her performance in the military. For example, differences in SES may help to explain the high rates of attrition among first-term enlisted

Do the factors associated with female HIV infection vary by socioeconomic status in Cameroon?

PubMed

Mumah, Joyce N; Jackson-Smith, Douglas

2014-07-01

One of the most consistent findings in social epidemiology is an inverse relationship between indicators of SES and most types of illness. However, a growing body of research on HIV in sub-Saharan Africa suggests an intriguing reversal of this pattern, particularly with respect to HIV among women. In Cameroon, specifically, high-SES women have higher rates of HIV infection compared with low-SES women. Using data from the 2004 Cameroon DHS, this study explored the relationships between SES and HIV and tested a multivariate model designed to highlight the distinctive factors associated with increased risk of HIV among women in different SES classes. The results revealed that high-SES women who reported engaging in riskier sexual behaviour had the highest levels of HIV infection. Surprisingly, among this group increased knowledge of HIV, more domestic decision-making authority and access to health care did not reduce vulnerability. Meanwhile, among low-SES women relative gender inequality was significantly related to HIV risk. Specifically, among this group of women, having a partner with higher education was strongly associated with greater HIV risk. The results suggest that different approaches targeting each sub-group are needed to effectively combat the disease.

Power fosters context-independent, analytic cognition.

PubMed

Miyamoto, Yuri; Ji, Li-Jun

2011-11-01

The present research tested the hypothesis that power, defined as the capacity to influence others, promotes analytic cognitive processing, by examining the use of linguistic categories and the categorization of objects. Supporting the hypothesis, recalling instances of influencing others facilitated the use of adjectives and discouraged the use of verbs to describe others (Study 1). Recalling instances of influencing others also promoted taxonomic, instead of thematic, categorization (Study 2). Furthermore, the authors also examined the effect of power in a real-life context. They examined whether socioeconomic status (SES) differences in cognitive processing can be partly explained by sense of agency, an antecedent of power (Study 3); high SES individuals made more taxonomic categorization than did low SES individuals, and a sense of agency partially mediated the SES differences in categorization. These findings underscore the role of power in shaping cognitive processes.

The Surprisingly Modest Relationship between SES and Educational Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harwell, Michael; Maeda, Yukiko; Bishop, Kyoungwon; Xie, Aolin

2017-01-01

Measures of socioeconomic status (SES) are routinely used in analyses of achievement data to increase statistical power, statistically control for the effects of SES, and enhance causality arguments under the premise that the SES-achievement relationship is moderate to strong. Empirical evidence characterizing the strength of the SES-achievement…

[Social inequalities in adolescent depression: social support and optimism as mediators?].

PubMed

Pikó, Bettina; Luszczynska, Alekszandra

2010-01-01

A number of studies have demonstrated that socioeconomic inequalities have profound effects on health status. The relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and health status, however, does not appear to be consistent across the life cycle and during adolescence and young adulthood fewer inequalities are detected in mortality and morbidity. However, social inequalities in psychological health and mental disorders are much higher in occurrence. Thus it is important to further investigate possible influences and mediators in adolescent mental health. This study examines the role of perceived parental social support and optimism in understanding the relationship between adolescent depression and SES. Data were collected in a sample of Hungarian high school students (N = 881; aged between 14-20 years) in Szeged, Hungary. Using Structural Equation Modeling we examined associations between objective SES, subjective SES, parental support, optimism (LOT), depression (CDI), and self-perceived health (SPH). Findings suggest: 1.SES variables may generate social inequalities in adolescent health (namely, depression and self-perceived health) through parental social support; and 2. Social inequalities in adolescent health may be explained by differences in parents' resources (both in terms of material, emotional, or security aspects) which provide youth with social support that may strengthen optimism during the socialization process. Results seem to suggest that experts in mental health promotion might want to take into account socioeconomic differences in attitudes and coping skills which may influence psychosocial adjustment and health among youth. While parents from lower social classes may lack the necessary material and psychosocial resources, therapy sessions and special programs could contribute to strengthening certain attitudes (such as optimism) and thus lowering social inequalities in health later in adulthood.

How to effectively design public health interventions: Implications from the interaction effects between socioeconomic status and health locus of control beliefs on healthy dietary behaviours among US adults.

PubMed

Jang, Kyungeun; Baek, Young Min

2018-04-16

This study investigated whether individuals with different socioeconomic status (SES) should be provided differently tailored health messages to promote healthy dietary behaviour (HDB). Prior research has suggested that people with different SESs tend to exhibit different types of beliefs about health, but it remains unclear how SES interacts with these beliefs to influence health outcomes. To better understand the differences in HDB between high- and low-SES populations and propose effective intervention strategies, we examined (i) how SES is associated with HDB, (ii) how internal health locus of control (HLC) and powerful others HLC are associated with HDB, and (iii) how SES interacts with internal and powerful others HLC to influence HDB. Using data from the Annenberg National Health Communication Survey, collected from 2005 to 2012 (N = 6,262) in the United States, hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. Education level was found to be positively associated with HDB, while income level was not. Both internal and powerful others HLC beliefs were positively associated with HDB. The positive relationship between internal HLC and HDB strengthened as the level of education and income increased, whereas the positive relationship between powerful others HLC and HDB weakened as respondents' education level increased. These results suggest that the design and delivery of communication messages should be tailored to populations' specific SES and HLC beliefs for effective public health interventions. For example, messages enhancing internal HLC (e.g. providing specific skills and knowledge about health behaviours) might be more helpful for the richer and more-educated, while messages appealing to one's powerful others HLC beliefs (e.g. advice on health lifestyles given by well-known health professionals) might be more effective for less-educated people. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Life-course pathways to psychological distress: a cohort study

PubMed Central

von Stumm, Sophie; Deary, Ian J; Hagger-Johnson, Gareth

2013-01-01

Objectives Early life factors, like intelligence and socioeconomic status (SES), are associated with health outcomes in adulthood. Fitting comprehensive life-course models, we tested (1) the effect of childhood intelligence and SES, education and adulthood SES on psychological distress at midlife, and (2) compared alternative measurement specifications (reflective and formative) of SES. Design Prospective cohort study (the Aberdeen Children of the 1950s). Setting Aberdeen, Scotland. Participants 12 500 live-births (6282 boys) between 1950 and 1956, who were followed up in the years 2001–2003 at age 46–51 with a postal questionnaire achieving a response rate of 64% (7183). Outcome measures Psychological distress at age 46–51 (questionnaire). Results Childhood intelligence and SES and education had indirect effects on psychological distress at midlife, mediated by adult SES. Adult SES was the only variable to have a significant direct effect on psychological distress at midlife; the effect was stronger in men than in women. Alternative measurement specifications of SES (reflective and formative) resulted in greatly different model parameters and fits. Conclusions Even though formative operationalisations of SES are theoretically appropriate, SES is better specified as reflective than as a formative latent variable in the context of life-course modelling. PMID:23667162

Life-course pathways to psychological distress: a cohort study.

PubMed

von Stumm, Sophie; Deary, Ian J; Hagger-Johnson, Gareth

2013-05-09

Early life factors, like intelligence and socioeconomic status (SES), are associated with health outcomes in adulthood. Fitting comprehensive life-course models, we tested (1) the effect of childhood intelligence and SES, education and adulthood SES on psychological distress at midlife, and (2) compared alternative measurement specifications (reflective and formative) of SES. Prospective cohort study (the Aberdeen Children of the 1950s). Aberdeen, Scotland. 12 500 live-births (6282 boys) between 1950 and 1956, who were followed up in the years 2001-2003 at age 46-51 with a postal questionnaire achieving a response rate of 64% (7183). Psychological distress at age 46-51 (questionnaire). Childhood intelligence and SES and education had indirect effects on psychological distress at midlife, mediated by adult SES. Adult SES was the only variable to have a significant direct effect on psychological distress at midlife; the effect was stronger in men than in women. Alternative measurement specifications of SES (reflective and formative) resulted in greatly different model parameters and fits. Even though formative operationalisations of SES are theoretically appropriate, SES is better specified as reflective than as a formative latent variable in the context of life-course modelling.

Addressing Factors Associated with Arab Women's Socioeconomic Status May Reduce Breast Cancer Mortality: Report from a Well Resourced Middle Eastern Country.

PubMed

Donnelly, Tam Truong; Al Khater, Al-Hareth; Al Kuwari, Mohamed Ghaith; Al-Bader, Salha Bujassoum; Abdulmalik, Mariam; Al-Meer, Nabila; Singh, Rajvir; Fung, Tak

2015-01-01

Differences in socioeconomic status (SES) such as income levels may partly explain why breast cancer screening (BCS) disparities exist in countries where health care services are free or heavily subsidized. However, factors that contribute to such differences in SES among women living in well resourced Middle East countries are not fully understood. This quantitative study investigated factors that influence SES and BCS of Arab women. Understanding of such factors can be useful for the development of effective intervention strategies that aim to increase BCS uptake among Arab women. Using data from a cross-sectional survey among 1,063 Arabic-speaking women in Qatar, age 35+, additional data analysis was performed to determine the relationship between socioeconomic indicators such as income and other factors in relation to BCS activities. This study found that income is determined and influenced by education level, occupation, nationality, years of residence in the country, level of social activity, self-perceived health status, and living area. Financial stress, unemployment, and unfavorable social conditions may impede women's participation in BCS activities in well resourced Middle East countries.

Independent and Combined Effects of Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Bilingualism on Children's Vocabulary and Verbal Short-Term Memory.

PubMed

Meir, Natalia; Armon-Lotem, Sharon

2017-01-01

The current study explores the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) and bilingualism on the linguistic skills and verbal short-term memory of preschool children. In previous studies comparing children of low and mid-high SES, the terms "a child with low-SES" and "a child speaking a minority language" are often interchangeable, not enabling differentiated evaluation of these two variables. The present study controls for this confluence by testing children born and residing in the same country and attending the same kindergartens, with all bilingual children speaking the same heritage language (HL-Russian). A total of 120 children (88 bilingual children: 44 with low SES; and 32 monolingual children: 16 with low SES) with typical language development, aged 5; 7-6; 7, were tested in the societal language (SL-Hebrew) on expressive vocabulary and three repetition tasks [forward digit span (FWD), nonword repetition (NWR), and sentence repetition (SRep)], which tap into verbal short-term memory. The results indicated that SES and bilingualism impact different child abilities. Bilingualism is associated with decreased vocabulary size and lower performance on verbal short-term memory tasks with higher linguistic load in the SL-Hebrew. The negative effect of bilingualism on verbal short-term memory disappears once vocabulary is accounted for. SES influences not only linguistic performance, but also verbal short-term memory with lowest linguistic load. The negative effect of SES cannot be solely attributed to lower vocabulary scores, suggesting that an unprivileged background has a negative impact on children's cognitive development beyond a linguistic disadvantage. The results have important clinical implications and call for more research exploring the varied impact of language and life experience on children's linguistic and cognitive skills.

Individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status and inflammation in Mexican American women: what is the role of obesity?

PubMed

Gallo, Linda C; Fortmann, Addie L; de Los Monteros, Karla Espinosa; Mills, Paul J; Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth; Roesch, Scott C; Matthews, Karen A

2012-06-01

Inflammation may represent a biological mechanism underlying associations of socioeconomic status (SES) with cardiovascular disease. We examined relationships of individual and neighborhood SES with inflammatory markers in Mexican American women and evaluated contributions of obesity and related heath behaviors to these associations. Two hundred eighty-four Mexican American women (mean age = 49.74 years) were recruited from socioeconomically diverse South San Diego communities. Women completed measures of sociodemographic characteristics and health behaviors, and underwent a physical examination with fasting blood draw for assay of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1). Neighborhood SES was extracted from the US Census Bureau 2000 database. In multilevel models, a 1-standard deviation higher individual or neighborhood SES related to a 27.35% and 23.56% lower CRP level (p values < .01), a 7.04% and 5.32% lower sICAM-1 level (p values < .05), and a 10.46% (p < .05) and 2.40% lower IL-6 level (not significant), respectively. Controlling for individual SES, a 1-standard deviation higher neighborhood SES related to a 18.05% lower CRP level (p = .07). Differences in body mass index, waist circumference, and dietary fat consumption contributed significantly to SES-inflammation associations. The findings support a link between SES and inflammatory markers in Mexican American women and implicate obesity and dietary fat in these associations. Additional effects of neighborhood SES were not statistically significant; however, these findings should be viewed tentatively due to the small sample size to evaluate contextual effects. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00387166.

Discipline in the African American community: the impact of socioeconomic status on beliefs and practices.

PubMed

Horn, Ivor B; Cheng, Tina L; Joseph, Jill

2004-05-01

To describe and compare disciplinary beliefs and practices among African American parents from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of self-identified African American parents of children <48 months of age at 2 ambulatory teaching clinics, 2 community health centers, and 3 private practices in Washington, DC, and the surrounding metropolitan area. Disciplinary beliefs and practices of African American parents were measured. A total of 175 of the 189 parents who were approached for the study completed the survey for a participation rate of 92.5%. Middle/upper socioeconomic status (SES) parents in this study were more likely to be married (60.9% vs 14.7%), older (31.4 years vs 25 years), and more educated (80% having attended at least some college vs 34.4%) than lower SES parents. There were no significant differences between middle/upper and lower SES parents with regard to their belief in a preferred disciplinary method (teaching, spanking, removing) or approach (positive, negative). Lower SES parents were more likely to endorse spanking a 1- to 3-year-old child if they were doing something that was not safe (90.5% vs 78.3%). Middle/upper SES parents were significantly more likely to reward their child for positive behavior than lower SES parents (66.1% vs 47.1%). Lower and middle/upper SES parents in this study population were reasonably similar with respect to disciplinary beliefs and practices. Exceptions to this generalization were that lower SES parents were more likely to endorse spanking as a response to an unsafe behavior on the part of the child, and middle/upper SES parents reported higher levels of reward for positive behavior.

Country-specific dietary patterns and associations with socioeconomic status in European children: the IDEFICS study.

PubMed

Fernández-Alvira, J M; Bammann, K; Pala, V; Krogh, V; Barba, G; Eiben, G; Hebestreit, A; Veidebaum, T; Reisch, L; Tornaritis, M; Kovacs, E; Huybrechts, I; Moreno, L A

2014-07-01

Children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) may be at higher risk of unhealthy eating. We described country-specific dietary patterns among children aged 2-9 years from eight European countries participating in the IDEFICS study and assessed the association of dietary patterns with an additive SES indicator. Children aged 2-9 years from eight European countries were recruited in 2007-2008. Principal component analysis was applied to identify dietary country-specific patterns. Linear regression analyses were applied to assess their association with SES. Two to four dietary patterns were identified in the participating regions. The existence of a 'processed' pattern was found in the eight regions. Also, a 'healthy' pattern was identified in seven of the eight regions. In addition, region-specific patterns were identified, reflecting the existing gastronomic and cultural differences in Europe. The 'processed' pattern was significantly inversely associated with the SES additive indicator in all countries except Sweden, whereas the 'healthy' pattern was positively associated with SES in the Belgian, Estonian, German and Hungarian regions, but was not significant in the Italian, Spanish and Swedish regions. A 'processed' pattern and a 'healthy' pattern were found in most of the participating countries in the IDEFICS study, with comparable food item profiles. The results showed a strong inverse association of SES with the 'processed' pattern, suggesting that children of parents with lower SES may be at higher risk of unhealthy eating. Therefore, special focus should be given to parents and their children from lower SES levels when developing healthy eating promotion strategies.

Developmental delay in moderately preterm-born children with low socioeconomic status: risks multiply.

PubMed

Potijk, Marieke R; Kerstjens, Jorien M; Bos, Arend F; Reijneveld, Sijmen A; de Winter, Andrea F

2013-11-01

To assess separate and joint effects of low socioeconomic status (SES) and moderate prematurity on preschool developmental delay. Prospective cohort study with a community-based sample of preterm- and term-born children (Longitudinal Preterm Outcome Project). We assessed SES on the basis of education, occupation, and family income. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire was used to assess developmental delay at age 4 years. We determined scores for overall development, and domains fine motor, gross motor, communication, problem-solving, and personal-social of 926 moderately preterm-born (MP) (32-36 weeks gestation) and 544 term-born children. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, we used standardized values for SES and gestational age (GA). Prevalence rates for overall developmental delay were 12.5%, 7.8%, and 5.6% in MP children with low, intermediate, and high SES, respectively, and 7.2%, 4.0%, and 2.8% in term-born children, respectively. The risk for overall developmental delay increased more with decreasing SES than with decreasing GA, but the difference was not statistically significant: OR (95% CI) for a 1 standard deviation decrease were: 1.62 (1.30-2.03) and 1.34 (1.05-1.69), respectively, after adjustment for sex, number of siblings, and maternal age. No interaction was found except for communication, showing that effects of SES and GA are mostly multiplicative. Low SES and moderate prematurity are separate risk factors with multiplicative effects on developmental delay. The double jeopardy of MP children with low SES needs special attention in pediatric care. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Divergent transcriptional profiles in pediatric asthma patients of low and high socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Miller, Gregory E; Chen, Edith; Shalowitz, Madeleine U; Story, Rachel E; Leigh, Adam K K; Ham, Paula; Arevalo, Jesusa M G; Cole, Steve W

2018-06-01

There are marked socioeconomic disparities in pediatric asthma control, but the molecular origins of these disparities are not well understood. To fill this gap, we performed genome-wide expression profiling of monocytes and T-helper cells from pediatric asthma patients of lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES). Ninety-nine children with asthma participated in a cross-sectional assessment. Out of which 87% were atopic, and most had disease of mild (54%) or moderate (29%) severity. Children were from lower-SES (n = 49; household income <$50 000) or higher-SES (n = 50; household income >$140 000) families. Peripheral blood monocytes and T-helper cells were isolated for genome-wide expression profiling of mRNA. Lower-SES children had worse asthma quality of life relative to higher-SES children, by both their own and their parents' reports. Although the groups had similar disease severity and potential confounds were controlled, their transcriptional profiles differed notably. The monocytes of lower-SES children showed transcriptional indications of up-regulated anti-microbial and pro-inflammatory activity. The T-helper cells of lower-SES children also had comparatively reduced expression of genes encoding γ-interferon and tumor necrosis factor-α, cytokines that orchestrate Type 1 responses. They also showed up-regulated activity of transcription factors that polarize cells towards Type 2 responses and promote Th17 cell maturation. Collectively, these patterns implicate pro-inflammatory monocytes and Type 2 cytokine activity as mechanisms contributing to worse asthma control among lower-SES children. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Understanding the Relationship between Socio-Economic Status, Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour, and Adiposity in Young Adult South African Women Using Structural Equation Modelling

PubMed Central

Micklesfield, Lisa K.; Munthali, Richard J.; Prioreschi, Alessandra; Said-Mohamed, Rihlat; Tollman, Stephen; Kahn, Kathleen; Dunger, David; Norris, Shane A.

2017-01-01

Socio-economic status (SES) is an important predictor of obesity, but how it is associated with differences in physical activity and sedentary behaviour is less clear. This cross-sectional study examined the association between SES (sum of household assets), physical activity and sedentary time, and how they predict adiposity. Socio-demographic, anthropometric, and physical activity data on rural (n = 509) and urban (n = 510) South African women (18–23 years) were collected. Overweight and obesity prevalence, and sedentary time, were higher; and moderate-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) was lower, in the urban sample. Structural equation models (SEMs) were constructed for BMI and waist circumference. In the urban sample SES had a direct inverse effect on MVPA (ß; 95% CI, −41.69; −73.40 to −9.98), while in the rural sample SES had a direct effect on BMI (ß; 95% CI, 0.306; 0.03 to 0.59). In the pooled sample, SES had a direct inverse effect on MVPA (ß; 95% CI, −144; −170.34 to −119.04), and MVPA was directly associated with BMI (ß; 95% CI, 0.04; 0.01 to 0.08). The influence of SES, and the role of physical activity and sedentary time on adiposity differs between the urban and rural samples, and the importance of other environmental and behavioural factors must be considered in the development of obesity and the design of effective interventions. PMID:29065528

Parent-related mechanisms underlying the social gradient of childhood overweight and obesity: a systematic review.

PubMed

Mech, P; Hooley, M; Skouteris, H; Williams, J

2016-09-01

Low socio-economic status (SES) is a significant risk factor for childhood overweight and obesity (COWOB) in high-income countries. Parents to young children buffer and accentuate social and cultural influences, and are central to the development of this disease. An understanding of the parent-related mechanisms that underlie the SES-COWOB relationship is needed to improve the efficacy of prevention and intervention efforts. A systematic review of relevant literature was conducted to investigate the mechanisms by which levels of SES (low, middle and high) are associated to COWOB, by exploring mediation and interaction effects. Six electronic databases were searched yielding 5155 initial records, once duplicates were removed. Studies were included if they investigated COWOB, SES, parent-related factors and the multivariate relationship between these factors. Thirty studies were included. Factors found to be mediating the SES-COWOB relationship or interacting with SES to influence COWOB were categorized according to an ecological systems framework, at child, parent, household and social system level factors. High parent body mass index, ethnicity, child-care attendance, high TV time (mother and child), breastfeeding (early weaning), food intake behaviours and birthweight potentially mediate the relationship between SES and COWOB. Different risk factors for COWOB in different SES groups were found. For low SES families, parental obesity and maternal depressive symptoms were strong risk factors for COWOB, whereas long maternal working hours and a permissive parenting style were risk factors for higher SES families. None of the studies investigated parental psychological attributes such as attitudes, beliefs, self-esteem and so on as potential mechanisms/risk factors. Families from different SES groups have different risk and protective factors for COWOB. Prevention and intervention efforts may have improved efficacy if they are tailored to address specific risk factors within SES. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Subjective and objective measures of socioeconomic status: predictors of cardiovascular risk in college students in Mumbai, India.

PubMed

Suchday, Sonia; Chhabra, Rosy; Wylie-Rosett, Judith; Almeida, Maureen

2008-01-01

The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health changes as a society develops. In developed countries, high SES is associated with better health, but in developing countries, high SES is associated with poorer health. However, measuring SES is difficult in countries like India, where the traditional class and caste system are interwoven and complex. The current study explored the relationship between subjective and objective indices of SES and between SES and the metabolic syndrome among Asian Indians residing in Mumbai, India. Participants were a subset of young adults (N = 112, median age 19 years, 24% male) who were part of larger study assessing psychosocial correlates of the metabolic syndrome. SES was assessed through objective (father's education) and subjective (SES ladder) indices. Data indicated that high subjective SES was correlated with fasting blood sugar (r = .28, P < .003), and father's education was correlated with high cholesterol (r = .32, P < .005). Subjective and objective indices of SES were also correlated with each other (r = .24, P < .04). These data reiterate that the link between SES and health is obvious from an early age, regardless of the measures used to assess SES. Given the complexity of assessing SES in developing countries, objective subjective indices should be used in assessing SES.

Socioeconomic Disparities in Telephone-Based Treatment of Tobacco Dependence

PubMed Central

Varghese, Merilyn; Stitzer, Maxine; Landes, Reid; Brackman, S. Laney; Munn, Tiffany

2014-01-01

Objectives. We examined socioeconomic disparities in tobacco dependence treatment outcomes from a free, proactive telephone counseling quitline. Methods. We delivered cognitive–behavioral treatment and nicotine patches to 6626 smokers and examined socioeconomic differences in demographic, clinical, environmental, and treatment use factors. We used logistic regressions and generalized estimating equations (GEE) to model abstinence and account for socioeconomic differences in the models. Results. The odds of achieving long-term abstinence differed by socioeconomic status (SES). In the GEE model, the odds of abstinence for the highest SES participants were 1.75 times those of the lowest SES participants. Logistic regression models revealed no treatment outcome disparity at the end of treatment, but significant disparities 3 and 6 months after treatment. Conclusions. Although quitlines often increase access to treatment for some lower SES smokers, significant socioeconomic disparities in treatment outcomes raise questions about whether current approaches are contributing to tobacco-related socioeconomic health disparities. Strategies to improve treatment outcomes for lower SES smokers might include novel methods to address multiple factors associated with socioeconomic disparities. PMID:24922165

Interactive influences of neighborhood and individual socioeconomic status on alcohol consumption and problems.

PubMed

Mulia, Nina; Karriker-Jaffe, Katherine J

2012-01-01

To assess cross-level interactions between neighborhood and individual socioeconomic status (SES) on alcohol consumption and problems, and investigate three possible explanations for such interactions, including the double jeopardy, status inconsistency and relative deprivation hypotheses. Data from the 2000 and 2005 US National Alcohol Surveys were linked to the 2000 US Census to define respondent census tracts as disadvantaged, middle-class and advantaged. Risk drinking (consumption exceeding national guidelines), monthly drunkenness and alcohol problems were examined among low-, middle- and high-SES past-year drinkers (n = 8728). Gender-stratified, multiple logistic regression models were employed, and for outcomes with a significant omnibus F-test, linear contrasts were used to interpret interactions. Cross-level SES interactions observed for men indicated that residence in advantaged neighborhoods was associated with markedly elevated odds of risk drinking and drunkenness for low-SES men. Linear contrasts further revealed a nearly 5-fold increased risk for alcohol problems among these men, relative to middle-SES and high-SES men also living in advantaged neighborhoods. Among women, neighborhood disadvantage was related to increased risk for alcohol problems, but there were no significant SES interactions. These findings did not support theories of double jeopardy and status inconsistency. Consistent with the relative deprivation hypothesis, findings highlight alcohol-related health risks among low-SES men living in affluent neighborhoods. Future research should assess whether this pattern extends to other health risk behaviors, investigate causal mechanisms and consider how gender may influence these.

Jumping the gun: the problematic discourse on socioeconomic status and cardiovascular health in India.

PubMed

Subramanian, S V; Corsi, Daniel J; Subramanyam, Malavika A; Smith, George Davey

2013-10-01

There has been an increased focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India, especially on cardiovascular diseases and associated risk factors. In this essay, we scrutinize the prevailing narrative that cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are no longer confined to the economically advantaged groups but are an increasing burden among the poor in India. We conducted a comprehensive review of studies reporting the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and CVRF, CVD, and CVD-related mortality in India. With the exception of smoking and low fruit and vegetable intake, the studies clearly suggest that CVRF/CVD is more prevalent among high SES groups in India than among the low SES groups. Although CVD-related mortality rates appear to be higher among the lower SES groups, the proportion of deaths from CVD-related causes was found to be greatest among higher SES groups. The studies on SES and CVRF/CVD also reveal a substantial discrepancy between the data presented and the authors' interpretations and conclusions, along with an unsubstantiated claim that a reversal in the positive SES-CVRF/CVD association has occurred or is occurring in India. We conclude our essay by emphasizing the need to prioritize public health policies that are focused on the health concerns of the majority of the Indian population. Resource allocation in the context of efforts to make health care in India free and universal should reflect the proportional burden of disease on different population groups if it is not to entrench inequity.

Time trends and sex differences in associations between socioeconomic status indicators and overweight-obesity in Mexico (2006-2012).

PubMed

Quezada, Amado D; Lozada-Tequeanes, Ana L

2015-12-16

Although the associations between specific socioeconomic status (SES) indicators and overweight or obesity (OWOB) have been studied in different countries, fewer evidence exists for these associations when multiple SES indicators are considered simultaneously. Furthermore, there are few studies investigating time trends in OWOB and their relation with SES in upper-middle income countries, especially for men. The present study contributes to a better understanding of the nature and evolution of the associations between SES indicators and OWOB in the Mexican adult population. We pooled data from the 2006 and 2012 National Health and Nutrition Surveys in Mexico and obtained covariate-adjusted prevalence from a design-based logistic multiple regression model. Covariates included a wealth index, education, occupational status, marital status, and all interactions for each covariate with sex (male/female) and survey year. For men, the association between wealth and OWOB remained positive in general but curvature was more evident in 2012. The wealth-OWOB association in women showed an inverted-U pattern at both years with a positive slope that turned into a negative one as wealth increased. Among women, OWOB prevalence at the college/university education level was approximately 12.0 ± 2.4 (percentage points ± standard error) lower compared with the elementary education level. We did not find differences between educational categories for men in 2006, but in 2012 OWOB tended to be higher among the more educated. The prevalence of obesity in women increased at wealth levels from the middle and upper-middle section of the wealth distributions. Overall OWOB prevalence was near 70 % in 2012 for both sexes. Among Mexican women, the associations between SES indicators and excess body weight were consistent to those found in developed countries. Among Mexican men, higher education was not associated with a lower prevalence of OWOB but the positive association between wealth and OWOB weakened as wealth increased. The overall prevalence of OWOB was very high for both sexes; its reduction should remain a public health priority given the consequences of nutrition-related chronic diseases, disability and health care costs.

Measuring socioeconomic status in multicountry studies: results from the eight-country MAL-ED study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background There is no standardized approach to comparing socioeconomic status (SES) across multiple sites in epidemiological studies. This is particularly problematic when cross-country comparisons are of interest. We sought to develop a simple measure of SES that would perform well across diverse, resource-limited settings. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 800 children aged 24 to 60 months across eight resource-limited settings. Parents were asked to respond to a household SES questionnaire, and the height of each child was measured. A statistical analysis was done in two phases. First, the best approach for selecting and weighting household assets as a proxy for wealth was identified. We compared four approaches to measuring wealth: maternal education, principal components analysis, Multidimensional Poverty Index, and a novel variable selection approach based on the use of random forests. Second, the selected wealth measure was combined with other relevant variables to form a more complete measure of household SES. We used child height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) as the outcome of interest. Results Mean age of study children was 41 months, 52% were boys, and 42% were stunted. Using cross-validation, we found that random forests yielded the lowest prediction error when selecting assets as a measure of household wealth. The final SES index included access to improved water and sanitation, eight selected assets, maternal education, and household income (the WAMI index). A 25% difference in the WAMI index was positively associated with a difference of 0.38 standard deviations in HAZ (95% CI 0.22 to 0.55). Conclusions Statistical learning methods such as random forests provide an alternative to principal components analysis in the development of SES scores. Results from this multicountry study demonstrate the validity of a simplified SES index. With further validation, this simplified index may provide a standard approach for SES adjustment across resource-limited settings. PMID:24656134

Sociocultural Influence on Obesity and Lifestyle in Children: A Study of Daily Activities, Leisure Time Behavior, Motor Skills, and Weight Status.

PubMed

Hilpert, Martin; Brockmeier, Konrad; Dordel, Sigrid; Koch, Benjamin; Weiß, Verena; Ferrari, Nina; Tokarski, Walter; Graf, Christine

2017-01-01

Juvenile overweight is increasing, and effective preventive measures are needed. After years of arbitrarily assigning these measures disregarding socioeconomic and/or cultural differences, it has become necessary to tailor interventions more specific to these target groups. Providing data for such an intervention is the objective of this study. Influencing variables on children's weight status, motor skills and lifestyle have been analyzed among 997 first graders (53.2% male) involved in the Children's Health InterventionaL Trial (CHILT). Median age was 6.9 years; 7.3% were obese, 8.8% were overweight. Children with low socioeconomic status (SES) were more likely to be obese (p = 0.029). Low SES (p ˂ 0.001), migration background (p = 0.001) and low sports activity levels (p = 0.007) contributed most to an increased consumption of television. Migration background (p = 0.003) and male gender (p < 0.001) were the strongest factors in predicting a greater consumption of computer/video games. Children with higher SES (p = 0.02), lower BMI (p = 0.035), and males (p = 0.001) performed better in motor tests. Children with a low SES and migration background were more likely to exhibit unfavorable health behavior patterns, higher BMI scores, and poorer motor skills. Interventions should integrate motivational and targeting strategies and consider cultural and educational differences to address these vulnerable groups. © 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Sociocultural Influence on Obesity and Lifestyle in Children: A Study of Daily Activities, Leisure Time Behavior, Motor Skills, and Weight Status

PubMed Central

Hilpert, Martin; Brockmeier, Konrad; Dordel, Sigrid; Koch, Benjamin; Weiß, Verena; Ferrari, Nina; Tokarski, Walter; Graf, Christine

2017-01-01

Background Juvenile overweight is increasing, and effective preventive measures are needed. After years of arbitrarily assigning these measures disregarding socioeconomic and/or cultural differences, it has become necessary to tailor interventions more specific to these target groups. Providing data for such an intervention is the objective of this study. Methods Influencing variables on children's weight status, motor skills and lifestyle have been analyzed among 997 first graders (53.2% male) involved in the Children's Health InterventionaL Trial (CHILT). Results Median age was 6.9 years; 7.3% were obese, 8.8% were overweight. Children with low socioeconomic status (SES) were more likely to be obese (p = 0.029). Low SES (p ˂ 0.001), migration background (p = 0.001) and low sports activity levels (p = 0.007) contributed most to an increased consumption of television. Migration background (p = 0.003) and male gender (p < 0.001) were the strongest factors in predicting a greater consumption of computer/video games. Children with higher SES (p = 0.02), lower BMI (p = 0.035), and males (p = 0.001) performed better in motor tests. Conclusion Children with a low SES and migration background were more likely to exhibit unfavorable health behavior patterns, higher BMI scores, and poorer motor skills. Interventions should integrate motivational and targeting strategies and consider cultural and educational differences to address these vulnerable groups. PMID:28528341

Comparison of individual-level versus area-level socioeconomic measures in assessing health outcomes of children in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

PubMed

Pardo-Crespo, Maria R; Narla, Nirmala Priya; Williams, Arthur R; Beebe, Timothy J; Sloan, Jeff; Yawn, Barbara P; Wheeler, Philip H; Juhn, Young J

2013-04-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant of health, but SES measures are frequently unavailable in commonly used datasets. Area-level SES measures are used as proxy measures of individual SES when the individual measures are lacking. Little is known about the agreement between individual-level versus area-level SES measures in mixed urban-rural settings. We identified SES agreement by comparing information from telephone self-reported SES levels and SES calculated from area-level SES measures. We assessed the impact of this agreement on reported associations between SES and rates of childhood obesity, low birth weight <2500 g and smoking within the household in a mixed urban-rural setting. 750 households were surveyed with a response rate of 62%: 51% male, 89% Caucasian; mean child age 9.5 years. Individual-level self-reported income was more strongly associated with all three childhood health outcomes compared to area-level SES. We found significant disagreement rates of 22-31%. The weighted Cohen's κ indices ranged from 0.15 to 0.22, suggesting poor agreement between individual-level and area-level measures. In a mixed urban-rural setting comprised of both rural and urbanised areas, area-level SES proxy measures significantly disagree with individual SES measures, and have different patterns of association with health outcomes from individual-level SES measures. Area-level SES may be an unsuitable proxy for SES when individual rather than community characteristics are of primary concern.

Differences in adults' health and health behaviour between 16 European urban areas and the associations with socio-economic status and physical and social environment.

PubMed

de Gelder, Rianne; Koster, Emmy M; van Buren, Laurens P; van Ameijden, Erik J C; Harrison, Annie; Birt, Christopher A; Verma, Arpana

2017-05-01

With a growing proportion of the European population living in urban areas (UAs), exploring health in urban areas becomes increasingly important. The objective of this study is to assess the magnitude of differences in health and health behaviour between adults living in urban areas (UAs) across Europe. We also explored whether and to what extent such differences can be explained by socio-economic status (SES) and physical or social environment. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional questionnaire survey, performed between as part of the European Urban Health Indicator System Part 2 (EURO-URHIS 2) project. Using multi-level logistic regression analysis, UA differences in psychological distress, self-assessed health, overweight and obesity, daily smoking, binge drinking and physical exercise were assessed. Median Odds Ratios (MORs) were calculated to estimate the extent to which the observed variance is attributable to UA, individual-level SES (measured by perceived financial strains, education level and employment status) and/or characteristics of physical and social environment. The dataset included 14 022 respondents in 16 UAs within 9 countries. After correction for age and gender, all MORs, except that for daily smoking, indicated statistically significant UA health differences. SES indicators (partly) explained UA differences in psychological distress, decreasing the MOR from 1.43 [95% credible interval (Cr.I.) 1.27-1.67, baseline model], to 1.25 (95% Cr.I. 1.14-1.40, SES model): a reduction of 42%. Accounting for the quality of green areas reduced the MOR for psychological distress by an additional 40%, to 1.15 (95% Cr.I. 1.05-1.28). Our study showed large differences in health and health behaviour between European UAs. Reducing socio-economic disadvantage and improving the quality of the neighbourhood's green spaces may reduce UA differences in psychological distress. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Mid-life socioeconomic status, depressive symptomatology and general cognitive status among older adults: inter-relationships and temporal effects.

PubMed

Chiao, Chi; Weng, Li-Jen

2016-04-20

Few longitudinal studies have analyzed how socioeconomic status (SES) influences both depressive and cognitive development over an individual's life course. This study investigates the change trajectories of both depressive symptomatology and general cognitive status, as well as their associations over time, focusing on the effects of mid-life SES. Data were obtained from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (1993-2007), a nationally representative cohort study of older adults in Taiwan. The short form of the Center of Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale that measures depressive symptomatology in two domains (negative affect and lack of positive affect) was used. General cognitive status was assessed using the brief Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire scale. Assessments of the subjects' mid-life SES included measurement of the participant's education and occupation. Analyses were conducted by the parallel latent growth curve modeling. The participants' initial levels of depressive symptomatology and general cognitive status were significantly and negatively correlated; furthermore, any changes in these two outcomes were also correlated over time. The initial assessment of general cognitive status significantly contributed to any advancement towards more severe depressive symptomatology over time, particularly when this occurred in a negative manner. Furthermore, a mid-life SES advantage resulted in a significant reduction in late-life depressive symptomatology and also produced a slower decline in general cognitive status during later life. In contrast, lower mid-life SES exacerbated depressive symptomatology during old age, both at the initial assessment and in terms of the change over time. In addition, female gender was significantly associated with lower general cognitive status and more severe depressive symptomatology in negative affect. These findings suggest a complex and longitudinal association between depressive symptomatology and general cognitive status in later life and this complicated relationship seems to be affected by mid-life SES over time.

Preschool outcome of less than 801-gram preterm infants compared with full-term siblings.

PubMed

Kilbride, Howard W; Thorstad, Karla; Daily, Donna K

2004-04-01

Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants are at greater risk for neurodevelopmental delay than full-term infants. Outcomes may be compromised secondary to abnormal brain development associated with complications of prematurity. Long-term cognitive outcome has also been reported to be significantly influenced by postnatal factors. The objective of this study was to clarify the effects of prematurity separate from environmental factors on growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes by comparing ELBW children with their full-term siblings. The study consisted of 25 ELBW children, a subset selected from a larger population of infants who were <801 g birth weight and enrolled in a longitudinal follow-up project from birth and their 25 full-term, full-weight siblings. Twenty-three sets of siblings were evaluated at 5 years of age and 2 sets at 3 years of age with standardized medical, social, cognitive, motor, and language testing. Physical and neurodevelopmental outcomes were compared between groups, controlling for gender and socioeconomic status (SES). At follow-up, ELBW children were lighter, were shorter, and had smaller head circumference. The ELBW children had lower Stanford-Binet IQs (85 +/- 12 [mean +/- SD] and 95 +/- 11), with lower Stanford-Binet subtests except short-term memory and quantitative reasoning, lower spelling scores on the Wide Range Achievement Test, and lower Peabody motor quotients (79 +/- 11 and 92 +/- 17). Preschool Language Scale quotients were not different, but other receptive language measures were lower for ELBW children. High SES seemed to modify the impact of preterm status on cognitive and language but not motor scores. The mean IQ for high-SES ELBW children was equivalent to that of the low-SES term siblings. Preschool-age cognitive and language functioning in ELBW children seemed to be affected by both prenatal and birth influences (preterm status) and postnatal influences (SES variables). Motor scores were significantly related to preterm status but not to SES.

Age- and sex-specific relationships between household income, education, and diabetes mellitus in Korean adults: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2008-2010.

PubMed

Kim, So-Ra; Han, Kyungdo; Choi, Jin-Young; Ersek, Jennifer; Liu, Junxiu; Jo, Sun-Jin; Lee, Kang-Sook; Yim, Hyeon Woo; Lee, Won-Chul; Park, Yong Gyu; Lee, Seung-Hwan; Park, Yong-Moon

2015-01-01

To investigate the effects of age and sex on the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and the prevalence and control status of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Korean adults. Data came from 16,175 adults (6,951 men and 9,227 women) over the age of 30 who participated in the 2008-2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. SES was measured by household income or education level. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the prevalence or control status of diabetes were calculated using multiple logistic regression analyses across household income quartiles and education levels. The household income-DM and education level-DM relationships were significant in younger age groups for both men and women. The adjusted ORs and 95% CI for diabetes were 1.51 (0.97, 2.34) and 2.28 (1.29, 4.02) for the lowest vs. highest quartiles of household income and education level, respectively, in women younger than 65 years of age (both P for linear trend < 0.05 with Bonferroni adjustment). The adjusted OR and 95% CI for diabetes was 2.28 (1.53, 3.39) for the lowest vs. highest quartile of household income in men younger than 65 (P for linear trend < 0.05 with Bonferroni adjustment). However, in men and women older than 65, no associations were found between SES and the prevalence of DM. No significant association between SES and the status of glycemic control was detected. We found age- and sex-specific differences in the relationship of household income and education with the prevalence of DM in Korea. DM preventive care is needed for groups with a low SES, particularly in young or middle-aged populations.

Socio-economic status and emotional distress of female Turkish immigrants and native German women living in Berlin.

PubMed

Aichberger, M C; Bromand, Z; Heredia Montesinos, A; Temur-Erman, S; Mundt, A; Heinz, A; Rapp, M A; Schouler-Ocak, M

2012-06-01

Many immigrants face more economic strains and hardship than non-immigrants. Income inequality and an increasing social gap between immigrants and non-immigrants in Europe warrant further studies on the impact of socioeconomic factors on health in immigrant groups. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of socioeconomic status (SES) and emotional distress in women of Turkish descent and in women of German descent. A total of 405 women of German or Turkish descent residing in Berlin were interviewed. Emotional distress was assessed by the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), and SES was examined by level of education, employment status, and income. The associations of emotional distress and SES were estimated in multivariate linear regression analyses. Unemployment was associated with increased levels of emotional distress in all women, with the highest level of distress in the group of unemployed Turkish women. The overall SES level was related to a greater level of emotional distress in Turkish women, but not in German women (-3.2, 95%CI -5.9 - -.5; p=.020 vs. -.8, 95%CI -2.7 - 1.2; p=.431). Further stratified analyses by relationship status revealed that the association of SES and emotional distress only remained significant among single women. The impact of socioeconomic hardship appears to be complicated by social roles and expectations related to these. Further in-depth study of the complex nature of the interaction of social roles and socioeconomic position in female Turkish immigrants in Germany is needed to better understand differing risk patterns for emotional distress. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Binge drinking among Brazilian students: a gradient of association with socioeconomic status in five geo-economics regions

PubMed Central

Sanchez, Zila M; Locatelli, Danilo P; Noto, Ana R; Martins, Silvia S

2013-01-01

Aims 1) To describe the characteristics of binge drinking (BD) among high school students in Brazil and 2) the association of BD with students' socioeconomic status (SES) in the five different Brazilian macroregions. Design A national multistage probabilistic sample of high school students. Setting Students were drawn from 789 public and private schools in each of the 27 Brazilian state capitals. Participants 17,297 high school students, aged 14 to 18 years. Measurement Self-report data about BD practices and SES were analyzed via weighted logistic regressions and a funnel plot. Findings Almost 32% of the students engaged in BD in the past-year. Being in the highest SES stratum doubled the risk of BD among students in all five Brazilian macroregions. There was a gradient in the association between past-year BD and socioeconomic status: as SES increased; the chance of having recently engaged in BD also increased. In the Brazilian capitals as a whole, boys versus girls (aOR = 1.40 [95% CI 1.26 to 1.58]), being older (aOR = 1.47 [95% CI 1.40 to 1.55] per each additional year of age) and those attending private schools versus public schools (aOR = 1.39 [95% CI 1.18 to 1.62]), were at greater risk for BD. Conclusions Contrary to what is observed in developed countries, students living in Brazilian capitals may be at an increased risk of BD when they belong to the highest socioeconomic status. Adolescents growing up in other emerging economies might have the same association between high SES and BD. PMID:22771006

Socioeconomic (SES) differences in language are evident in female infants at 7months of age.

PubMed

Betancourt, Laura M; Brodsky, Nancy L; Hurt, Hallam

2015-12-01

Language skills, strongly linked to academic success, are known to differ by socioeconomic status (SES), with lower SES individuals performing less well than higher SES. To examine the effect of SES on infant language at 7months of age and the relationship between maternal vocabulary skills and infant language function. To determine if the relationships between SES and infant language are mediated by maternal vocabulary skills. Longitudinal follow-up of healthy term female African American infants born to mothers in two SES groups: Low SES (income-to-needs≤1, no education beyond high school) and Higher SES (Income-to-Needs >1, at least a high school diploma). 54 infants tested at 7months of age; 54 mothers tested at infant age 7months. Preschool Language Scale-5 (PLS-5), Vocabulary and Matrix Reasoning subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV. Low SES infants (n=29) performed less well than Higher SES (n=25) on PLS-5 Total Language, Auditory Comprehension, and Expressive Communication (p≤0.012). Maternal Vocabulary subtest scores were lower in Low SES than Higher SES (p=0.002), but not related to infant PLS Language scores (p≥0.17). Maternal vocabulary did not mediate the relationship between SES and infant language skills at age 7months. In this single sex and race cohort of healthy, term, female infants, lower SES exerted negative effects on infant language by 7months of age. While maternal vocabulary scores showed no relation with infant language skills at 7months, continued study of the relations between SES, infant outcomes and maternal characteristics is needed to determine how low SES conditions impact early language. These findings underscore the importance of early interventions, as well as policies designed to improve socioeconomic conditions for infants and families. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surprising SES Gradients in Mortality, Health, and Biomarkers in a Latin American Population of Adults

PubMed Central

Dow, William H.

2009-01-01

Background To determine socioeconomic status (SES) gradients in the different dimensions of health among elderly Costa Ricans. Hypothesis: SES disparities in adult health are minimal in Costa Rican society. Methods Data from the Costa Rican Study on Longevity and Healthy Aging study: 8,000 elderly Costa Ricans to determine mortality in the period 2000–2007 and a subsample of 3,000 to determine prevalence of several health conditions and biomarkers from anthropometry and blood and urine specimens. Results The ultimate health indicator, mortality, as well as the metabolic syndrome, reveals that better educated and wealthier individuals are worse off. In contrast, quality of life–related measures such as functional and cognitive disabilities, physical frailty, and depression all clearly worsen with lower SES. Overall self-reported health (SRH) also shows a strong positive SES gradient. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes and cholesterol are not significantly related to SES, but hypertension and obesity are worse among high-SES individuals. Reflecting mixed SES gradients in behaviors, smoking and lack of exercise are more common among low SES, but high calorie diets are more common among high SES. Conclusions Negative modern behaviors among high-SES groups may be reversing cardiovascular risks across SES groups, hence reversing mortality risks. But negative SES gradients in healthy years of life persist. PMID:19196695

Oral cancer screening and socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Johnson, Stephanie; McDonald, J Ted; Corsten, Martin

2012-04-01

To determine if awareness of oral cancer screening correlates with socioeconomic status (SES) and to determine if screening for oral cancer correlates with SES. Data were obtained from the 2008 American National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Our primary measure of SES was education; additional measures for SES included income, race, health insurance, and immigration status. We performed a logistic regression analysis, controlling for important demographic characteristics. Awareness of oral cancer screening increases with higher education levels (< grade 9 OR 0.37 [CI 0.29-0.48], grade 9-12 OR 0.53 [CI 0.44-0.65], high school OR 0.68 [CI 0.59-0.77], higher degree OR 1.13 [CI 0.96-1.34]). Similarly, screening for oral cancer increases with higher education levels (< grade 9 OR 0.31 [CI 0.23-0.42], grade 9-12 OR 0.34 [CI 0.26-0.43], high school OR 0.60 [CI 0.52-0.68], higher degree OR 1.41 [CI 1.18-1.67]). We found that race, income, immigration, and health insurance status were statistically significant correlates with oral cancer awareness and screening. Higher SES individuals are more likely to be aware of and screened for oral cancer. This is problematic because oral cancers are more prevalent in low SES groups. Future awareness and screening campaigns should be directed at vulnerable low SES populations.

Psychological Perspectives on Pathways Linking Socioeconomic Status and Physical Health

PubMed Central

Matthews, Karen A.; Gallo, Linda C.

2011-01-01

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is a reliable correlate of poor physical health. Rather than treat SES as a covariate, health psychology has increasingly focused on the psychobiological pathways that inform understanding why SES is related to physical health. This review assesses the status of research that has examined stress and its associated distress, and social and personal resources as pathways. It highlights work on biomarkers and biological pathways related to SES that can serve as intermediate outcomes in future studies. Recent emphasis on the accumulation of psychobiological risks across the life course is summarized and represents an important direction for future research. Studies that test pathways from SES to candidate psychosocial pathways to health outcomes are few in number but promising. Future research should test integrated models rather than taking piecemeal approaches to evidence. Much work remains to be done, but the questions are of great health significance. PMID:20636127

Association between weight perception and socioeconomic status among adults in the Seychelles.

PubMed

Alwan, Heba; Viswanathan, Bharathi; Williams, Julita; Paccaud, Fred; Bovet, Pascal

2010-08-09

Few studies have examined the association between weight perception and socioeconomic status (SES) in sub-Saharan Africa, and none made this association based on education, occupation and income simultaneously. Based on a population-based survey (n = 1255) in the Seychelles, weight and height were measured and self-perception of one's own body weight, education, occupation, and income were assessed by a questionnaire. Individuals were considered to have appropriate weight perception when their self-perceived weight matched their actual body weight. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 35% and 28%, respectively. Multivariate analysis among overweight/obese persons showed that appropriate weight perception was directly associated with actual weight, education, occupation and income, and that it was more frequent among women than among men. In a model using all three SES indicators together, only education (OR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.3-4.8) and occupation (OR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.2-4.5) were independently associated with appropriate perception of being overweight. The OR reached 6.9 [95% CI: 3.4-14.1] when comparing the highest vs. lowest categories of SES based on a score including all SES indicators and 6.1 [95% CI: 3.0-12.1] for a score based on education and occupation. Appropriately perceiving one's weight as too high was associated with different SES indicators, female sex and being actually overweight. These findings suggest means and targets for clinical and population-based interventions for weight control. Further studies should examine whether these differences in weight perception underlie differences in cognitive skills, healthy weight norms, or body size ideals.

Oral health status in relation to socioeconomic factors among the municipal employees of Mysore city.

PubMed

Chandra Shekar, B R; Reddy, Cvk

2011-01-01

To assess the prevalence of dental caries, periodontal diseases, oral pre-malignant and malignant lesions in relation to socioeconomic factors among the municipal employees of Mysore city. The study was cross sectional in nature. All the available employees (1187) during the study period were considered. World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Assessment form (1997) and a preformed questionnaire were used to collect the required data. Modified Kuppuswamy scale with readjustment of the per capita income to suit the present levels was used for classifying the individuals into different socioeconomic status (SES) categories. Data were collected by a single, trained and calibrated examiner (dentist) using mouth mirror and community periodontal index (CPI) probe under natural daylight. Data analysis was done using SPSS windows version 10. Quantitative data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's post hoc test and qualitative data were analyzed using chi-square or contingency coefficient. The age range of the study population was 19-57 years (mean 40.74 years, standard deviation 9.17). The prevalence of dental caries in the upper SES category was lesser (43.3%) compared to that in lower SES category (78.6%). 16.4% of the subjects in the upper category had a CPI score of 0 (healthy periodontium) and none of the subjects in the lower middle, upper lower and lower SES category had this score. The prevalence of oral pre-malignant and malignant lesions was higher in lower SES category (17.9%) than in upper class (0%). There was an inverse relationship between oral health status and SES. The overall treatment need was more in the lower class people than in the upper class.

Socioeconomic Status, Not Race, Is Associated With Reduced Survival in Esophagectomy Patients.

PubMed

Erhunmwunsee, Loretta; Gulack, Brian C; Rushing, Christel; Niedzwiecki, Donna; Berry, Mark F; Hartwig, Matthew G

2017-07-01

Black patients with esophageal cancer have worse survival than white patients. This study examines this racial disparity in conjunction with socioeconomic status (SES) and explores whether race-based outcome differences exist using a national database. The associations between race and SES with overall survival of patients treated with esophagectomy for stages I to III esophageal cancer between 2003 and 2011 in the National Cancer Data Base were investigated using the Kaplan-Meier method and proportional hazards analyses. Median income by zip code and proportion of the zip code residents without a high school diploma were grouped into income and education quartiles, respectively and used as surrogates for SES. The association between race and overall survival stratified by SES is explored. Of 11,599 esophagectomy patients who met study criteria, 3,503 (30.2%) were in the highest income quartile, 2,847 (24.5%) were in the highest education quartile, and 610 patients (5%) were black. Before adjustment for SES, black patients had worse overall survival than white patients (median survival 23.0 versus 34.7 months, log rank p < 0.001), and overall, survival times improved with increasing income and education (p < 0.001 for both). After adjustment for putative prognostic factors, SES was associated with overall survival, whereas race was not. Prior studies have suggested that survival of esophageal cancer patients after esophagectomy is associated with race. Our study suggests that race is not significantly related to overall survival when adjusted for other prognostic variables. Socioeconomic status, however, remains significantly related to overall survival in our model. Copyright © 2017 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1918 pandemic morbidity: The first wave hits the poor, the second wave hits the rich.

PubMed

Mamelund, Svenn-Erik

2018-05-01

Whether morbidity from the 1918-19 influenza pandemic discriminated by socioeconomic status has remained a subject of debate for 100 years. In lack of data to study this issue, the recent literature has hypothesized that morbidity was "socially neutral." To study the associations between influenza-like illness (ILI) and socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and wave during the 1918-19 influenza pandemic. Availability of incidence data on the 1918-19 pandemic is scarce, in particular for waves other than the "fall wave" October-December 1918. Here, an overlooked survey from Bergen, Norway (n = 10 633), is used to study differences in probabilities of ILI and ILI probability ratios by apartment size as a measure of SES and gender for 3 waves including the waves prior to and after the "fall wave." Socioeconomic status was negatively associated with ILI in the first wave, but positively associated in the second wave. At all SES levels, men had the highest ILI in the summer, while women had the highest ILI in the fall. There were no SES or gender differences in ILI in the winter of 1919. For the first time, it is documented a crossover in the role of socioeconomic status in 1918 pandemic morbidity. The poor came down with influenza first, while the rich with less exposure in the first wave had the highest morbidity in the second wave. The study suggests that the socioeconomically disadvantaged should be prioritized if vaccines are of limited availability in a future pandemic. © 2018 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The link between body dissatisfaction and self-esteem in adolescents: Similarities across gender, age, weight status, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status

PubMed Central

van den Berg, Patricia A.; Mond, Jonathan; Eisenberg, Marla; Ackard, Diann; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne

2010-01-01

Purpose The present study examined whether the cross-sectional association between body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem varies across gender, age, body weight status, race/ethnicity, and SES. We also examined the association longitudinally. Methods A school-based survey of eating, weight, and related attitudes was conducted with a diverse sample of adolescents aged 11–18 years (N = 4,746). Height and weight were measured in the schools at Time 1. Participants was resurveyed by mail five years later (Time 2, N = 2,516). Results The body dissatisfaction/self-esteem association was strong and significant in both boys and girls (p’s<.0001), and did not differ significantly between genders (p =.16), nor between the middle school and high school cohorts in either boys (p=.79) or girls (p=.80). Among girls, the body dissatisfaction/self-esteem relationship was strong, but did vary across weight status, race/ethnicity, and SES (p’s .0001–.03). The relationship was non-significant in underweight girls (p=.36), and weaker but still significant among black, Asian, and low SES girls (all p’s <.0001) in comparison to white and high SES group girls. Among boys, the association did not differ significantly across demographic groups (p’s .18–.79). In longitudinal analyses, the strength of the association did not change significantly as adolescents grew older. Conclusions Findings indicate that body dissatisfaction and self-esteem are strongly related among nearly all groups of adolescents. This suggests the importance of addressing body image concerns with adolescents of all backgrounds and ages. PMID:20708569

The impact of community context on children's health and nutritional status in China.

PubMed

Lei, Lei

2017-04-01

The link between community environment and individual health outcomes has been widely documented in Western literature, but little is known about whether community context influences children's health over and above individual characteristics in developing countries. This study examines how community socioeconomic status (SES) influences children's self-rated health and nutritional status in urban and rural China and explores whether the effects of community SES vary by a child's gender and family background. Using data from the China Family Penal Studies in 2010, this study focuses on children aged 10-15 years old living in 261 urban neighborhoods and 293 rural villages in China. Multilevel regression models are estimated to examine the effect of community SES on the probability of reporting poor/fair health and nutritional status measured by height for age while controlling for individual and family characteristics. The results suggest that community SES has a positive and curvilinear effect on children's health and nutritional status in urban China, and it only positively influences children's nutrition in rural China. Community SES has a stronger effect for boys than for girls, and for children in poorer families and families with lower levels of parental involvement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The sociodemographic correlates of nutritional status of school adolescents in Jiangsu Province, China.

PubMed

Shi, Zumin; Lien, Nanna; Kumar, Bernadette Nirmal; Dalen, Ingvild; Holmboe-Ottesen, Gerd

2005-10-01

The objective of this article was to describe the relationship between sociodemographic factors and nutritional status (body mass index [BMI], height for age, and anemia) in adolescents. In 2002, a cross-sectional study comprising 824 students aged 12 to 14 years from 8 schools in 2 prefectures in Jiangsu province of China had their height, weight, and hemoglobin level measured. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic information. The prevalence of underweight was low in the overall sample (5.2%). The prevalence of stunting also was low (2.9%), and the differences between residential areas and sociodemographic groups were small. The percentage of overweight/obesity was higher among boys (17.9%) than girls (8.9%). Male students having fathers with a high educational level had the highest percentage of overweight and obesity (27.8%). Household socioeconomic status (SES) was associated positively with BMI. Family size, gender, and the father's level of education also were related to BMI. The percentage of anemia was somewhat higher among girls (23.4%) than boys (17.2%). Anemia coexisted with underweight. No urban/rural or SES differences in the percentage of students with anemia were observed in the sample, but differences between regions and schools were very significant. Undernutrition was not a problem in the research area. Nutritional status was associated with SES and region. Overnutrition and anemia in adolescents are important nutritional problems in Jiangsu, China. Intervention programs are needed to address these problems.

Intergenerational Profiles of Socioeconomic (Dis)advantage and Obesity During the Transition to Adulthood

PubMed Central

Scharoun-Lee, Melissa; Adair, Linda S.; Popkin, Barry M.; Kaufman, Jay S.; Suchindran, Chirayath M.

2012-01-01

Investigations of socioeconomic status (SES) and health during the transition to adulthood in the United States are complicated by the later and more varied transitions in residence, employment, schooling, and social roles compared with previous generations. Parental SES is an important influence during adolescence but cannot sufficiently capture the SES of the independent young adult. Typical, single SES indicators based on income or education likely misclassify the SES of young adults who have not yet completed their education or other training, or who have entered the labor force early with ultimately lower status attainment. We use a latent class analysis (LCA) framework to characterize five intergenerational SES groups, combining multidimensional SES information from two time points—that is, adolescent (parental) and young adult (self) SES data. Associations of these groups with obesity, a high-risk health outcome in young adults, revealed nuanced relationships not seen using traditional intergenerational SES measures. In males, for example, a middle-class upbringing in adolescence and continued material advantage into adulthood was associated with nearly as high obesity as a working poor upbringing and early, detrimental transitions. This intergenerational typology of early SES exposure facilitates understanding of SES and health during young adulthood. PMID:21491185

Antismoking television advertising and socioeconomic variations in calls to Quitline.

PubMed

Siahpush, Mohammad; Wakefield, Melanie; Spittal, Matt; Durkin, Sarah

2007-04-01

To assess the socioeconomic variations in call rates to the Quitline (Victoria, Australia) and in the impact of anti-tobacco television advertising on call rates. The outcome measure was the number of calls to the Quitline in Victoria for each week for each socioeconomic group for the period January 2001 to March 2004. Socioeconomic status (SES) was derived from the caller's postcode using the Index of Socioeconomic Disadvantage provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The exposure measure was weekly Target Audience Rating Points (TARPs, a standard measure of television advertising weight) for anti-tobacco advertising broadcast in Victoria over the same period. Negative binomial regression was used to examine the interaction of SES and TARPs in their effect on the number of Quitline calls. SES and call rates were positively associated. Adjusted call rate was 57% (95% CI 45% to 69%) higher in the highest than the lowest SES quintile. SES differences in call rates were stable over time. In the study period, the effect of the presence or increasing levels of antismoking TARPs on call rates did not vary across categories of SES. In the study period, different SES groups had a similar level of responsiveness to antismoking television advertisements, at least as measured by the rate of calls to the Quitline. However, the present media campaigns are not likely to diminish SES differences in call rates, and more needs to be done to encourage disadvantaged groups to call the Quitline.

Antismoking television advertising and socioeconomic variations in calls to Quitline

PubMed Central

Siahpush, Mohammad; Wakefield, Melanie; Spittal, Matt; Durkin, Sarah

2007-01-01

Objective To assess the socioeconomic variations in call rates to the Quitline (Victoria, Australia) and in the impact of anti‐tobacco television advertising on call rates. Design The outcome measure was the number of calls to the Quitline in Victoria for each week for each socioeconomic group for the period January 2001 to March 2004. Socioeconomic status (SES) was derived from the caller's postcode using the Index of Socioeconomic Disadvantage provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The exposure measure was weekly Target Audience Rating Points (TARPs, a standard measure of television advertising weight) for anti‐tobacco advertising broadcast in Victoria over the same period. Negative binomial regression was used to examine the interaction of SES and TARPs in their effect on the number of Quitline calls. Results SES and call rates were positively associated. Adjusted call rate was 57% (95% CI 45% to 69%) higher in the highest than the lowest SES quintile. SES differences in call rates were stable over time. In the study period, the effect of the presence or increasing levels of antismoking TARPs on call rates did not vary across categories of SES. Conclusions In the study period, different SES groups had a similar level of responsiveness to antismoking television advertisements, at least as measured by the rate of calls to the Quitline. However, the present media campaigns are not likely to diminish SES differences in call rates, and more needs to be done to encourage disadvantaged groups to call the Quitline. PMID:17372288

Microbial quality of food available to populations of differing socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Koro, Marlen E; Anandan, Shivanthi; Quinlan, Jennifer J

2010-05-01

Low SES has been shown to be linked to poorer-quality diets, decreased consumption of fresh produce, and an increased reliance on small retail stores. The objective of this research was to determine if there is a difference in the microbial quality and potential safety of food available to low-SES versus high-SES populations at the retail level. Aerobic plate count (APC); yeast and mold counts (Y & M); and total coliforms were determined in ready-to-eat (RTE) greens, pre-cut watermelon, broccoli, strawberries, cucumbers, milk, and orange juice and compared among products purchased in stores in low- versus those purchased in high-SES neighborhoods between June 2005 and September 2006. APC, fecal coliforms, and E. coli in ground beef and the presence of Salmonella and Campylobacter in chicken were also compared. Results showed higher microbial loads on produce from markets in low-SES areas. Significant differences observed included (1) APC and Y&M in RTE greens, (2) APC and Y&M in strawberries, and (3) YMCs in cucumbers. No difference was detected in the level of pathogens in raw meat and poultry; however, the APC in ground beef available in high-SES markets was significantly higher compared with that found in low-SES markets. The results presented here indicate that populations of low SES may be more likely to experience produce of poorer microbial quality, which may have an impact on both the appeal and potential safety of the produce. 2010 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intelligence: is it the epidemiologists' elusive "fundamental cause" of social class inequalities in health?

PubMed

Gottfredson, Linda S

2004-01-01

Virtually all indicators of physical health and mental competence favor persons of higher socioeconomic status (SES). Conventional theories in the social sciences assume that the material disadvantages of lower SES are primarily responsible for these inequalities, either directly or by inducing psychosocial harm. These theories cannot explain, however, why the relation between SES and health outcomes (knowledge, behavior, morbidity, and mortality) is not only remarkably general across time, place, disease, and kind of health system but also so finely graded up the entire SES continuum. Epidemiologists have therefore posited, but not yet identified, a more general "fundamental cause" of health inequalities. This article concatenates various bodies of evidence to demonstrate that differences in general intelligence (g) may be that fundamental cause.

Gene-by-Socioeconomic Status Interaction on School Readiness

PubMed Central

Rhemtulla, Mijke; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.

2017-01-01

In previous work with a nationally representative sample of over 1,400 monozygotic and dizygotic twins born in the United States, Tucker-Drob, Rhemtulla, Harden, Turkheimer, and Fask (2011; Psychological Science, 22, 125–133) uncovered a gene × environment interaction on scores on the Bayley Short Form test of mental ability at 2 years of age—higher socioeconomic status (SES) was associated not only with higher mental ability, but also with larger genetic contributions to individual differences in mental ability. The current study examined gene × SES interactions in mathematics skill and reading skill at 4 years of age (preschool age) in the same sample of twins, and further examined whether interactions detected at 4 years could be attributed to the persistence of the interaction previously observed at 2 years. For early mathematics skill but not early reading skill, genetic influences were more pronounced at higher levels of SES. This interaction was not accounted for by the interaction observed at 2 years. These findings indicate that SES moderates the etiological influences on certain cognitive functions at multiple stages of child development. PMID:22350185

An Exploratory Study on Socio Economic Status Scales in a Rural and Urban Setting

PubMed Central

Ramesh Masthi, N.R.; Gangaboraiah; Kulkarni, Praveen

2013-01-01

Background: There are many different scales to measure socioeconomic status (SES). The present study was conducted with the objective to compare the most commonly used SES in rural and urban setting. Materials and Methods: This exploratory study was conducted in the rural and urban field practice area of a medical college situated in Bangalore for a period of 3 months between January and April 2010. Statistical Analysis Used: To measure the agreement between the scales spearman's rank correlations was applied. Results: A total of 120 families were included in the study. Among the 60 families surveyed at rural setting, it was observed that, majority 40 (67%) belonged to high class when the Standard of Living Index (SLI) scale was applied. Among the 60 families surveyed at urban setting, majority 30 (50%) belonged to high class when the SLI scale was applied. Conclusions: The SLI scale gives a more accurate and realistic picture of the SES of the family and hence should be the scale recommended for classification of SES in urban and rural setting. PMID:24479048

Life-course socioeconomic status and breast and cervical cancer screening: analysis of the WHO's Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE).

PubMed

Akinyemiju, Tomi; Ogunsina, Kemi; Sakhuja, Swati; Ogbhodo, Valentine; Braithwaite, Dejana

2016-11-22

Socioeconomic differences in screening have been well documented in upper-income countries; however, few studies have examined socioeconomic status (SES) over the life-course in relation to cancer screening in lower-income and middle-income countries. Here, we examine individual, parental and life-course SES differences in breast and cervical cancer screening among women in India, China, Mexico, Russia and South Africa. Data from the WHO's Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) 2007-2008 data were used for survey-weighted multivariable regression analysis. We examined the association between individual, parental and life-course SES in relation to breast and cervical cancer screening using education-based and employment-based measures of SES. 22 283 women aged 18-65 years, recruited from China, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa. Having a college degree (OR 4.18; 95% CI 2.36 to 7.40) increased the odds of breast cancer screening compared with no formal education. Women with higher parental SES were almost 10 times more likely to receive breast cancer screening (OR 9.84; 95% CI 1.75 to 55.5) compared with women with low parental SES. Stable higher life-course (OR 3.07; 95% CI 1.96 to 4.79) increased breast cancer screening by threefold and increased cervical cancer screening by more than fourfold (OR 4.35; 95% CI 2.94 to 6.45); however, declining life-course SES was associated with reduced breast cancer screening (OR 0.26; 95% CI 0.08 to 0.79) compared to low life-course SES. Higher individual, parental and life-course SES was positively associated with breast and cervical cancer screening, although education-based SES measures were stronger predictors of screening compared with employment-based measures. Improving knowledge of the benefits of cancer screening and integrating cancer screening into routine healthcare practice for low SES women are actionable strategies that may significantly improve screening rates in low-income and middle-income countries. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Towards universal coverage: examining costs of illness, payment, and coping strategies to different population groups in southeast Nigeria.

PubMed

Ezeoke, Ogochukwu P; Onwujekwe, Obinna E; Uzochukwu, Benjamin S

2012-01-01

This study investigated the costs of illness to households in different socio-economic status (SES) groups and geographic places of abode in addition to the mechanisms that the different population groups used to pay for health services and cope with payments. A cross-sectional descriptive study of 3,200 households selected from six communities in two states was conducted using interviewer-administered pre-tested questionnaires. An SES index was used to divide the households into quartiles, and χ(2) analysis was used to determine the relationship of SES and geographic abode of households with cost of illness, payment mechanism, and coping strategies. The results show that malaria was the illness that most people had. The average cost of transportation for malaria was 86 Naira ($0.6 US), and the total cost of treatment was 2,819.9 Naira ($20 US); of this cost, drug costs alone contributed more than 90%. Out of pocket was the main method of payment. Treatment costs differed by geographic location and socio-economic status. Policy measures should establish targeted mechanisms to protect the general population, especially rural dwellers and poorer households, against the financial burden of direct healthcare payments.

Towards Universal Coverage: Examining Costs of Illness, Payment, and Coping Strategies to Different Population Groups in Southeast Nigeria

PubMed Central

Ezeoke, Ogochukwu P.; Onwujekwe, Obinna E.; Uzochukwu, Benjamin S.

2012-01-01

This study investigated the costs of illness to households in different socio-economic status (SES) groups and geographic places of abode in addition to the mechanisms that the different population groups used to pay for health services and cope with payments. A cross-sectional descriptive study of 3,200 households selected from six communities in two states was conducted using interviewer-administered pre-tested questionnaires. An SES index was used to divide the households into quartiles, and χ2 analysis was used to determine the relationship of SES and geographic abode of households with cost of illness, payment mechanism, and coping strategies. The results show that malaria was the illness that most people had. The average cost of transportation for malaria was 86 Naira ($0.6 US), and the total cost of treatment was 2,819.9 Naira ($20 US); of this cost, drug costs alone contributed more than 90%. Out of pocket was the main method of payment. Treatment costs differed by geographic location and socio-economic status. Policy measures should establish targeted mechanisms to protect the general population, especially rural dwellers and poorer households, against the financial burden of direct healthcare payments. PMID:22232451

Socio-Economic Status and Early Childhood Cognitive Skills: A Mediation Analysis Using the Young Lives Panel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez Boo, Florencia

2016-01-01

This article documents differences in cognitive development, as measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), between children from households with high and low socioeconomic status (SES) in two different phases of early childhood in four developing countries. A large number of potential mediators, such as urban residence, preschool…

Socioeconomic inequalities in children’s diet: the role of the home food environment

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background It is well documented in the literature that low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with lower consumption of healthy foods and that these differences in consumption patterns are influenced by neighborhood food environments. Less understood is the role that SES differences in physical and social aspects of the home food environment play in consumption patterns. Methods Using data on 4th grade children from the 2009–2011 Texas School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) study, we used mixed-effects regression models to test the magnitude of differences in the SPAN Health Eating Index (SHEI) by parental education as an indicator of SES, and the extent to which adjusting for measures of the home food environment, and measures of the neighborhood environment accounted for these SES differences. Results Small but significant differences in children’s SHEI by SES strata exist (-1.33 between highest and lowest SES categories, p<0.01). However, incorporating home food environment and neighborhood environment measures in this model eliminates these differences (-0.7, p=0.145). Home food environment explains a greater portion of the difference. Both social (mealtime structure) and physical aspects (food availability) of the home food environment are strongly associated with consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods. Conclusions Our findings suggest that modifiable parent behaviors at home can improve children’s eating habits and that the neighborhood may impact diet in ways other than through access to healthy food. PMID:26222785

Media campaigns to promote smoking cessation among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations: what do we know, what do we need to learn, and what should we do now?

PubMed

Niederdeppe, Jeff; Kuang, Xiaodong; Crock, Brittney; Skelton, Ashley

2008-11-01

Little is known about whether media campaigns are effective strategies to promote smoking cessation among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations or whether media campaigns may unintentionally maintain or widen disparities in smoking cessation by socioeconomic status (SES). This paper presents a systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of media campaigns to promote smoking cessation among low SES populations in the USA and countries with comparable political systems and demographic profiles such as Canada, Australia and Western European nations. We reviewed 29 articles, summarizing results from 18 studies, which made explicit statistical comparisons of media campaign effectiveness by SES, and 21 articles, summarizing results from 13 studies, which assessed the effectiveness of media campaigns targeted specifically to low SES populations. We find that there is considerable evidence that media campaigns to promote smoking cessation are often less effective, sometimes equally effective, and rarely more effective among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations relative to more advantaged populations. Disparities in the effectiveness of media campaigns between SES groups may occur at any of three stages: differences in meaningful exposure, differences in motivational response, or differences in opportunity to sustain long-term cessation. There remains a need to conduct research that examines the effectiveness of media campaigns by SES; these studies should employ research designs that are sensitive to various ways that SES differences in smoking cessation media effects might occur.

Developmental trajectories of writing skills in first grade: Examining the effects of SES and language and/or speech impairments

PubMed Central

Kim, Young-Suk; Puranik, Cynthia; Otaiba, Stephanie Al

2013-01-01

We examined growth trajectories of writing and the relation of children's socio-economic status, and language and/or speech impairment to the growth trajectories. First grade children (N = 304) were assessed on their written composition in the fall, winter, and spring, and their vocabulary and literacy skills in the fall. Children's SES had a negative effect on writing quality and productivity. Children with language and/or speech impairment had lower scores than typically developing children in the quality and productivity of writing. Even after accounting for their vocabulary and literacy skills, students with language and/or speech impairment had lower scores in the quality and organization of writing. Growth rates in writing were not different as a function of children's SES and language/speech impairment status. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. PMID:26146410

Race, socioeconomic status, and health. The added effects of racism and discrimination.

PubMed

Williams, D R

1999-01-01

Higher disease rates for blacks (or African Americans) compared to whites are pervasive and persistent over time, with the racial gap in mortality widening in recent years for multiple causes of death. Other racial/ethnic minority populations also have elevated disease risk for some health conditions. This paper considers the complex ways in which race and socioeconomic status (SES) combine to affect health. SES accounts for much of the observed racial disparities in health. Nonetheless, racial differences often persist even at "equivalent" levels of SES. Racism is an added burden for nondominant populations. Individual and institutional discrimination, along with the stigma of inferiority, can adversely affect health by restricting socioeconomic opportunities and mobility. Racism can also directly affect health in multiple ways. Residence in poor neighborhoods, racial bias in medical care, the stress of experiences of discrimination and the acceptance of the societal stigma of inferiority can have deleterious consequences for health.

It Is Not Just the Poor Kids: The Use of AAE Forms by African-American School-Aged Children from Middle SES Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horton-Ikard, RaMonda; Miller, Jon F.

2004-01-01

This study examined the production of African-American English (AAE) forms produced by 69 school-aged African-American children from middle socio-economic status (SES) communities to determine if age would influence: (a) the number of different types of AAE tokens and (b) the rate of dialect. Descriptive data revealed that there were more than 20…

The influence of socio-economic status on adolescent attitude to social noise and hearing protection.

PubMed

Widén, S E Olsen; Erlandsson, S I

2004-01-01

The focus of the present study, of 1285 adolescents, was young people's attitudes towards noise and their use of hearing protection at discos and pop concerts. Comparisons were made between adolescents from different age groups, and with different socio-economic status. Logistic regressions indicated that "worry before attending noisy activities" and "hearing symptoms" such as tinnitus and noise sensitivity could, to some degree, explain the use of hearing protection in noisy environments. Another conclusion to be drawn from this study was that adolescents' attitudes and behaviours regarding hearing protection use differed between levels of socio-economic status. Individuals with high SES expressed more negative attitudes and used ear protection to a greater extent than those with lower SES. This result might indicate differences in the development of future auditory problems among individuals with different levels of socio-economic status. The cause of hearing impairment and tinnitus may not be restricted merely to noise exposure. Psychological aspects, such as attitudes towards noisy environments and the individual's behaviour regarding the use of hearing protection may be considered as important factors in the understanding of why the prevalence of hearing related problems has increased among adolescents.

Socioeconomic inequalities in risk of hospitalization for community-acquired bacteremia: a Danish population-based case-control study.

PubMed

Koch, Kristoffer; Søgaard, Mette; Nørgaard, Mette; Thomsen, Reimar Wernich; Schønheyder, Henrik Carl

2014-05-01

In a Danish population-based case-control study, we examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and risk of community-acquired bacteremia, as well as the contribution of chronic diseases and substance abuse to differences in bacteremia risk. Analyses were based on 4,117 patients aged 30-65 years who were hospitalized with first-time community-acquired bacteremia during 2000-2008 and 41,170 population controls matched by sex, age, and region of residence. Individual-level information on SES (education and income), chronic diseases, and substance abuse was retrieved from public and medical registries. Conditional logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios for bacteremia. Persons of low SES had a substantially higher risk of bacteremia than those of high SES (for short duration of education vs. long duration, odds ratio = 2.30 (95% confidence interval: 2.10, 2.52); for low income vs. high income, odds ratio = 2.77 (95% confidence interval: 2.54, 3.02)). A higher prevalence of chronic diseases and substance abuse in low-SES individuals versus high-SES individuals explained 43%-48% of the socioeconomic differences in bacteremia risk. In a country with a universal welfare system, differences in the burden of chronic diseases and substance abuse seem to have major importance in explaining inequalities in bacteremia risk.

Examining the socioeconomic effects on third molar maturation in a Portuguese sample of children, adolescents and young adults.

PubMed

Carneiro, J L; Caldas, I M; Afonso, A; Cardoso, H F V

2017-01-01

The impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on tooth mineralization has seldom been evaluated. This is important because SES can be used as a proxy for quantifying factors in the environmental that can impact mineralization but that can be difficult to measure directly, such as nutrition. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of SES on third molar mineralization, using a sample of children, adolescents and young adults from Porto, Portugal. Panoramic x-rays from 1747 patients (842 males and 904 females) were used in this study. Eight hundred and fifteen individuals were patients attending a private practice and were classified as high SES (384 males and 458 females), whereas the remaining 932 subjects (458 males and 474 females) were patients attending the dental clinic at the Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Porto and were classified as low SES. Inclusion of individuals on the each SES group was also based on parental and own occupation. The mandibular third molar was assessed for its maturation using Demirjian's stages. The median age of attainment of root stages was calculated for stages D to H, using logistic regression and compared between the high and low SES samples. Boys from the higher SES group show an earlier median age of attainment for stages D, E, and F. Girls from the higher SES group also show an earlier median age of attainment, but for stages D and E. Stages G and H did not show SES differences in both sexes. Patients from the higher SES group showed a consistent advancement in maturation of the third molar, although SES differences diminish and eventually disappear in the last stages of root maturation. An accelerated effect related to overweight and obesity is suggested as the primary explanation.

The Interplay of Socioeconomic Status, Distance to Center, and Interdonor Service Area Travel on Kidney Transplant Access and Outcomes

PubMed Central

Axelrod, David A.; Dzebisashvili, Nino; Schnitzler, Mark A.; Salvalaggio, Paolo R.; Segev, Dorry L.; Gentry, Sommer E.; Tuttle-Newhall, Janet

2010-01-01

Background and objectives: Variation in kidney transplant access across the United States may motivate relocation of patients with ability to travel to better-supplied areas. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: We examined national transplant registry and U.S. Census data for kidney transplant candidates listed in 1999 to 2009 with a reported residential zip code (n = 203,267). Cox's regression was used to assess associations of socioeconomic status (SES), distance from residence to transplant center, and relocation to a different donation service area (DSA) with transplant access and outcomes. Results: Patients in the highest SES quartile had increased access to transplant compared with those with lowest SES, driven strongly by 76% higher likelihood of living donor transplantation (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.70 to 1.83). Waitlist death was reduced in high compared with low SES candidates (aHR 0.86, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.89). High SES patients also experienced lower mortality after living and deceased donor transplant. Patients living farther from the transplant center had reduced access to deceased donor transplant and increased risk of post-transplant death. Inter-DSA travel was associated with a dramatic increase in deceased donor transplant access (HR 1.94, 95% CI 1.88 to 2.00) and was predicted by high SES, white race, and longer deceased-donor allograft waiting time in initial DSA. Conclusions: Ongoing disparities exist in kidney transplantation access and outcomes on the basis of geography and SES despite near-universal insurance coverage under Medicare. Inter-DSA travel improves access and is more common among high SES candidates. PMID:20798250

Association of Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Social Support with Depressive Symptoms among the Elderly in Singapore.

PubMed

Ng, Charis W L; Tan, Woan Shin; Gunapal, Pradeep P G; Wong, Lai Yin; Heng, Bee Hoon

2014-12-01

Depression in the elderly is a major public health issue. Socioeconomic status (SES) and social support are strong risk factors for depression. This study aimed to investigate the influence of SES and social support in elderly depression, and the modifying effect of social support on the relationship between SES and depression. A community-based survey was conducted on residents≥60 years old. Depressive symptoms were determined with scores≥5 using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the odds ratio (OR) of depressive symptoms with respect to SES and social support, and interaction terms between the two variables. Of 2447 responses analysed, 188 (7.8%) respondents had depressive symptoms. Living in 2-room housing, living alone/with a domestic helper, infrequent leisure time with children/grandchildren or being childless, and feeling socially isolated were independently associated with depressive symptoms. Relative to residents living with spouse and children in 4-/5-room housing, the highest ORs for depressive symptoms were those living with spouse and children in 2-room (OR: 3.06, P<0.05), followed by living with children only in 3-room (OR: 2.98, P<0.05), and living alone/with a domestic helper in 4-/5-room (OR: 2.73, P<0.05). Living with spouse only appears to buffer against depressive symptoms across socioeconomic classes, although the effect was not statistically significant. Low social support and low SES significantly increased the odds of depressive symptoms. The moderating effect of social support on depression was however not consistent across SES groups. Specific interventions need to target different SES groups to better help older adults at risk of developing depression.

Importance of Women's Relative Socioeconomic Status within Sexual Relationships in Communication about Safer Sex and HIV/STI Prevention.

PubMed

Muchomba, Felix M; Chan, Christine; El-Bassel, Nabila

2015-06-01

The socioeconomic status (SES) of women is increasingly considered an important factor for HIV/STI risk. The HIV/STI literature has largely focused on women's absolute levels of SES, and therefore, the importance of their SES relative to their male sexual partners remains understudied. This paper examines the association between women's relative SES and frequency of safer sex communication among heterosexual couples. A convenience sample of 342 couples (N = 684) recruited in New York City was asked about frequency of discussions with their partner about the need to use male condoms, about HIV prevention, and about STI prevention in the previous 90 days. Differences between partners in education, income, employment, housing, and incarceration history were combined using principal component analysis to form an index of women's relative SES. Negative binomial regression models assessed associations between woman's relative SES and communication frequency controlling for age, sex, race, ethnicity, education, and relationship type using a generalized estimating equation framework. On average, participants had 2.5, 4.2, and 4.8 discussions regarding the need to use male condoms, about HIV prevention, and about STI prevention, respectively. A one standard deviation increase in a woman's relative SES score was associated with increased frequency of discussions about male condom use (adjusted rate ratio [aRR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.29), about HIV prevention (aRR, 1.25; CI, 1.14-1.37), and about STI prevention (aRR, 1.29; CI, 1.18-1.41). Women's relative SES may be an important factor for sexual communication, and further research on its role in HIV/STI risk may uncover avenues for intervention.

Unhealthy lifestyles do not mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and incident depressive symptoms; The Health ABC study

PubMed Central

Groffen, Daniëlle A.I.; Koster, Annemarie; Bosma, Hans; van den Akker, Marjan; Kempen, Gertrudis I.J.M.; van Eijk, Jacques Th M.; van Gool, Coen H.; Penninx, Brenda W.J.H.; Harris, Tamara B.; Rubin, Susan M.; Pahor, Marco; Schulz, Richard; Simonsick, Eleanor M.; Perry, Sara E.; Ayonayon, Hilsa N.; Kritchevsky, Stephen B.

2012-01-01

Background The relationship between low socioeconomic status (SES) and depressive symptoms is well described, also in older persons. Although studies have found associations between low SES and unhealthy lifestyle factors and between unhealthy lifestyle factors and depressive symptoms, not much is known about unhealthy lifestyles as a potential explanation of socioeconomic differences in depressive symptoms in older persons. Methods To study the independent pathways between SES (education, income, perceived income, and financial assets), lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol use, body mass index, and physical activity), and incident depressive symptoms (CES-D 10 and reported use of antidepressant medication), we used 9 years of follow-up data (1997–2007) from 2,694 American black and white participants aged 70–79 from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) study. At baseline, 12.1% of the study population showed prevalent depressive symptoms, use of antidepressant medication, or treatment of depression in the five years prior to baseline. These persons were excluded from the analyses. Results Over a period of 9 years time, 860 participants (31.9%) developed depressive symptoms. Adjusted hazard ratios for incident depressive symptoms were higher in participants from lower SES groups compared to the highest SES group. The strongest relationships were found for black men. Although unhealthy lifestyle factors were consistently associated with low SES, they were weakly related to incident depressive symptoms. Lifestyle factors did not significantly reduce hazard ratios for depressive symptoms by SES. Conclusion In generally healthy persons aged 70–79 years lifestyle factors do not explain the relationship between SES and depressive symptoms. (250) PMID:23567402

Unhealthy lifestyles do not mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and incident depressive symptoms: the Health ABC study.

PubMed

Groffen, Daniëlle A I; Koster, Annemarie; Bosma, Hans; van den Akker, Marjan; Kempen, Gertrudis I J M; van Eijk, Jacques Th M; van Gool, Coen H; Penninx, Brenda W J H; Harris, Tamara B; Rubin, Susan M; Pahor, Marco; Schulz, Richard; Simonsick, Eleanor M; Perry, Sara E; Ayonayon, Hilsa N; Kritchevsky, Stephen B

2013-07-01

The relationship between low socioeconomic status (SES) and depressive symptoms is well described, also in older persons. Although studies have found associations between low SES and unhealthy lifestyle factors, and between unhealthy lifestyle factors and depressive symptoms, not much is known about unhealthy lifestyles as a potential explanation of socioeconomic differences in depressive symptoms in older persons. To study the independent pathways between SES (education, income, perceived income, and financial assets), lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol use, body mass index, and physical activity), and incident depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression [CES-D 10] and reported use of antidepressant medication), we used 9 years of follow-up data (1997-2007) from 2,694 American black and white participants aged 70-79 years from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) study. At baseline, 12.1% of the study population showed prevalent depressive symptoms, use of antidepressant medication, or treatment of depression in the 5 years prior to baseline. These persons were excluded from the analyses. Over a period of 9 years time, 860 participants (31.9%) developed depressive symptoms. Adjusted hazard ratios for incident depressive symptoms were higher in participants from lower SES groups compared with the highest SES group. The strongest relationships were found for black men. Although unhealthy lifestyle factors were consistently associated with low SES, they were weakly related to incident depressive symptoms. Lifestyle factors did not significantly reduce hazard ratios for depressive symptoms by SES. In generally healthy persons aged 70-79 years, lifestyle factors do not explain the relationship between SES and depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2013 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic status and transient ischaemic attack/stroke: a prospective observational study.

PubMed

Kerr, Gillian D; Higgins, Peter; Walters, Matthew; Ghosh, Sandip K; Wright, Fiona; Langhorne, Peter; Stott, David J

2011-01-01

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with an increased risk of stroke but the mechanisms are unclear. We aimed to determine whether low-SES stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA) patients have a greater burden of vascular risk factors/co-morbidity and reduced health care access. We prospectively studied 467 consecutive stroke and TIA patients from 3 Scottish hospitals (outpatients and inpatients) during 2007/2008. We recorded vascular risk factors, stroke severity, co-morbidity measures, investigations and health service utilisation. SES was derived from postcodes using Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics and analysed in quartiles. TIA/stroke patients in the lowest SES quartile were younger (64 years, SD 14.1) than those in the highest quartile (72 years, SD 12.9; p < 0.0001). They were more likely to be current smokers (42 vs. 22%; p = 0.001) but there was no association with other vascular risk factors/co-morbidity. There was a trend for those with lower SES to have a more severe stroke [modified National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score and interquartile range: 4 (2-6) vs. 3 (1-5); multivariate p = 0.05]. Lower SES groups were less likely to have neuro-imaging (82 vs. 90%; p = 0.036) or an electrocardiogram (72 vs. 87%; p = 0.003), but differences were no longer significant on multivariate analysis. However, there was equal access to stroke unit care. Low-SES TIA and stroke patients are younger and have a more severe deficit; an increased prevalence of smoking is likely to be a major contributor. We found equal access to stroke unit care for low-SES patients. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Impact of Socioeconomic Status on the Diagnosis of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma and Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in Taiwan.

PubMed

Ko, Yu-Chieh; Hwang, De-Kuang; Chen, Wei-Ta; Lee, Ching-Chih; Liu, Catherine J

2016-01-01

To understand the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on the diagnosis of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) in Taiwan. Subjects with glaucoma were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database of year 2006, which included one million randomly selected insurants. Individuals who had ≥4 ambulatory visits within one year which had the diagnosis code of POAG (ICD-9-CM 365.11 or 365.12) or PACG (365.23) and concurrent prescription of anti-glaucoma medication or surgery were selected. Individual SES was represented by monthly income calculated from the insurance premium. Neighborhood SES was defined based on neighborhood household income averages. Urbanization level of habitation was categorized into 3 levels. The odds ratio of having POAG or PACG in subjects with different SES was evaluated by using multiple logistic regression analysis. In total, 752 and 561 subjects with POAG and PACG, respectively, who were treated on a regular basis, were identified. The diagnosis of glaucoma was affected by age, gender, frequency of healthcare utilization, individual SES, and urbanization level of habitation. With the adjustment of age, gender, healthcare utilization, neighborhood SES and level of urbanization, subjects with lower income were more likely to be diagnosed as PACG, but less likely as POAG. Subjects with more frequent healthcare utilization were more likely to be diagnosed with glaucoma. Subjects with low SES were more susceptible to PACG, but subjects with high SES were more likely to be diagnosed as POAG. This information is useful for the design and target participant setting in glaucoma education and screening campaign to maximize the efficacy of limited resources in preventing glaucoma blindness.

Neural Correlates of Socioeconomic Status in the Developing Human Brain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noble, Kimberly G.; Houston, Suzanne M.; Kan, Eric; Sowell, Elizabeth R.

2012-01-01

Socioeconomic disparities in childhood are associated with remarkable differences in cognitive and socio-emotional development during a time when dramatic changes are occurring in the brain. Yet, the neurobiological pathways through which socioeconomic status (SES) shapes development remain poorly understood. Behavioral evidence suggests that…

Sex-specific impact of socio-economic factors on suicide risk: a population-based case-control study in Denmark.

PubMed

Andrés, Antonio Rodríguez; Collings, Sunny; Qin, Ping

2010-06-01

Although many authors have investigated the impact of sex on the association between socio-economic status (SES) and suicide, a definite consensus has not yet emerged. Using Danish population registration data including 15 648 suicide deaths of individuals aged 18-65 year during 1981-97 and matched population controls, we investigate the associations of multiple SES factors with suicide risk and explore the sex-specific aspects of these associations. We use conditional logistic regression models to estimate the statistical relationship between SES, sex and suicide. SES, proxied by low income, unskilled blue-collar work, non-specific wage work and unemployment, increases suicide risk more prominently for men than for women. Marital status has a comparable influence on suicide risk in both sexes; parenthood is protective against suicide, and the effect is larger for women. Living in a large city raises suicide risk for women but reduces it for men; residents with a foreign citizenship in Denmark have a lower risk of suicide compared with Danish citizens, but this protection is confined to male immigrants. Our results demonstrate that suicide risk is associated with a range of SES proxies but the strength and/or direction of the association can differ by sex. Risk assessment and, therefore, prevention approaches should take this into consideration.

Moving in and out of Poverty: The Within-Individual Association between Socioeconomic Status and Juvenile Delinquency.

PubMed

Rekker, Roderik; Pardini, Dustin; Keijsers, Loes; Branje, Susan; Loeber, Rolf; Meeus, Wim

2015-01-01

A family's SES can be changeable over time. This study was the first to investigate if such within-individual changes in family SES are associated with parallel fluctuations in boys' delinquent behavior from childhood to adolescence. Participants were a community sample of boys and their caregivers (N = 503) who were assessed annually for ten consecutive years spanning ages 7-18. Fixed effects models revealed that changes in familial SES were related to changes in delinquency: Youths were more likely to offend during years in which their parents' SES was lower than during years in which their parents' SES was higher. Contrary to expectations, we found no evidence that this association was accounted for by families moving to different neighborhoods or by changes in parenting. Since within-individual models provide a stricter test of causality than between-individual models, these findings support claims that impacting familial SES may have a direct effect on youths' delinquency.

Moving in and out of Poverty: The Within-Individual Association between Socioeconomic Status and Juvenile Delinquency

PubMed Central

Rekker, Roderik; Pardini, Dustin; Keijsers, Loes; Branje, Susan; Loeber, Rolf; Meeus, Wim

2015-01-01

A family’s SES can be changeable over time. This study was the first to investigate if such within-individual changes in family SES are associated with parallel fluctuations in boys’ delinquent behavior from childhood to adolescence. Participants were a community sample of boys and their caregivers (N = 503) who were assessed annually for ten consecutive years spanning ages 7–18. Fixed effects models revealed that changes in familial SES were related to changes in delinquency: Youths were more likely to offend during years in which their parents’ SES was lower than during years in which their parents’ SES was higher. Contrary to expectations, we found no evidence that this association was accounted for by families moving to different neighborhoods or by changes in parenting. Since within-individual models provide a stricter test of causality than between-individual models, these findings support claims that impacting familial SES may have a direct effect on youths’ delinquency. PMID:26575271

Do the socioeconomic and hypertension gradients in rural populations of low- and middle-income countries differ by geographical region? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Busingye, Doreen; Arabshahi, Simin; Subasinghe, Asvini K; Evans, Roger G; Riddell, Michaela A; Thrift, Amanda G

2014-10-01

Of the 1 billion people with hypertension globally, two-thirds reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The risk of hypertension in LMICs is thought to be positively associated with socioeconomic status (SES). However, recent studies have provided data inconsistent with this concept. Thus, we assessed the association between SES and hypertension in rural populations of LMICs. Further, we explored whether this association differs according to geographical region. Through a search of databases we identified population-based studies that presented risk estimates for the association between SES, or any of its proxies, and hypertension. Meta-analyses were conducted using a random effects model. Overall, no association was detected between educational status and hypertension, whereas a positive association was observed with income. Interestingly, educational status was inversely associated with hypertension in East Asia {effect size [ES] 0.82 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78, 0.87]} but positively associated in South Asia [ES 1.28 (95% CI 1.14, 1.43)]. Higher income, household assets or social class were positively associated with hypertension in South Asia whereas no association was detected in East Asia and Africa. Compared with other occupations, farmers or manual labourers were associated with a lower risk for hypertension. Further, in regions such as Latin America, few studies were identified that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. We provide evidence that the association between hypertension and SES in rural populations of LMICs in Asia varies according to geographical region. This has important implications for targeting intervention strategies aimed at high-risk populations in different geographical regions. © The Author 2014; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.

The Association Between Maternal Early Life Forced Sexual Intercourse and Offspring Birth Weight: The Role of Socioeconomic Status.

PubMed

Gavin, Amelia R; Morris, Julia

2017-05-01

This study utilizes a life-course framework to investigate whether maternal early life forced sexual intercourse operates in conjunction with health behaviors during adolescence, young adulthood, and the prenatal period to influence offspring birth weight. Using data from the 1994-2009 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we examined whether early life forced sexual intercourse predicted offspring birth weight through a mediated pathway, including depressive symptoms, substance use, and prenatal cigarette smoking. We stratify our analysis by socioeconomic status (SES) to determine whether the proposed pathways operate similarly, or differently, according to SES. Our findings suggest that the pathways through which forced sexual intercourse affects offspring birth weight differ by SES. Among middle-to-high SES women, we found a mediated pathway linking forced sexual intercourse to offspring birth weight with prenatal cigarette smoking predicting lower offspring birth weight. Among low SES women, however, we did not find a mediated pathway linking forced sexual intercourse to birth weight. Findings suggest that prenatal cigarette smoking was not a mechanism of influence in the pathway between maternal early life forced sexual intercourse and offspring birth weight for low SES women. Our findings suggest that forced sexual intercourse may influence infant birth weight in the next generation. Infants born with a low birth weight are at increased risk for a myriad of adverse outcomes across the life-course. Study results suggest the importance of interventions designed to reduce behavioral risks and to support health promoting behaviors among survivors in the short term, in an effort to prevent long-term consequences among later-born offspring.

Maternal socio-economic status based on occupation and autism spectrum disorders: a national case-control study.

PubMed

Lehti, Venla; Hinkka-Yli-Salomäki, Susanna; Cheslack-Postava, Keely; Gissler, Mika; Brown, Alan S; Sourander, Andre

2015-01-01

The association between parental socio-economic status (SES) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been studied in several countries, but the results have been contradictory. The aim of this study was to examine the association between maternal SES and subtypes of ASD in Finland. A national case-control study was conducted. Children born in 1991-2005 and diagnosed with ASD by the year 2007 were identified from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register (FHDR). Their matched controls were selected from the Finnish Medical Birth Register (FMBR). There were 3468 cases and 13,868 controls. The information on maternal SES was collected from the FMBR and categorized into upper white-collar workers (referent), lower white-collar workers, blue-collar workers and "others", consisting of students, housewives and other groups with unknown SES. The statistical test used was conditional logistic regression. The likelihood of ASD was increased among offspring of mothers who belong to the group "others" (adjusted OR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.009-1.3). The likelihood of Asperger's syndrome was decreased among offspring of lower white-collar workers (adjusted OR = 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-0.9) and blue-collar workers (adjusted OR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.5-0.7). The likelihood of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) was increased among offspring of blue-collar workers (adjusted OR = 1.5, 1.2-1.9) and "others" (adjusted OR = 1.3, 1.1-1.7). No association was found between maternal SES and childhood autism. The association between maternal SES and ASD differs by ASD subtype. Socio-economic groups might differ from each other by risk factors for ASD subtypes or by their service use.

Utilisation of primary total knee joint replacements across socioeconomic status in the Barwon Statistical Division, Australia, 2006-2007: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Brennan, Sharon Lee; Stanford, Tyman; Wluka, Anita E; Page, Richard S; Graves, Stephen E; Kotowicz, Mark A; Nicholson, Geoffrey C; Pasco, Julie A

2012-01-01

There are few Australian data that examine the association between total knee joint replacement (TKR) utilisation and socioeconomic status (SES). This study examined TKR surgeries with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA) performed for residents of Barwon Statistical Division (BSD) for 2006-2007. Cross-sectional. BSD, South-eastern Victoria, Australia All patients who underwent a TKR for OA, 2006-2007, and whose residential postcode was identified as within the BSD of Australia, and for whom SES data were available, were eligible for inclusion. Primary TKR data ascertained from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry. Residential addresses were matched with the Australian Bureau of Statistics census data, and the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage was used to determine SES, categorised into quintiles whereby quintile 1 indicated the most disadvantaged and quintile 5 the least disadvantaged. Age-specific and sex-specific rates of TKR utilisation per 1000 person-years were reported for 10-year age bands. Females accounted for 62.7% of the 691 primary TKR surgeries performed during 2006-2007. The greatest utilisation rates of TKR in males was 7.6 observed in those aged >79 years, and in 10.2 in females observed in those aged 70-79 years. An increase in TKR was observed for males in SES quintile four compared to quintile 1 in which the lowest utilisation which was observed (p=0.04). No differences were observed in females across SES quintiles. Further investigation is warranted on a larger scale to examine the role that SES may play in TKR utilisation, and to determine whether any social disparities in TKR utilisation reflect health system biases or geographic differences.

Table talk: How mothers and adolescents across socioeconomic status discuss food.

PubMed

Fielding-Singh, Priya; Wang, Jennifer

2017-08-01

This article reports findings from a qualitative study of food practices among families of differing socioeconomic circumstances. Using in-depth interviews from sixty-two families in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2015-2016, we find socioeconomic differences in how mothers and adolescents talk about food. Across SES, mothers and adolescents engage in discussions about healthy eating. However, these conversations are more commonplace and embedded within high-SES family life than among low-SES families. Beyond conversations about 1) healthy eating, the topics of 2) food quality and 3) price are discussed to varying degrees across SES. Within high-SES families, frequent discussions of healthy eating are paired with dialogue highlighting the importance of consuming higher quality food. Price is largely absent as a topic of conversation among high-SES families. On the other end of the socioeconomic spectrum, low-SES mothers and adolescents frequently engage in conversations about price when discussing food. Mentions of food quality are rare, but when they do occur, they underscore important trade-offs between food's healthiness, quality and price. Given prior research showing the impact of dialogue between parents and adolescents on adolescents' dietary behaviors, these findings help us understand how family discussions contribute to shaping adolescents' approaches to food. An important implication is that high-SES families' discussions of food quality may strengthen messages about healthy eating, while conversations about affordability within low-SES families may highlight financial barriers to healthy eating. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cross-cultural adaptation of Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic shoulder and elbow score: Reliability and validity in Turkish-speaking overhead athletes.

PubMed

Turgut, Elif; Tunay, Volga Bayrakci

2018-03-09

Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Shoulder and Elbow Score (KJOC-SES) is a subjective assessment tool to measure functional status of the upper extremities in overhead athletes. The aim was to translate and culturally adapt the KJOC-SES and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version (KJOC-SES-Tr) in overhead athletes. The forward and back-translation method was followed. One hundred and twenty-three overhead athletes completed the KJOC-SES-Tr, the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH), and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Evaluation Form (ASES). Participants were assigned to one of the following subgroups: asymptomatic (playing without pain) or symptomatic (playing with pain, or not playing due to pain). Internal consistency, reliability, construct validity, discriminant validity, and content validity of the KJOC-SES-Tr were tested. The test-retest reliability of the KJOC-SES-Tr was excellent with an interclass coefficient of 0.93. There was a strong correlation between the KJOC-SES-Tr and the DASH and the ASES, indicating that the construct validity was good for all participants. Results of the KJOC-SES-Tr significantly differed between different subgroups and categories of athletes. The floor and ceiling effects were acceptable for symptomatic athletes. The KJOC-SES-Tr was shown to be valid, reliable tool to monitor the return to sports following injuries in athletes. Copyright © 2018 Turkish Association of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

THE VARIED INFLUENCE OF SES ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN

PubMed Central

Pampel, Fred C.

2013-01-01

Objective Cross-national studies have found positive relationships of socioeconomic status (SES) with environmental concern at the individual level but have not systematically examined how the relationships may differ across nations. Such comparisons have relevance to identifying the generality of theories of postmaterialism, affluence, and global environmentalism. Methods This study specifies how the individual-level influence of SES varies across national contexts and tests predictions using four waves of the World Values Survey on up to 96 nations. Results The results show that SES is associated only weakly with environmental concern in lower income nations with poor environmental conditions but is associated strongly and positively in higher income nations with better environmental conditions. Conclusion SES has a contingent relationship with environmental concern such that the global environmentalism theory receives support for lower income nations, while the postmaterialism and affluence theories receive support for higher income nations. PMID:24678128

The role of psychosocial factors in socioeconomic differences in physical activity: a population-based study.

PubMed

Lehto, Elviira; Konttinen, Hanna; Jousilahti, Pekka; Haukkala, Ari

2013-08-01

Socioeconomic health inequalities are partly attributed to different physical activity (PA) patterns. Psychosocial factors interacting with PA are suggested to explain the socioeconomic differences in PA to some extent. The aim of the present study was to examine whether PA self-efficacy, PA social support, and general self-control contribute to the socioeconomic status (SES) differences in leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and in total PA. The sample consisted of 25-74-year-old Finnish men (n = 2325) and women (n = 2699), who participated in the cross-sectional FINRISK Study in 2007. Physical activity was measured as total PA (MET-h/week) and as LTPA (inactive/active). A psychosocial factor questionnaire included scales measuring PA self-efficacy, PA social support, and general self-control. SES was defined by household gross income and years of education. Both higher education and income were associated with higher levels of LTPA, whereas total PA was higher among those with lower SES. Subjects with high SES reported higher levels of PA self-efficacy and PA social support, but general self-control correlated only with higher income. PA self-efficacy, PA social support and general self-control had positive associations with both LTPA and total PA. These psychosocial factors partly explained the SES differences in LTPA, but not in total PA. Future intervention studies should examine whether, by influencing PA self-efficacy, PA social support, and general self-control, it is possible to diminish the SES differences in PA.

The Association between Disturbed Eating Behavior and Socioeconomic Status: The Online Korean Adolescent Panel Survey (OnKAPS)

PubMed Central

Lee, Hae-Jeung; Park, Sangshin; Kim, Cho-il; Choi, Doo-won; Lee, Jung Sun; Oh, Sun Min; Cho, Eunyoung; Park, Hye Kyung; Kwon, Kwang-il; Oh, Sang Woo

2013-01-01

Background A limited amount of research, primarily conducted in Western countries, has suggested that higher socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with higher risk of eating disorders (EDs). However, little is known about this association in Asian countries. We examined the association of SES with disturbed eating behavior (DEB) and related factors in Korean adolescents. Subjects A nationwide online panel survey was conducted in a sample of adolescents (n = 6,943, 49.9% girls). DEB was measured with the 26-item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Participants who scored ≥20 on the EAT-26 were considered to have DEB. Participants’ SES was determined based on self-reported household economic status. Results The prevalence of DEB was 12.7%: 10.5% among boys and 14.8% among girls. Both boys and girls with DEB were more likely to perceive themselves as obese, experience higher levels of stress, and have lower academic achievement. The risk for DEB was significantly higher in boys of higher SES than in those of middle SES (OR = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.05–1.99 for high SES; OR = 5.16, 95%CI: 3.50–7.61 for highest SES). Among girls, higher risk of DEB was associated with the highest and lowest SES (OR = 1.52, 95%CI: 1.13–2.06 for lowest SES; OR = 2.22, 95%CI: 1.34–3.68 for highest SES). Conclusions Despite the lower prevalence of obesity in Korea compared with Western countries, the prevalence of DEB in Korean adolescents was high, especially among girls. Moreover, the association between SES and DEB followed a U-shaped curve for girls and a J-shaped curve for boys. PMID:23472117

Socioeconomic status and adolescent e-cigarette use: The mediating role of e-cigarette advertisement exposure.

PubMed

Simon, Patricia; Camenga, Deepa R; Morean, Meghan E; Kong, Grace; Bold, Krysten W; Cavallo, Dana A; Krishnan-Sarin, Suchitra

2018-07-01

Among adolescents, low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with greater exposure to tobacco cigarette advertising and cigarette use. However, associations among SES, e-cigarette advertising and e-cigarette use are not well understood. This study examined exposure to e-cigarette advertisements as a mediator of the relationship between SES and adolescent e-cigarette use. Adolescents (N = 3473; 51% Female) from 8 high schools in Connecticut completed an anonymous survey in Spring 2015. Mediation analysis was used to examine whether the total number of sources of recent e-cigarette advertising exposure (e.g., TV, radio, billboards, magazines, local stores [gas stations, convenience stores], vape shops, mall kiosks, tobacco shops, social media) mediated the association between SES (measured by the Family Affluence Scale) and past-month frequency of e-cigarette use. We clustered for school and controlled for other tobacco product use, age, sex, race/ethnicity and perceived social norms for e-cigarette use in the model. Our sample recently had seen advertisements via 2.1 (SD = 2.8) advertising channels. Mediation was supported (indirect effect: β = 0.01, SE = 0.00, 95% CI [0.001, 0.010], p = 0.02), such that higher SES was associated with greater recent advertising exposure, which, in turn, was associated with greater frequency of e-cigarette use. Our study suggests that regulations to reduce youth exposure to e-cigarette advertisement may be especially relevant to higher SES youth. Future research should examine these associations longitudinally and evaluate which types of advertisements target different SES groups. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic Adversity, Negativity in the Parent Child-Relationship, and Physiological Reactivity: An Examination of Pathways and Interactive Processes Affecting Young Children's Physical Health.

PubMed

Hagan, Melissa J; Roubinov, Danielle S; Adler, Nancy E; Boyce, William Thomas; Bush, Nicole R

We tested the hypothesis that socioeconomic status (SES) would predict children's physical health problems at the end of kindergarten among children whose parent reported greater parent-child relationship (PCR) negativity and/or who exhibited greater parasympathetic (RSA) reactivity. We also tested whether RSA and PCR negativity mediated the SES-health association. Data were collected from 338 children (mean [SD] age, 5.32 [.32] years) and their primary caregivers (87% biological mothers) during the fall and subsequent spring of kindergarten. In the fall, parents reported income and education level (SES) and PCR negativity, and RSA reactivity was assessed via a standardized challenge protocol for young children. In the fall and then spring, parents reported children's chronic medical conditions and physical health impairments. Multivariate regression was conducted within a structural equation-modeling framework to test hypotheses. Significant interactions were found between SES and PCR negativity (b = -0.074, p = .035) and between SES and RSA reactivity (b = 0.169, p = .019) as predicts children's spring health impairment, adjusting for health in the preceding fall. Lower SES was associated with greater health impairment among children whose parents reported more PCR negativity (b = -0.110, p = .024) and children who showed greater RSA reactivity (b = -0.106, p = .011). Socioeconomic status was unrelated to physical health at low PCR negativity or RSA reactivity. Mediation models were not supported. Parent-child relationship quality and individual differences in stress reactivity may modulate the influence of SES on physical health in childhood.

Alcohol consumption and social inequality at the individual and country levels--results from an international study.

PubMed

Grittner, Ulrike; Kuntsche, Sandra; Gmel, Gerhard; Bloomfield, Kim

2013-04-01

International comparisons of social inequalities in alcohol use have not been extensively investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of country-level characteristics and individual socio-economic status (SES) on individual alcohol consumption in 33 countries. Data on 101,525 men and women collected by cross-sectional surveys in 33 countries of the GENACIS study were used. Individual SES was measured by highest attained educational level. Alcohol use measures included drinking status and monthly risky single occasion drinking (RSOD). The relationship between individuals' education and drinking indicators was examined by meta-analysis. In a second step the individual level data and country data were combined and tested in multilevel models. As country level indicators we used the Purchasing Power Parity of the gross national income, the Gini coefficient and the Gender Gap Index. For both genders and all countries higher individual SES was positively associated with drinking status. Also higher country level SES was associated with higher proportions of drinkers. Lower SES was associated with RSOD among men. Women of higher SES in low income countries were more often RSO drinkers than women of lower SES. The opposite was true in higher income countries. For the most part, findings regarding SES and drinking in higher income countries were as expected. However, women of higher SES in low and middle income countries appear at higher risk of engaging in RSOD. This finding should be kept in mind when developing new policy and prevention initiatives.

"I think about Oprah": social class differences in sources of health information.

PubMed

Bell, Ann V

2014-04-01

Health information influences an individual's health outcomes. Indeed, researchers have found that communication inequalities contribute to health inequalities. We do not have a clear understanding of why and how the communication disparities exist, however, particularly the social forces behind such differences. The qualitative nature of this article reveals the nuances of health information seeking using the case of infertility. Through 58 in-depth interviews, I demonstrate how differences in social and cultural capital between women of low and high socioeconomic status (SES) result in different ways of learning about health. Women of high SES have access to support groups, physicians, and the Internet, whereas women of low SES do not discuss their health problems with their peers, and lack access to and distrust physicians. I explore how these differences in health information shape the illness experience. I conclude with policy implications.

A Neighborhood Wealth Metric for Use in Health Studies

PubMed Central

Moudon, Anne Vernez; Cook, Andrea J.; Ulmer, Jared; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Drewnowski, Adam

2011-01-01

Background Measures of neighborhood deprivation used in health research are typically based on conventional area-based SES. Purpose The aim of this study is to examine new data and measures of SES for use in health research. Specifically, assessed property values are introduced as a new individual-level metric of wealth and tested for their ability to substitute for conventional area-based SES as measures of neighborhood deprivation. Methods The analysis was conducted in 2010 using data from 1922 participants in the 2008– 2009 survey of the Seattle Obesity Study (SOS). It compared the relative strength of the association between the individual-level neighborhood wealth metric (assessed property values) and area-level SES measures (including education, income, and percentage above poverty as single variables, and as the composite Singh index) on the binary outcome fair/poor general health status. Analyses were adjusted for gender, categoric age, race, employment status, home ownership, and household income. Results The neighborhood wealth measure was more predictive of fair/poor health status than area-level SES measures, calculated either as single variables or as indices (lower DIC measures for all models). The odds of having a fair/poor health status decreased by 0.85 [0.77, 0.93] per $50,000 increase in neighborhood property values after adjusting for individual-level SES measures. Conclusions The proposed individual-level metric of neighborhood wealth, if replicated in other areas, could replace area-based SES measures, thus simplifying analyses of contextual effects on health. PMID:21665069

Developmental differences in prosocial motives and behavior in children from low-socioeconomic status families.

PubMed

McGrath, Marianne P; Brown, Bethany C

2008-03-01

Developmental theories of prosocial reasoning and behavior posit a transition from concrete (e.g., give a toy to receive one) to abstract (e.g., spend time to make someone happy) forms and have been supported with research on middle-socioeconomic status (SES), White samples. The methodology that researchers have used to date has restricted the responses that children can offer. In the present study, 122 Grade 2 and Grade 4 children from low-SES families described different types of motives and behavior and whether a conflict existed between self- and other-serving behaviors. The authors found developmental differences for both abstract and tangible motives that focused on the benefactor of prosocial behavior. Grade 2 girls and Grade 4 boys were the most likely to spontaneously describe a conflict between self- and other-serving behaviors.

Parental feeding practices and socioeconomic status are associated with child adiposity in a multi-ethnic sample of children.

PubMed

Cardel, Michelle; Willig, Amanda L; Dulin-Keita, Akilah; Casazza, Krista; Beasley, T Mark; Fernández, José R

2012-02-01

Parental feeding practices have been associated with children's weight status, but results have been inconsistent across populations. Research is needed to elucidate the relationship between parental feeding practices and adiposity in diverse populations. The present study tested if: (1) parental feeding practices differed by race/ethnicity, (2) parental pressure to eat and parental restriction were associated with adiposity levels, and (3) to investigate the relationship between parental feeding practices and/or child adiposity with socioeconomic status (SES). Structural equations modeling was conducted to test the model in 267 children aged 7-12 years self-identified as African American (AA), European American (EA), or Hispanic American (HA) from economically diverse backgrounds. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography scanning were used to determine body composition and abdominal fat distribution, respectively. Parental restriction was a significant predictor of child adiposity while parental pressure to eat had an inverse relationship with child adiposity. HA parents reported significantly higher levels of restriction and pressure to eat, whereas EA parents reported the lowest. SES was positively associated with child adiposity and inversely related to parental restriction and pressure to eat. Thus, parental feeding practices differ across racial/ethnic groups and SES and may contribute to population differences in child adiposity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of information seeking and avoidance behavior on self-rated health status among cancer survivors.

PubMed

Jung, Minsoo; Ramanadhan, Shoba; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula

2013-07-01

Social determinants, such as socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity are linked to striking health disparities across the cancer continuum. One important mechanism linking social determinants and health disparities may be communication inequalities that are caused by differences in accessing, processing and utilizing cancer information. In this context, we examined health information-seeking/avoidance as a potential mediator between social determinants and self-rated health (SRH) status among cancer survivors. Data came from the 2008 well-informed, thriving and surviving (WITS) study of post-treatment cancer survivors (n=501). We examined the mediating effect of health communication-related behavior between SES and disparities in SRH. The likelihood of belonging to the Low SRH group was higher among patients who had avoided health information and whose family members had not sought health information on behalf of the survivor, those in the lowest household income bracket, and those who had high school or less education after adjusting for potential confounders. Differences in SRH among cancer survivors are associated with SES as well as communication inequalities. It is necessary to provide a supportive environment in which health information is made available if disparities in health-related quality of life among cancer survivors are to be reduced. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic inequalities in physical and mental functioning of Japanese civil servants: explanations from work and family characteristics.

PubMed

Sekine, Michikazu; Chandola, Tarani; Martikainen, Pekka; Marmot, Michael; Kagamimori, Sadanobu

2006-07-01

Poor physical and mental functioning is more common among people of low socioeconomic status (SES) and those with disadvantaged work and family characteristics. This study aims to clarify whether the SES inequalities in functioning can be explained by the SES differences in work and family characteristics. The subjects were 3787 male and female civil servants, aged 20-65, working in a local government on the west coast of Japan. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine (1) whether there were employment-grade (SES) differences in poor physical and mental functioning as measured by the Short Form 36 (SF-36) and (2) whether these SES differences were explained by work and family characteristics. In general, low control at work, high demands, low social support, short and long work hours, shift work, being unmarried, high family-to-work conflict and high work-to-family conflict were independently associated with poor physical and mental functioning in both men and women. In men, the age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of low-grade employees for poor physical functioning was 1.93 (95% confidence interval: 1.38-2.69) in comparison to high-grade employees. The grade difference was mildly attenuated, when adjusted for work and family characteristics (OR = 1.72)(1.20-2.47). The age-adjusted OR of the low-grade employees for poor mental functioning was 1.88 (1.29-2.74). The grade difference was attenuated and no longer significant when adjusted for work and family characteristics (OR = 1.51)(0.99-2.31). Among women, there were no significant grade-differences in poor physical and mental functioning. Although longitudinal research is necessary to clarify the causal nature of these associations, improvements in SES differences in work and family characteristics may be important for reducing SES inequalities in physical and mental functioning among Japanese men. The different patterns of SES inequalities in health between men and women deserve further research.

Mass media campaign improves cervical screening across all socio-economic groups.

PubMed

Anderson, Jenny O; Mullins, Robyn M; Siahpush, Mohammad; Spittal, Matthew J; Wakefield, Melanie

2009-10-01

Low socio-economic status (SES) has been associated with lower cervical screening rates. Mass media is one known strategy that can increase cervical screening participation. This study sought to determine whether a mass media campaign conducted in Victoria, Australia, in 2005 was effective in encouraging women across all SES groups to screen. Data were obtained from the Victorian Cervical Cytology Registry for each Pap test registered during 2005 and categorized into SES quintiles using the Index of Socio-Economic Advantage/Disadvantage. Negative binomial regression was used to determine the impact of the campaign on the weekly number of Pap tests and whether the media campaign had a differential effect by SES, after adjusting for the number of workdays per week, age group and time since previous test. Cervical screening increased 27% during the campaign period and was equally effective in encouraging screening across all SES groups, including low-SES women. Mass media campaigns can prompt increased rates of cervical screening among all women, not just those from more advantaged areas. Combining media with additional strategies targeted at low-SES women may help lessen the underlying differences in screening rates across SES.

Retail food safety risks for populations of different races, ethnicities, and income levels.

PubMed

Signs, Renata J; Darcey, Valerie L; Carney, Trish A; Evans, Alison A; Quinlan, Jennifer J

2011-10-01

Research has found that populations with low socioeconomic status (SES) and minority populations have greater access to small corner markets and less access to supermarkets than high-SES and Caucasian populations. This represents a significant difference in the farm-to-fork continuum that these populations experience. This research examined whether differential retail access to foods results in different food safety risks at the retail level for consumers with different demographics. U.S. Census Bureau census tracts with high African American, Asian, Hispanic, Caucasian, low-SES, and high-SES populations were identified in Philadelphia, PA. Approximately 60 retail food establishments were sampled in each census tract category from June 2008 to June 2010. Food samples collected at stores included milk, eggs, lunchmeat, sandwiches, and ready-to-eat (RTE) fresh fruit, greens, and herbs, when available. With the exception of milk and eggs, only food that had been handled and/or prepared at the retail level was sampled. Food samples were tested for temperature, aerobic plate count, coliforms, fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes. The results indicated that internal egg temperatures were higher in samples from low-SES census tracts than in eggs from Caucasian census tracts, and eggs were more often found unrefrigerated in markets in low-SES and Asian census tracts. Milk samples from markets in Hispanic and low-SES census tracts had higher aerobic plate counts than high-SES census tract samples. Sandwiches from markets in high-SES census tracts had higher coliform counts than sandwiches from markets in all other census tract categories. Markets in Asian census tracts had a higher incidence of fecal coliform contamination on sandwiches than markets in Caucasian census tracts. Fecal coliforms were present in a percentage of RTE greens from markets in all census tracts except African American, with the highest percentages of RTE greens positive for fecal coliforms in low-SES (100%), Asian (71.4%), and Caucasian (45.5%) markets.

Collective Pedagogical Teacher Culture and Mathematics Achievement: Differences by Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moller, Stephanie; Mickelson, Roslyn Arlin; Stearns, Elizabeth; Banerjee, Neena; Bottia, Martha Cecilia

2013-01-01

Scholars have not adequately assessed how organizational cultures in schools differentially influence students' mathematics achievement by race and socioeconomic status (SES). We focus on what we term "collective pedagogical teacher culture", highlighting the role of professional communities and teacher collaboration in influencing…

Sociodemographic characteristics and frequency of consuming home-cooked meals and meals from out-of-home sources: cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Mills, Susanna; Adams, Jean; Wrieden, Wendy; White, Martin; Brown, Heather

2018-04-11

To identify sociodemographic characteristics associated with frequency of consuming home-cooked meals and meals from out-of-home sources. Cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study. Frequency of consuming home-cooked meals, ready meals, takeaways and meals out were derived from a participant questionnaire. Sociodemographic characteristics regarding sex, age, ethnicity, working overtime and socio-economic status (SES; measured by household income, educational attainment, occupational status and employment status) were self-reported. Sociodemographic differences in higher v. lower meal consumption frequency were explored using logistic regression, adjusted for other key sociodemographic variables. Cambridgeshire, UK. Fenland Study participants (n 11 326), aged 29-64 years at baseline. Eating home-cooked meals more frequently was associated with being female, older, of higher SES (measured by greater educational attainment and household income) and not working overtime. Being male was associated with a higher frequency of consumption for all out-of-home meal types. Consuming takeaways more frequently was associated with lower SES (measured by lower educational attainment and household income), whereas eating out more frequently was associated with higher SES (measured by greater educational attainment and household income) and working overtime. Sociodemographic characteristics associated with frequency of eating meals from different out-of-home sources varied according to meal source. Findings may be used to target public health policies and interventions for promoting healthier diets and dietary-related health towards people consuming home-cooked meals less frequently, such as men, those with lower educational attainment and household income, and overtime workers.

A comparison of proficiency levels in 4-year-old monolingual and trilingual speakers of Afrikaans, isiXhosa and South African English across SES boundaries, using LITMUS-CLT.

PubMed

Perold Potgieter, Anneke; Southwood, Frenette

2016-01-01

This study investigated how trilinguals fare on the cross-linguistic lexical tasks (CLT)-Afrikaans, -isiXhosa and -South African English (SAE) (cf. Haman et al., 2015) compared to monolingual controls, and whether the CLT-Afrikaans renders comparable results across socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. The LITMUS-CLTs were administered to 41 low SES 4-year-olds (11 trilinguals; 10 monolingual speakers of Afrikaans, isiXhosa and SAE) and the LITMUS-CLT-Afrikaans to 11 mid-SES 4-year-old monolinguals. Results (a) indicate that trilinguals' proficiency in their exposure-dominant language did not differ significantly from monolinguals' proficiency, but their proficiency in their additional two languages was significantly lower than monolinguals' proficiency; (b) reflect the extent, but not current amount, of exposure trilinguals had had over time to each of their languages; and (c) show that low and mid-SES monolinguals differed significantly on noun-related, but not verb-related, CLT measures. Possible reasons for and the clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Home Environment, Social Status, and Mental Test Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley, Robert H.; And Others

1977-01-01

The ability of an environmental process measure and socioeconomic status (SES) measures to predict Stanford-Binet IQ at 3 years of age was compared in a separate analysis by sex and race. The environmental process measure predicted IQ as well as a combination of process and status measures, and was superior to SES measures alone. (Author/CP)

Social Inequalities and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: The Role of Objective and Subjective Socioeconomic Status

PubMed Central

Maske, Ulrike E.; Zeeb, Hajo; Lampert, Thomas

2017-01-01

Background There is substantial evidence that lower objective socioeconomic status (SES)—as measured by education, occupation, and income—is associated with a higher risk of depression. Less is known, however, about associations between perceptions of social status and the prevalence of depression. This study investigated associations of both objective SES and subjective social status (SSS) with depressive symptoms among adults in Germany. Methods Data were obtained from the 2013 special wave of the German Health Update study, a national health survey of the adult population in Germany. Objective SES was determined using a composite index based on education, occupation, and income. The three single dimensions of the index were also used individually. SSS was measured using the MacArthur Scale, which asks respondents to place themselves on a 10-rung ‘social ladder’. Regression models were employed to examine associations of objective SES and SSS with current depressive symptoms, as assessed with the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-8 sum score ≥10). Results After mutual adjustment, lower objective SES and lower SSS were independently associated with current depressive symptoms. The associations were found in both sexes and persisted after further adjustment for sociodemographic factors, long-term chronic conditions, and functional limitations. Mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect relationship between objective SES and depressive symptoms through SSS. When the three individual dimensions of objective SES were mutually adjusted, occupation and income were independently associated with depressive symptoms. After additional adjustment for SSS, these associations attenuated but remained significant. Conclusions The findings suggest that perceptions of low social status in adults may be involved in the pathogenesis of depression and play a mediating role in the relationship between objective SES and depressive symptoms. Prospective studies are needed to establish the direction of effects and to address questions of causality. PMID:28107456

Cross-National Estimates of the Effects of Family Background on Student Achievement: A Sensitivity Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nonoyama-Tarumi, Yuko

2008-01-01

This article uses the data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000 to examine whether the influence of family background on educational achievement is sensitive to different measures of the family's socio-economic status (SES). The study finds that, when a multidimensional measure of SES is used, the family background has a stronger influence on achievement across countries than if the simpler measure of SES is used. The new measure, which incorporated aspects of parental occupation, education and cultural resources, was not biased towards more wealthy nations, Western nations, or urban population. However, when a proxy of wealth was included in the measure of SES, this reduced the other measured effects of family background on achievement in many countries.

How social-class stereotypes maintain inequality.

PubMed

Durante, Federica; Fiske, Susan T

2017-12-01

Social class stereotypes support inequality through various routes: ambivalent content, early appearance in children, achievement consequences, institutionalization in education, appearance in cross-class social encounters, and prevalence in the most unequal societies. Class-stereotype content is ambivalent, describing lower-SES people both negatively (less competent, less human, more objectified), and sometimes positively, perhaps warmer than upper-SES people. Children acquire the wealth aspects of class stereotypes early, which become more nuanced with development. In school, class stereotypes advantage higher-SES students, and educational contexts institutionalize social-class distinctions. Beyond school, well-intentioned face-to-face encounters ironically draw on stereotypes to reinforce the alleged competence of higher-status people and sometimes the alleged warmth of lower-status people. Countries with more inequality show more of these ambivalent stereotypes of both lower-SES and higher-SES people. At a variety of levels and life stages, social-class stereotypes reinforce inequality, but constructive contact can undermine them; future efforts need to address high-status privilege and to query more heterogeneous samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of race and socioeconomic status on the relative influence of education and literacy on cognitive functioning.

PubMed

Dotson, Vonetta M; Kitner-Triolo, Melissa H; Evans, Michele K; Zonderman, Alan B

2009-07-01

Previous research has shown that reading ability is a stronger predictor of cognitive functioning than years of education, particularly for African Americans. The current study was designed to determine whether the relative influence of literacy and education on cognitive abilities varies as a function of race or socioeconomic status (SES). We examined the unique influence of education and reading scores on a range of cognitive tests in low- and higher-SES African Americans and Whites. Literacy significantly predicted scores on all but one cognitive measure in both African American groups and low-SES Whites, while education was not significantly associated with any cognitive measure. In contrast, both education and reading scores predicted performance on many cognitive measures in higher-SES Whites. These findings provide further evidence that reading ability better predicts cognitive functioning than years of education and suggest that disadvantages associated with racial minority status and low SES affect the relative influence of literacy and years of education on cognition.

Comparing Diabetes Prevalence Between African Americans and Whites of Similar Socioeconomic Status

PubMed Central

Signorello, Lisa B.; Schlundt, David G.; Cohen, Sarah S.; Steinwandel, Mark D.; Buchowski, Maciej S.; McLaughlin, Joseph K.; Hargreaves, Margaret K.; Blot, William J.

2007-01-01

Objectives. We investigated whether racial disparities in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes exist beyond what may be attributable to differences in socioeconomic status (SES) and other modifiable risk factors. Methods. We analyzed data from 34331 African American and 9491 White adults aged 40 to 79 years recruited into the ongoing Southern Community Cohort Study. Participants were enrolled at community health centers and had similar socioeconomic circumstances and risk factor profiles. We used logistic regression to estimate the association between race and prevalence of self-reported diabetes after taking into account age, SES, health insurance coverage, body mass index, physical activity, and hypertension. Results. Multivariate analyses accounting for several diabetes risk factors did not provide strong support for higher diabetes prevalence rates among African Americans than among Whites (men: odds ratio [OR]=1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.95, 1.20); women: OR=1.13, 95% CI=1.04, 1.22). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that major differences in diabetes prevalence between African Americans and Whites may simply reflect differences in established risk factors for the disease, such as SES, that typically vary according to race. PMID:17971557

Childhood socioeconomic status and risk in early family environments: predictors of global sleep quality in college students.

PubMed

Counts, Cory J; Grubin, Fiona C; John-Henderson, Neha A

2018-06-01

Low socioeconomic status (SES) in childhood associates with poor sleep quality in adulthood. Separately, childhood family environments shape health into adulthood. Here, we investigated whether these early life factors independently or interactively inform global sleep quality in college students. Cross-sectional. College students at a state university (N = 391). As a measure of childhood SES, we asked participants to consider their families' socioeconomic standing relative to the rest of the society during their childhood. We used the Risky Family questionnaire to measure adversity and the presence of warmth and affection in the family environment during childhood, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index as a measure of current global sleep quality. We used linear regressions adjusting for age and sex to examine relationships between childhood SES, risk in childhood family environments, and global sleep quality. Lower childhood SES and greater risk in childhood family environments independently predicted poor sleep quality. Importantly, in low-risk family environments, there was no significant difference in sleep quality as a function of childhood SES. However, students who were from low childhood SES backgrounds who also reported high levels of risk in their early family environments had the worst sleep quality. Findings highlight the importance of considering socioeconomic and family environments in childhood as informants of sleep quality across the lifespan. Compromised sleep quality in college students could affect academic performance and health over time. Copyright © 2018 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic Factors in Adherence to HIV Therapy in Low- and Middle-income Countries

PubMed Central

Pengpid, Supa

2013-01-01

It is not clear what effect socioeconomic factors have on adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among patients in low- and middle-income countries.  We performed a systematic review of the association of socioeconomic status (SES) with adherence to treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries. We searched electronic databases to identify studies concerning SES and HIV/AIDS and collected data on the association between various determinants of SES (income, education, occupation) and adherence to ART in low- and middle-income countries. From 252 potentially-relevant articles initially identified, 62 original studies were reviewed in detail, which contained data evaluating the association between SES and adherence to treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS. Income, level of education, and employment/occupational status were significantly and positively associated with the level of adherence in 15 studies (41.7%), 10 studies (20.4%), and 3 studies (11.1%) respectively out of 36, 49, and 27 studies reviewed. One study for income, four studies for education, and two studies for employment found a negative and significant association with adherence to ART. However, the aforementioned SES determinants were not found to be significantly associated with adherence in relation to 20 income-related (55.6%), 35 education-related (71.4%), 23 employment/occupational status-related (81.5%), and 2 SES-related (100%) studies. The systematic review of the available evidence does not provide conclusive support for the existence of a clear association between SES and adherence to ART among adult patients infected with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries. There seems to be a positive trend among components of SES (income, education, employment status) and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in many of the reviewed studies. PMID:23930333

Socioeconomic factors in adherence to HIV therapy in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Peltzer, Karl; Pengpid, Supa

2013-06-01

It is not clear what effect socioeconomic factors have on adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among patients in low- and middle-income countries. We performed a systematic review of the association of socioeconomic status (SES) with adherence to treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries. We searched electronic databases to identify studies concerning SES and HIV/AIDS and collected data on the association between various determinants of SES (income, education, occupation) and adherence to ART in low- and middle-income countries. From 252 potentially-relevant articles initially identified, 62 original studies were reviewed in detail, which contained data evaluating the association between SES and adherence to treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS. Income, level of education, and employment/occupational status were significantly and positively associated with the level of adherence in 15 studies (41.7%), 10 studies (20.4%), and 3 studies (11.1%) respectively out of 36, 49, and 27 studies reviewed. One study for income, four studies for education, and two studies for employment found a negative and significant association with adherence to ART. However, the aforementioned SES determinants were not found to be significantly associated with adherence in relation to 20 income-related (55.6%), 35 education-related (71.4%), 23 employment/occupational status-related (81.5%), and 2 SES-related (100%) studies. The systematic review of the available evidence does not provide conclusive support for the existence of a clear association between SES and adherence to ART among adult patients infected with HIV/ AIDS in low- and middle-income countries. There seems to be a positive trend among components of SES (income, education, employment status) and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in many of the reviewed studies.

The Impact of Health Literacy and Socioeconomic Status on Asthma Disparities

PubMed Central

Curtis, Laura M.; Wolf, Michael S.; Weiss, Kevin B.; Grammer, Leslie C.

2012-01-01

Objective Racial/ethnic disparities have been well documented in asthma. While socioeconomic status (SES) has been repeatedly implicated as a root cause, the role of limited health literacy has not been extensively studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the independent contributions of SES and health literacy in explaining asthma disparities. Methods A cohort study was conducted in a Chicago-based sample of 353 adults aged 18–40 years with persistent asthma from 2004 to 2007. Health literacy, SES, and asthma outcomes including disease control, quality of life, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations were assessed in person at baseline, and asthma outcomes were measured every 3 months for 2 years by phone. Multivariate models were used to assess racial/ethnic disparities in asthma outcomes and the effect of health literacy and SES on these estimates. Results Compared with White participants, African American adults fared significantly worse in all asthma outcomes (p < .05) and Latino participants had lower quality of life (β = −0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI]= −0.79, −0.14; p = .01) and worse asthma control (risk ratio [RR] = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.41, 0.98; p = .04). Differences in SES partially explained these disparities. Health literacy explained an additional 20.2% of differences in quality of life between Latinos and Whites, but differences in hospitalization rates between African American and White adults remained (RR = 2.97; 95% CI = 1.09, 8.12, p = .03). Conclusions Health literacy appears to be an overlooked factor explaining racial and ethnic disparities in asthma. Evidence-based low literacy strategies for patient education and counseling should be included in comprehensive interventions. PMID:22277072

Urban-rural differences in BMI in low- and middle-income countries: the role of socioeconomic status123

PubMed Central

Neuman, Melissa; Kawachi, Ichiro; Gortmaker, Steven; Subramanian, S V

2013-01-01

Background: Urbanization is often cited as a main cause of increasing BMIs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and urban residents in LMICs tend to have higher BMIs than do rural residents. However, urban-rural differences may be driven by differences in socioeconomic status (SES). Objective: Using nationally representative data collected at 2 time points in 38 LMICs, we assessed the association between urban residence and BMI before and after adjustment for measures of individual- and household-level SES. Design: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative samples of 678,471 nonpregnant women aged 15–49 y, with 225,312 women in the earlier round of surveys conducted between 1991 and 2004 and 453,159 women in the later round conducted between 1998 and 2010. We used linear and ordered multinomial analysis with a country fixed effect to obtain a pooled estimate and a country-stratified analysis. Results: We found that mean BMI (kg/m2) in less-developed countries was generally higher within urban areas (excess BMI associated with urban residence before wealth index adjustment: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.52, 1.57). However, the urban association was attenuated after SES was accounted for (association after adjustment: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.47). Individual- and household-level SES measures were independently and positively associated with BMI. Conclusion: The association between urban residence and obesity in LMICs is driven largely by higher individual- and community-level SES in urban areas, which suggests that urban residence alone may not cause increased body weight in developing countries. PMID:23283503

High school seniors by race and SES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Susan C.

2015-12-01

In September, we looked at participation in high school physics by race and ethnicity, and we have provided two different views of physics in high school by socioeconomic status (SES). This month, we consider the proportion of seniors attending schools by race and SES. About half of the Hispanics and almost 45% of the African-Americans among high school seniors in 2013 attended a school where the students were determined to be "worse off" economically than their peers in the local area. The converse is true for Asians and Whites with the vast majority attending schools where students are seen as "better off" than their peers.

Intergenerational Transmission of Adaptive Functioning: A Test of the Interactionist Model of SES and Human Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schofield, Thomas J; Martin, Monica J.; Conger, Katherine J.; Neppl, Tricia M.; Donnellan, M. Brent; Conger, Rand D.

2011-01-01

The interactionist model (IM) of human development (R. D. Conger & M. B. Donellan, 2007) proposes that the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and human development involves a dynamic interplay that includes both social causation (SES influences human development) and social selection (individual characteristics affect SES). Using a…

Change the things you can: Emotion regulation is more beneficial for people from lower than from higher socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Troy, Allison S; Ford, Brett Q; McRae, Kateri; Zarolia, Pareezad; Mauss, Iris B

2017-02-01

Emotion regulation is central to psychological health, and several emotion-regulation strategies have been identified as beneficial. However, new theorizing suggests the benefits of emotion regulation should depend on its context. One important contextual moderator might be socioeconomic status (SES), because SES powerfully shapes people's ecology: lower SES affords less control over one's environment and thus, the ability to self-regulate should be particularly important. Accordingly, effectively regulating one's emotions (e.g., using cognitive reappraisal) could be more beneficial in lower (vs. higher) SES contexts. Three studies (N = 429) tested whether SES moderates the link between cognitive reappraisal ability (CRA; measured with surveys and in the laboratory) and depression. Each study and a meta-analysis of the 3 studies revealed that CRA was associated with less depression for lower SES but not higher SES individuals. Thus, CRA may be uniquely beneficial in lower SES contexts. More broadly, the effects of emotion regulation depend upon the ecology within which it is used. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Supporting the Health of Low Socioeconomic Status Employees: Qualitative Perspectives from Employees and Large Companies.

PubMed

Parrish, Amanda T; Hammerback, Kristen; Hannon, Peggy A; Mason, Caitlin; Wilkie, Michelle N; Harris, Jeffrey R

2018-03-13

The aim of this study was to identify alignments between wellness offerings low socioeconomic status (SES) employees need and those large companies can provide. Focus groups (employees); telephone interviews (large companies). Employees were low-SES, insured through their employers, and employed by large Washington State companies. Focus groups covered perceived barriers to healthy behaviors at work and potential support from companies. Interviews focused on priorities for employee health and challenges reaching low-SES employees. Seventy-seven employees participated in eight focus groups; 12 companies completed interviews. Employees identified facilitators and barriers to healthier work environments; companies expressed care for employees, concerns about employee obesity, and reluctance to discuss SES. Our findings combine low-SES employee and large company perspectives and indicate three ways workplaces could most effectively support low-SES employee health: create healthier workplace food environments; prioritize onsite physical activity facilities; use clearer health communications.

A 4-study replication of the moderating effects of greed on socioeconomic status and unethical behaviour.

PubMed

Balakrishnan, Anjana; Palma, Paolo A; Patenaude, Joshua; Campbell, Lorne

2017-01-31

Four replications of Piff and colleagues' study examined the moderating effects of greed attitudes on the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and unethical behaviour (Study 7). In the original study, the researchers found that both greed and SES predicted increased propensity to engage in unethical behavior. Furthermore, this association was moderated such that the effects of SES on unethical behaviour were no longer present in the greed prime condition versus the neutral condition. In replication 1 of the original study main effects of greed attitudes and SES were found, but no interaction was found. Main effects for greed emerged in replications 3 and 4. However no main effects for SES or interactions emerged for replications 2-4. A meta-analysis was conducted with all replications and the original study, and found no moderating effect of greed on the relationship between SES and unethical behavior.

A 4-study replication of the moderating effects of greed on socioeconomic status and unethical behaviour

PubMed Central

Balakrishnan, Anjana; Palma, Paolo A.; Patenaude, Joshua; Campbell, Lorne

2017-01-01

Four replications of Piff and colleagues’ study examined the moderating effects of greed attitudes on the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and unethical behaviour (Study 7). In the original study, the researchers found that both greed and SES predicted increased propensity to engage in unethical behavior. Furthermore, this association was moderated such that the effects of SES on unethical behaviour were no longer present in the greed prime condition versus the neutral condition. In replication 1 of the original study main effects of greed attitudes and SES were found, but no interaction was found. Main effects for greed emerged in replications 3 and 4. However no main effects for SES or interactions emerged for replications 2–4. A meta-analysis was conducted with all replications and the original study, and found no moderating effect of greed on the relationship between SES and unethical behavior. PMID:28140396

Maternal depression and socio-economic status moderate the parenting style/child obesity association.

PubMed

Topham, Glade L; Page, Melanie C; Hubbs-Tait, Laura; Rutledge, Julie M; Kennedy, Tay S; Shriver, Lenka; Harrist, Amanda W

2010-08-01

The purpose of the study was to test the moderating influence of two risk factors, maternal depression and socio-economic status (SES), on the association between authoritarian and permissive parenting styles and child obesity. Correlational, cross-sectional study. Parenting style was measured with the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ). Maternal depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). BMI-for-age percentile was used to categorize children by weight status (children with BMI-for-age > or = 95th percentile were classified as obese). SES was computed from parent education and occupational status using the four-factor Hollingshead index. Rural public schools in a mid-western state in the USA. One hundred and seventy-six mothers of first-grade children (ninety-one boys, eighty-five girls) enrolled in rural public schools. Both maternal depression and SES were found to moderate the permissive parenting style/child obesity association, but not the authoritarian/child obesity association. For depressed mothers, but not for non-depressed mothers, more permissive parenting was predictive of child obesity. Similarly more permissive parenting was predictive of child obesity among higher SES mothers, but not for lower SES mothers. Maternal depression and SES interact with permissive parenting style to predict child obesity. Future research should examine the relationship among these variables using a longitudinal design.

DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE OF TEXT-MINING ALGORITHMS TO EXTRACT SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS FROM DE-IDENTIFIED ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS.

PubMed

Hollister, Brittany M; Restrepo, Nicole A; Farber-Eger, Eric; Crawford, Dana C; Aldrich, Melinda C; Non, Amy

2017-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a fundamental contributor to health, and a key factor underlying racial disparities in disease. However, SES data are rarely included in genetic studies due in part to the difficultly of collecting these data when studies were not originally designed for that purpose. The emergence of large clinic-based biobanks linked to electronic health records (EHRs) provides research access to large patient populations with longitudinal phenotype data captured in structured fields as billing codes, procedure codes, and prescriptions. SES data however, are often not explicitly recorded in structured fields, but rather recorded in the free text of clinical notes and communications. The content and completeness of these data vary widely by practitioner. To enable gene-environment studies that consider SES as an exposure, we sought to extract SES variables from racial/ethnic minority adult patients (n=9,977) in BioVU, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center biorepository linked to de-identified EHRs. We developed several measures of SES using information available within the de-identified EHR, including broad categories of occupation, education, insurance status, and homelessness. Two hundred patients were randomly selected for manual review to develop a set of seven algorithms for extracting SES information from de-identified EHRs. The algorithms consist of 15 categories of information, with 830 unique search terms. SES data extracted from manual review of 50 randomly selected records were compared to data produced by the algorithm, resulting in positive predictive values of 80.0% (education), 85.4% (occupation), 87.5% (unemployment), 63.6% (retirement), 23.1% (uninsured), 81.8% (Medicaid), and 33.3% (homelessness), suggesting some categories of SES data are easier to extract in this EHR than others. The SES data extraction approach developed here will enable future EHR-based genetic studies to integrate SES information into statistical analyses. Ultimately, incorporation of measures of SES into genetic studies will help elucidate the impact of the social environment on disease risk and outcomes.

Income, occupation and education: Are they related to smoking behaviors in China?

PubMed

Wang, Qing; Shen, Jay J; Sotero, Michelle; Li, Casey A; Hou, Zhiyuan

2018-01-01

The association between socioeconomic status (SES) and smoking behaviors may differ across countries. This study aimed to estimate the association between socioeconomic status (income, occupation and education) and multiple measures of smoking behaviors among the Chinese elderly population. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2013, we examined the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking behaviors through multivariate regression analysis. Sample selection models were applied to correct for sample selection bias. Smoking behaviors were measured by four indicators: smoking status, cigarette consumption, health risks related to smoking, and smoking dependence. Analyses were stratified by gender and urban-rural residence. Among Chinese people aged 45 years or older, smokers accounted for 40% of the population in 2013, smoking 19 cigarettes per day. It was also found that 79% of smokers were at an increased health risk. Overall, although the influence of income on smoking behaviors was small and even insignificant, occupation and education levels were significantly associated with smoking behaviors. Managers or professionals were more likely to smoke, however there was no significant relationship with smoking dependence. Individuals with higher educational attainment were less likely to be associated with smoking behaviors. In addition, gender and urban-rural differences existed in the relationship between SES and smoking behaviors. Smoking disparities among diverse levels of socioeconomic status existed but varied greatly by SES indicators and population characteristics. Tobacco control policies in China should be increasingly focused on populations with low socioeconomic status in order to break the link between socioeconomic disadvantage and smoking behaviors. Further actions should mitigate inequalities in education, improve the social culture of cigarette use, and tailor interventions based on characteristics of the population.

Income, occupation and education: Are they related to smoking behaviors in China?

PubMed Central

Wang, Qing; Shen, Jay J.; Sotero, Michelle; Li, Casey A.

2018-01-01

Background The association between socioeconomic status (SES) and smoking behaviors may differ across countries. This study aimed to estimate the association between socioeconomic status (income, occupation and education) and multiple measures of smoking behaviors among the Chinese elderly population. Methods Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2013, we examined the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking behaviors through multivariate regression analysis. Sample selection models were applied to correct for sample selection bias. Smoking behaviors were measured by four indicators: smoking status, cigarette consumption, health risks related to smoking, and smoking dependence. Analyses were stratified by gender and urban-rural residence. Results Among Chinese people aged 45 years or older, smokers accounted for 40% of the population in 2013, smoking 19 cigarettes per day. It was also found that 79% of smokers were at an increased health risk. Overall, although the influence of income on smoking behaviors was small and even insignificant, occupation and education levels were significantly associated with smoking behaviors. Managers or professionals were more likely to smoke, however there was no significant relationship with smoking dependence. Individuals with higher educational attainment were less likely to be associated with smoking behaviors. In addition, gender and urban-rural differences existed in the relationship between SES and smoking behaviors. Conclusions Smoking disparities among diverse levels of socioeconomic status existed but varied greatly by SES indicators and population characteristics. Tobacco control policies in China should be increasingly focused on populations with low socioeconomic status in order to break the link between socioeconomic disadvantage and smoking behaviors. Further actions should mitigate inequalities in education, improve the social culture of cigarette use, and tailor interventions based on characteristics of the population. PMID:29420649

Differential Associations of Socioeconomic Status With Global Brain Volumes and White Matter Lesions in African American and White Adults: the HANDLS SCAN Study.

PubMed

Waldstein, Shari R; Dore, Gregory A; Davatzikos, Christos; Katzel, Leslie I; Gullapalli, Rao; Seliger, Stephen L; Kouo, Theresa; Rosenberger, William F; Erus, Guray; Evans, Michele K; Zonderman, Alan B

2017-04-01

The aim of the study was to examine interactive relations of race and socioeconomic status (SES) to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-assessed global brain outcomes with previously demonstrated prognostic significance for stroke, dementia, and mortality. Participants were 147 African Americans (AAs) and whites (ages 33-71 years; 43% AA; 56% female; 26% below poverty) in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span SCAN substudy. Cranial MRI was conducted using a 3.0 T unit. White matter (WM) lesion volumes and total brain, gray matter, and WM volumes were computed. An SES composite was derived from education and poverty status. Significant interactions of race and SES were observed for WM lesion volume (b = 1.38; η = 0.036; p = .028), total brain (b = 86.72; η = 0.042; p < .001), gray matter (b = 40.16; η = 0.032; p = .003), and WM (b = 46.56; η = 0.050; p < .001). AA participants with low SES exhibited significantly greater WM lesion volumes than white participants with low SES. White participants with higher SES had greater brain volumes than all other groups (albeit within normal range). Low SES was associated with greater WM pathology-a marker for increased stroke risk-in AAs. Higher SES was associated with greater total brain volume-a putative global indicator of brain health and predictor of mortality-in whites. Findings may reflect environmental and interpersonal stressors encountered by AAs and those of lower SES and could relate to disproportionate rates of stroke, dementia, and mortality.

Alcohol consumption and social inequality at the individual and country levels—results from an international study

PubMed Central

Kuntsche, Sandra; Gmel, Gerhard; Bloomfield, Kim

2013-01-01

Background: International comparisons of social inequalities in alcohol use have not been extensively investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of country-level characteristics and individual socio-economic status (SES) on individual alcohol consumption in 33 countries. Methods: Data on 101 525 men and women collected by cross-sectional surveys in 33 countries of the GENACIS study were used. Individual SES was measured by highest attained educational level. Alcohol use measures included drinking status and monthly risky single occasion drinking (RSOD). The relationship between individuals’ education and drinking indicators was examined by meta-analysis. In a second step the individual level data and country data were combined and tested in multilevel models. As country level indicators we used the Purchasing Power Parity of the gross national income, the Gini coefficient and the Gender Gap Index. Results: For both genders and all countries higher individual SES was positively associated with drinking status. Also higher country level SES was associated with higher proportions of drinkers. Lower SES was associated with RSOD among men. Women of higher SES in low income countries were more often RSO drinkers than women of lower SES. The opposite was true in higher income countries. Conclusion: For the most part, findings regarding SES and drinking in higher income countries were as expected. However, women of higher SES in low and middle income countries appear at higher risk of engaging in RSOD. This finding should be kept in mind when developing new policy and prevention initiatives. PMID:22562712

Density and type of food retailers surrounding Canadian schools: variations across socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Seliske, Laura M; Pickett, William; Boyce, William F; Janssen, Ian

2009-09-01

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) neighbourhoods may have differential access to food retailers, potentially explaining the varying area-level obesity rates. The food retail environment around 188 schools across Canada was examined, including full-service restaurants, fast food restaurants, sub/sandwich retailers, donut/coffee shops, convenience stores, and grocery stores. School addresses were linked to census data to obtain area-level SES measures. Access to food retailers was generally not associated with the neighbourhood SES in the immediate proximity. Within the broader neighbourhood, lower SES neighbourhoods had access to fewer food retailers of all types. This effect was diminished after taking population density into account.

Individual and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and the Association between Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease.

PubMed

Chi, Gloria C; Hajat, Anjum; Bird, Chloe E; Cullen, Mark R; Griffin, Beth Ann; Miller, Kristin A; Shih, Regina A; Stefanick, Marcia L; Vedal, Sverre; Whitsel, Eric A; Kaufman, Joel D

2016-12-01

Long-term fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure is linked with cardiovascular disease, and disadvantaged status may increase susceptibility to air pollution-related health effects. In addition, there are concerns that this association may be partially explained by confounding by socioeconomic status (SES). We examined the roles that individual- and neighborhood-level SES (NSES) play in the association between PM2.5 exposure and cardiovascular disease. The study population comprised 51,754 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. PM2.5 concentrations were predicted at participant residences using fine-scale regionalized universal kriging models. We assessed individual-level SES and NSES (Census-tract level) across several SES domains including education, occupation, and income/wealth, as well as through an NSES score, which captures several important dimensions of SES. Cox proportional-hazards regression adjusted for SES factors and other covariates to determine the risk of a first cardiovascular event. A 5 μg/m3 higher exposure to PM2.5 was associated with a 13% increased risk of cardiovascular event [hazard ratio (HR) 1.13; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 1.26]. Adjustment for SES factors did not meaningfully affect the risk estimate. Higher risk estimates were observed among participants living in low-SES neighborhoods. The most and least disadvantaged quartiles of the NSES score had HRs of 1.39 (95% CI: 1.21, 1.61) and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.72, 1.07), respectively. Women with lower NSES may be more susceptible to air pollution-related health effects. The association between air pollution and cardiovascular disease was not explained by confounding from individual-level SES or NSES. Citation: Chi GC, Hajat A, Bird CE, Cullen MR, Griffin BA, Miller KA, Shih RA, Stefanick ML, Vedal S, Whitsel EA, Kaufman JD. 2016. Individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status and the association between air pollution and cardiovascular disease. Environ Health Perspect 124:1840-1847; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP199.

Selective attention neutralizes the adverse effects of low socioeconomic status on memory in 9-month-old infants

PubMed Central

Markant, Julie; Ackerman, Laura K.; Nussenbaum, Kate; Amso, Dima

2015-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) has a documented impact on brain and cognitive development. We demonstrate that engaging spatial selective attention mechanisms may counteract this negative influence of impoverished environments on early learning. We previously used a spatial cueing task to compare target object encoding in the context of basic orienting (“facilitation”) versus a spatial selective attention orienting mechanism that engages distractor suppression (“IOR”). This work showed that object encoding in the context of IOR boosted 9-month-old infants’ recognition memory relative to facilitation (Markant and Amso, 2013). Here we asked whether this attention-memory links further interacted with SES in infancy. Results indicated that SES was related to memory but not attention orienting efficacy. However, the correlation between SES and memory performance was moderated by the attention mechanism engaged during encoding. SES predicted memory performance when objects were encoded with basic orienting processes, with infants from low-SES environments showing poorer memory than those from high-SES environments. However, SES did not predict memory performance among infants who engaged selective attention during encoding. Spatial selective attention engagement mitigated the effects of SES on memory and may offer an effective mechanism for promoting learning among infants at risk for poor cognitive outcomes related to SES. PMID:26597046

Socioeconomic Status and the Risk of Suspected Autism Spectrum Disorders among 18-Month-Old Toddlers in Japan: A Population-Based Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fujiwara, Takeo

2014-01-01

The association between family socioeconomic status (SES) and the suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD) status of 18-month-old toddlers was investigated using a population-based sample in Japan, which has a universal healthcare system and a mandatory health checkup system for toddlers. Questionnaires including SES measurements and modified…

Nutritional and socioeconomic status in cognitive development of Santal children of Purulia district, India.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Sutanu Dutta; Ghosh, Tusharkanti

2011-03-01

Cognitive development of children depends on nutritional and socioeconomic factors. The objectives of the present study were to assess the cognitive development and to investigate the relationship of nutritional and socioeconomic status (SES) to cognitive development in 5-12 year old Santal children of Purulia district of West Bengal, India. The nutritional status of each child was assessed by z-score of height-for-age, weight-for-height and weight-for-age parameters. SES was measured using the updated Kuppusswami scale. Cognitive development was measured by Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM). The growth curve of RCPM scores of Santal children remained around the 5(th) percentile values of British children. The RCPM scores of the adequately nourished children and upper-lower SES were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the children with lower SES and nutritional status. About 42.96% and 27.69% of Santal children were found to be in the intellectually deficient and below average groups, respectively. RCPM scores of Santal children were significantly correlated with nutritional status and socioeconomic factors (p < 0.01). The surveyed children showed poor cognitive functions. The vulnerable nutritional and socioeconomic statuses of Santal children are the major causes for their poor cognitive development.

Pre-typhoon socioeconomic status factors predict post-typhoon psychiatric symptoms in a Vietnamese sample.

PubMed

Brown, Ruth C; Trapp, Stephen K; Berenz, Erin C; Bigdeli, Tim Bernard; Acierno, Ron; Tran, Trinh Luong; Trung, Lam Tu; Tam, Nguyen Thanh; Tuan, Tran; Buoi, La Thi; Ha, Tran Thu; Thach, Tran Duc; Amstadter, Ananda B

2013-11-01

Exposure to natural disasters has been associated with increased risk for various forms of psychopathology. Evidence indicates that socioeconomic status (SES) may be important for understanding post-disaster psychiatric distress; however, studies of SES-relevant factors in non-Western, disaster-exposed samples are lacking. The primary aim of the current study was to examine the role of pre-typhoon SES-relevant factors in relation to post-typhoon psychiatric symptoms among Vietnamese individuals exposed to Typhoon Xangsane. In 2006, Typhoon Xangsane disrupted a mental health needs assessment in Vietnam in which the Self Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20), and the Demographic and Health Surveys Wealth Index, a measure of SES created for use in low-income countries, were administered pre-typhoon. The SRQ-20 was re-administered post-typhoon. Results of a linear mixed model indicated that the covariates of older age, female sex, and higher levels of pre-typhoon psychiatric symptoms were associated with higher levels of post-typhoon psychiatric symptoms. Analysis of SES indicators revealed that owning fewer consumer goods, having lower quality of household services, and having attained less education were associated with higher levels of post-typhoon symptoms, above and beyond the covariates, whereas quality of the household build, employment status, and insurance status were not related to post-typhoon psychiatric symptoms. Even after controlling for demographic characteristics and pre-typhoon psychiatric symptoms, certain SES factors uniquely predicted post-typhoon psychiatric distress. These SES characteristics may be useful for identifying individuals in developing countries who are in need of early intervention following disaster exposure.

Socioeconomic inequalities in injuries treated in primary care in Madrid, Spain.

PubMed

Zoni, Ana Clara; Domínguez-Berjón, María Felícitas; Esteban-Vasallo, María D; Velázquez-Buendía, Luis M; Blaya-Nováková, Vendula; Regidor, Enrique

2017-03-01

Socioeconomic inequalities in injury morbidity are an important yet understudied issue in Southern Europe. This study analysed the injuries treated in primary care in the Community of Madrid, Spain, by socioeconomic status (SES), sex and age. This was a cross-sectional study of injuries registered in the primary care electronic medical records of the Madrid Health Service in 2012. Incidence stratified by sex, SES and type of injury were calculated. Poisson regression was performed. A statistically significant upward trend in global injury incidence was observed with decreasing SES in all age groups. By type of injury, the largest differences were observed in injuries by foreign body in men aged 15-44 and in poisonings in girls under 15 years of age. Burns risk also stood out in the group of girls under 15 years of age with the lowest SES. In the group above 74 years of age, wounds, bruises and sprains had the lowest SES differences in both sexes, and the risk of fractures was lower in the most socioeconomically advantaged group. People with lower SES were at a greater risk of injury. The relationship between SES and injury varies by type of injury and age. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Association of socioeconomic status with the use of chronic therapies and healthcare utilization in children with cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Schechter, Michael S; McColley, Susanna A; Silva, Stefanie; Haselkorn, Tmirah; Konstan, Michael W; Wagener, Jeffrey S

2009-11-01

To determine whether previously reported socioeconomic status (SES)-related disparities in cystic fibrosis (CF) health outcomes vary by the indicator used (median household income by zip code [MIZ], maternal educational attainment [MEA], and state insurance coverage [MA]), and whether these disparities can be explained by differences in medical treatment. A cross-sectional analysis of data on patients age <18 years from the Epidemiologic Study of Cystic Fibrosis (ESCF). Disease severity showed a similar inverse correlation with all 3 SES measures. The number of stable clinic visits was unrelated to SES. Patients with MA had more sick outpatient visits and more courses of intravenous (IV) antibiotics for pulmonary exacerbations, and were more likely to be prescribed all chronic therapies. Low-MIZ patients had slightly fewer sick visits and more courses of IV antibiotics, and were more likely to receive oral nutrition supplements but less likely to receive macrolide prescriptions. Low-MEA patients were less likely to receive IV antibiotics at home, more likely to receive oral nutrition supplements, but less likely to receive macrolide prescriptions. CF health outcomes are correlated with the SES spectrum, but these disparities are not explained by differential use of health services or prescription of chronic therapy. Future investigations should focus on the possible impact of environmental exposures and differences in disease self-management.

Language learning, socioeconomic status, and child-directed speech.

PubMed

Schwab, Jessica F; Lew-Williams, Casey

2016-07-01

Young children's language experiences and language outcomes are highly variable. Research in recent decades has focused on understanding the extent to which family socioeconomic status (SES) relates to parents' language input to their children and, subsequently, children's language learning. Here, we first review research demonstrating differences in the quantity and quality of language that children hear across low-, mid-, and high-SES groups, but also-and perhaps more importantly-research showing that differences in input and learning also exist within SES groups. Second, in order to better understand the defining features of 'high-quality' input, we highlight findings from laboratory studies examining specific characteristics of the sounds, words, sentences, and social contexts of child-directed speech (CDS) that influence children's learning. Finally, after narrowing in on these particular features of CDS, we broaden our discussion by considering family and community factors that may constrain parents' ability to participate in high-quality interactions with their young children. A unification of research on SES and CDS will facilitate a more complete understanding of the specific means by which input shapes learning, as well as generate ideas for crafting policies and programs designed to promote children's language outcomes. WIREs Cogn Sci 2016, 7:264-275. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1393 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Experiential "Hot" Knowledge and Its Influence on Low-SES Students' Capacities to Aspire to Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Lisa

2011-01-01

The Australian Government has recently signalled its intention to fund programs that assist in "raising" the aspirations of low socio-economic status (SES) students. However, this objective can imply that low-SES students lack adequate aspirations for their future. This implication supports deficit views of low-SES students and elides…

Are School-SES Effects Statistical Artefacts? Evidence from Longitudinal Population Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marks, Gary N.

2015-01-01

Schools' socioeconomic status (SES) has been claimed as an important influence on student performance and there are calls for a policy response. However, there is an extensive literature which for various reasons casts doubt on the veracity of school-SES effects. This paper investigates school-SES effects with population data from a longitudinal…

Is SES Really That Important for Educational Outcomes in Australia? A Review and Some Recent Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marks, Gary N.

2017-01-01

This paper demonstrates that the emphasis on students' socioeconomic status (SES) in research and policy circles in Australia is unwarranted. The bivariate relationships between SES and educational outcomes are only moderate and the effects of SES are quite small when taking into account cognitive ability or prior achievement. These two influences…

Subjective Socioeconomic Status Moderates the Association between Discrimination and Depression in African American Youth.

PubMed

Assari, Shervin; Preiser, Brianna; Lankarani, Maryam Moghani; Caldwell, Cleopatra H

2018-04-20

Background: Most of the literature on the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health is focused on the protective effects of SES. However, a growing literature suggests that high SES may also operate as a vulnerability factor. Aims: Using a national sample of African American youth, this study compared the effects of perceived discrimination on major depressive disorder (MDD) based on SES. Methods: The current cross-sectional study included 810 African American youth who participated in the National Survey of American Life-Adolescent supplement. The independent variable was perceived discrimination. Lifetime, 12-month, and 30-day MDD were the dependent variables. Age and gender were covariates. Three SES indicators (subjective SES, income, and poverty index) were moderators. We used logistic regressions for data analysis. Results: Perceived discrimination was associated with higher risk of lifetime, 12-month, and 30-day MDD. Interactions were found between subjective SES and perceived discrimination on lifetime, 12-month, and 30-day MDD, suggesting a stronger effect of perceived discrimination in youth with high subjective SES. Objective measures of SES (income and poverty index) did not interact with perceived discrimination on MDD. Conclusion: While perceived discrimination is a universally harmful risk factor for MDD, its effect may depend on the SES of the individual. Findings suggest that high subjective SES may operate as a vulnerability factor for African American youth.

Do the Factors Affecting Academic Achievement Differ by the Socio-Economic Status or Sex of the Student? A Puerto Rican Secondary School Sample. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nuttall, Ronald L.

Variables expected to be associated with academic achievement were examined in a sample (generally exceeding 2500) from eight secondary schools in Baymon Norte, Puerto Rico. Concern was whether variables associated with academic achievement differed by sex or by socioeconomic status (SES). Multivariate analyses of variance with three factors of…

The contribution of at-home and away-from-home food to dietary intake among 2-13-year-old Mexican children.

PubMed

Taillie, Lindsey Smith; Afeiche, Myriam C; Eldridge, Alison L; Popkin, Barry M

2017-10-01

Away-from-home foods have been shown to have lower nutritional quality and larger portion sizes than many foods prepared at home. We aimed to describe energy and nutrient intakes among 2-13-year-old Mexican children by eating location (at home and away from home), overall, by socio-economic status (SES) and by urbanicity. Dietary intake was collected via one 24 h recall in the 2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT). Location was reported for each food consumed. Results were adjusted for sex, day of recall, region, weight status, SES and urbanicity. Mexico (nationally representative). Children aged 2-5 years (n 1905) and 6-13 years (n 2868). Children consumed the majority of daily energy at home (89% of 2-5-year-olds; 82 % of 6-13-year-olds). The most common away-from-home eating location was school (22 % of 2-5-year-olds; 43 % of 6-13-year-olds), followed by the street (14 % of 2-5-year-olds; 13 % of 6-13-year-olds). The most common foods consumed away from home were wheat/rice and corn mixed dishes, sugar-sweetened beverages, pastries/candy/desserts, milk (2-5-year-olds only) and salty snacks (6-13-year-olds). Multivariate models showed that high-SES 2-5-year-olds consumed 14 % of daily energy away from home v. 8 % among low-SES 2-5-year-olds, and high-SES 6-13-year-olds consumed 21 % of daily energy away from home v. 14 % among low-SES 6-13 year-olds. There were no differences by urban residence. Among Mexican children, most foods and beverages were consumed at home. However, the percentage of foods consumed or purchased away from home increased with age and with SES.

Education, Socioeconomic Status, and Intelligence in Childhood and Stroke Risk in Later Life: A Meta-analysis.

PubMed

McHutchison, Caroline A; Backhouse, Ellen V; Cvoro, Vera; Shenkin, Susan D; Wardlaw, Joanna M

2017-07-01

Stroke is the second most common cause of death, and a common cause of dependency and dementia. Adult vascular risk factors and socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with increased risk, but less is known about early life risk factors, such as education, childhood SES, or intelligence (IQ). We comprehensively searched Medline, PsycINFO, and EMBASE from inception to November 2015. We included all studies reporting data on >50 strokes examining childhood/premorbid IQ, SES, and education. Two reviewers independently screened full texts and extracted and cross-checked data, including available risk factor adjustments. We meta-analyzed stroke risk using hazard ratios (HR), odds ratios (OR), and mean differences (MD). We tested effects of study and participant characteristics in sensitivity analyses and meta-regression, and assessed heterogeneity and publication bias. We identified 90 studies examining stroke risk and education (79), SES (10), or IQ (nine) including approximately 164,683 stroke and over 5 million stroke-free participants. Stroke risk increased with lower education (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.24, 1.48), SES (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.46), and IQ (HR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.00, 1.37) in studies reporting point estimates, with similar associations for MD. We found minimal publication bias. Between-study heterogeneity was partly explained by participant age and case ascertainment method. Education, childhood SES, and intelligence have modest but important associations with lifetime stroke, and hence dementia, risks. Future studies distinguishing between the individual and combined effects of education, childhood SES and intelligence are needed to determine the independent contribution of each factor to stroke risk. See video abstract at, http://links.lww.com/EDE/B210.

Associations between children's socioeconomic status, weight status, and sex, with screen-based sedentary behaviours and sport participation.

PubMed

Fairclough, Stuart J; Boddy, Lynne M; Hackett, Allan F; Stratton, Gareth

2009-01-01

The objective was to study associations between socioeconomic status (SES), weight status, and sex, with children's participation in sedentary behaviours and sport. Children (aged 9-10 years; n = 6,337) completed a questionnaire to establish how long they spent in sedentary behaviours and sport participation during week days and weekend days. Height and weight were measured to calculate body mass index. Associations between dependent and independent variables were investigated using hierarchical loglinear analysis. A significantly greater proportion of boys than girls spent > or = 1 h per weekday and weekend day watching television (TV) (p < 0.001), playing video games (p < 0.001), and participating in sport (p < 0.001). TV viewing and video gaming for > or = 1 h per day were inversely associated with SES (p = 0.001), whilst the greatest proportion of children participating in sport for > or = 1 h were in the highest SES quartile (p < 0.001). Overweight girls were more likely than normal weight girls to use the internet for > or = 1 h per weekend day (p < 0.001). Relatively more lower SES children spent time in sedentary behaviours than sport participation. Weight status was not consistently associated with sedentary behaviours. Proportionately more boys than girls watched TV, played video games, and participated in sport, suggesting that boys find time for sedentary behaviours and physical activity. Efforts should be made to address inequalities in the prevalence of sedentary behaviours and sport participation for all children regardless of SES, weight status, or sex.

A Structural Analysis of Executive Functions and Socioeconomic Status in School-Age Children: Cognitive Factors as Effect Mediators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aran-Filippetti, Vanessa; Richaud de Minzi, Maria Cristina

2012-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a well-known predictor of cognitive achievement and executive functioning, although the underlying cognitive mediating processes remain unclear. The authors analyze the association between different socioeconomic indicators and the executive functions (EF) of schoolchildren and the possible cognitive mediating factors…

External motivation to avoid prejudice alters neural responses to targets varying in race and status

PubMed Central

Mattan, Bradley D; Kubota, Jennifer T; Dang, Tzipporah P

2018-01-01

Abstract Those who are high in external motivation to respond without prejudice (EMS) tend to focus on non-racial attributes when describing others. This fMRI study examined the neural processing of race and an alternative yet stereotypically relevant attribute (viz., socioeconomic status: SES) as a function of the perceiver’s EMS. Sixty-one White participants privately formed impressions of Black and White faces ascribed with high or low SES. Analyses focused on regions supporting race- and status-based reward/salience (NAcc), evaluation (VMPFC) and threat/relevance (amygdala). Consistent with previous findings from the literature on status-based evaluation, we observed greater neural responses to high-status (vs low-status) targets in all regions of interest when participants were relatively low in EMS. In contrast, we observed the opposite pattern when participants were relatively high in EMS. Notably, all effects were independent of target race. In summary, White perceivers’ race-related motivations similarly altered their neural responses to the SES of Black and White targets. Specifically, the findings suggest that EMS may attenuate the positive value and/or salience of high status in a mixed-race context. Findings are discussed in the context of the stereotypic relationship between race and SES. PMID:29077925

Does a Change Over All Equal a Change in All? Testing for Polarized Alcohol Use Within and Across Socio-Economic Groups in Germany.

PubMed

Gomes de Matos, Elena; Kraus, Ludwig; Pabst, Alexander; Piontek, Daniela

2015-11-01

This study aimed at testing whether drinking volume and episodic heavy drinking (EHD) frequency in Germany are polarizing between consumption levels over time. Polarization is defined as a reduction in alcohol use among the majority of the population, while a subpopulation with a high intake level maintains or increases its drinking or its EHD frequency. The polarization hypothesis was tested across and within socio-economic subgroups. Analyses were based on seven cross-sectional waves of the Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA) conducted between 1995 and 2012 (n = 7833-9084). Overall polarization was estimated based on regression models with time by consumption level interactions; the three-way interaction with socio-economic status (SES) was consecutively introduced to test the stability of effects over socio-economic strata. Interactions were interpreted by graphical inspection. For both alcohol use indicators, declines over time were largest in the highest consumption level. This was found within all SES groups, but was most pronounced at low and least pronounced at medium SES. The results indicate no polarization but convergence between consumption levels. Socio-economic status groups differ in the magnitude of convergence which was lowest in medium SES. The overall decline was strongest for the highest consumption level of low SES. © The Author 2015. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic Factors and Women's Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Four Racial/Ethnic Groups

PubMed Central

Chao, Maria T.; Wade, Christine M.

2014-01-01

Objective Higher socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in national surveys. Less is known about how socioeconomic factors affect CAM use in US subpopulations. We examined whether the relationship between SES and CAM use differs by racial/ethnic groups. Methods Using national survey data, we assessed education and income effects on women's CAM use in four racial/ethnic groups (Whites, Blacks, Mexican Americans, and Chinese Americans), controlling for age, health status, and geographic region. CAM use was defined as using any of 11 domains in the prior year. Results Adjusted effects of SES on CAM use were similar among Mexican American and non-Hispanic White women—education had a distinct gradient effect, with each increasing level of education significantly more likely to use CAM; household income ≥$60,000 was associated with CAM use compared to income <$20,000. For Chinese American women, socioeconomic factors were not associated with CAM use when controlling for confounders. Although income was not associated with CAM use among African American women, college graduates were three times more likely to use CAM than those with less than a high school education, adjusting for confounders. Conclusion SES effects on CAM use are not uniform across racial/ethnic populations. Other factors, such as culture and social networks, may interact with SES to influence CAM use in minority populations. PMID:18447102

Socioeconomic Status, Health Behaviors, Obesity and Self-Rated Health among Older Arabs in Israel.

PubMed

Khalaila, R N Rabia

2017-03-01

Socioeconomic inequalities in health are well documented. Recently, researchers have shown interest in exploring the mechanisms by which measures of SES operate through it to impact SRH, such as material, psychosocial and behavioral factors. To examine the relationships between SES indicators and self-rated health (SRH); and to determine whether health behaviors and obesity mediate the association between SES indicators and SRH. A secondary analysis of data previously collected through the third survey of socioeconomic and health status of the Arab population in Israel, in which the SRH of 878 Arab-Israelis age 50 or older were analyzed using logistic regression. The results showed that higher education level and current employment in old age are associated with better SRH. However, neither subjective economic status nor family income was associated with SRH. Greater physical activity was found to be related to good\\very good SRH, while obesity was associated with less than good SRH. Finally, health behaviors (physical activity) and obesity were revealed as mediators between SES indicators (education and employment status) and SRH. The results highlight the importance of high education level and employment status in old age to reduce health inequalities. The findings also show that the relationship between SES and SRH can operate through behavioral mechanisms (i.e., physical activity) and their consequences (i.e., obesity), that can, however, be changed in old age.

Predicting self-rated mental and physical health: the contributions of subjective socioeconomic status and personal relative deprivation

PubMed Central

Callan, Mitchell J.; Kim, Hyunji; Matthews, William J.

2015-01-01

Lower subjective socioeconomic status (SSS) and higher personal relative deprivation (PRD) relate to poorer health. Both constructs concern people's perceived relative social position, but they differ in their emphasis on the reference groups people use to determine their comparative disadvantage (national population vs. similar others) and the importance of resentment that may arise from such adverse comparisons. We investigated the relative utility of SSS and PRD as predictors of self-rated physical and mental health (e.g., self-rated health, stress, health complaints). Across six studies, self-rated physical and mental health were on the whole better predicted by measures of PRD than by SSS while controlling for objective socioeconomic status (SES), with SSS rarely contributing unique variance over and above PRD and SES. Studies 4–6 discount the possibility that the superiority of PRD over SSS in predicting health is due to psychometric differences (e.g., reliability) or response biases between the measures. PMID:26441786

Cross-National Comparisons of Time Trends in Overweight Inequality by Socioeconomic Status Among Women Using Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveys From 37 Developing Countries, 1989–2007

PubMed Central

Jones-Smith, Jessica C.; Gordon-Larsen, Penny; Siddiqi, Arjumand; Popkin, Barry M.

2011-01-01

Chronic diseases are now among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in lower income countries. Although traditionally related to higher individual socioeconomic status (SES) in these contexts, the associations between SES and chronic disease may be actively changing. Furthermore, country-level contextual factors, such as economic development and income inequality, may influence the distribution of chronic disease by SES as well as how this distribution has changed over time. Using overweight status as a health indicator, the authors studied repeated cross-sectional data from women aged 18–49 years in 37 developing countries to assess within-country trends in overweight inequalities by SES between 1989 and 2007 (n = 405,550). Meta-regression was used to examine the associations between gross domestic product and disproportionate increases in overweight prevalence by SES, with additional testing for modification by country-level income inequality. In 27 of 37 countries, higher SES (vs. lower) was associated with higher gains in overweight prevalence; in the remaining 10 countries, lower SES (vs. higher) was associated with higher gains in overweight prevalence. Gross domestic product was positively related to faster increase in overweight prevalence among the lower wealth groups. Among countries with a higher gross domestic product, lower income inequality was associated with faster overweight growth among the poor. PMID:21300855

The cost of dementia in an unequal country: The case of Chile.

PubMed

Hojman, Daniel A; Duarte, Fabian; Ruiz-Tagle, Jaime; Budnich, Marilu; Delgado, Carolina; Slachevsky, Andrea

2017-01-01

We study the economic cost of dementia in Chile, and its variation according to socioeconomic status (SES). We use primary data from a survey of 330 informal primary caregivers who completed both a RUD-Lite and a socio-demographic questionnaire to evaluate the severity of dementia and caregiver's burden. The costs of dementia are broken into three components: direct medical costs (medical care, drugs, tests); direct social costs (social service, daycare); and indirect costs (mostly associated to informal care). The average monthly cost per patient is estimated at US$ 1,463. Direct medical costs account for 20 per cent, direct social costs for 5 per cent and indirect costs for 75 per cent of the total cost. The mean monthly cost is found to be inversely related to SES, a pattern largely driven by indirect costs. The monthly cost for high SES is US$ 1,083 and US$ 1,588 for low SES. A multivariate regression analysis suggests that severity of dementia and caregiver's burden account for between 49 and 70 per cent of the difference in the indirect cost across SES. However, between one-third and one-half of the variation across SES is not due to gradient in severity of dementia. Direct medical costs increase in higher SES, reflecting differences in purchasing power, while indirect costs are inversely related to SES and more than compensate differences in medical costs. Moreover, in lower SES groups, female caregivers, typically family members who are inactive in the labor market, mostly provide informal care. The average annual cost of dementia in Chile (US$ 17,559) is lower in comparison to high-income countries (US$ 39,595) and the proportion of cost related to informal cost is higher (74 per cent compared to 40 per cent). SES is a key determinant in the cost of dementia. In the absence of universal access to treatment, part of the social cost of dementia potentially preserves or increases income and gender inequality.

The cost of dementia in an unequal country: The case of Chile

PubMed Central

Hojman, Daniel A.; Duarte, Fabian; Ruiz-Tagle, Jaime; Budnich, Marilu; Delgado, Carolina; Slachevsky, Andrea

2017-01-01

We study the economic cost of dementia in Chile, and its variation according to socioeconomic status (SES). We use primary data from a survey of 330 informal primary caregivers who completed both a RUD-Lite and a socio-demographic questionnaire to evaluate the severity of dementia and caregiver’s burden. The costs of dementia are broken into three components: direct medical costs (medical care, drugs, tests); direct social costs (social service, daycare); and indirect costs (mostly associated to informal care). The average monthly cost per patient is estimated at US$ 1,463. Direct medical costs account for 20 per cent, direct social costs for 5 per cent and indirect costs for 75 per cent of the total cost. The mean monthly cost is found to be inversely related to SES, a pattern largely driven by indirect costs. The monthly cost for high SES is US$ 1,083 and US$ 1,588 for low SES. A multivariate regression analysis suggests that severity of dementia and caregiver’s burden account for between 49 and 70 per cent of the difference in the indirect cost across SES. However, between one-third and one-half of the variation across SES is not due to gradient in severity of dementia. Direct medical costs increase in higher SES, reflecting differences in purchasing power, while indirect costs are inversely related to SES and more than compensate differences in medical costs. Moreover, in lower SES groups, female caregivers, typically family members who are inactive in the labor market, mostly provide informal care. The average annual cost of dementia in Chile (US$ 17,559) is lower in comparison to high-income countries (US$ 39,595) and the proportion of cost related to informal cost is higher (74 per cent compared to 40 per cent). SES is a key determinant in the cost of dementia. In the absence of universal access to treatment, part of the social cost of dementia potentially preserves or increases income and gender inequality. PMID:28267795

Age- and Sex-Specific Relationships between Household Income, Education, and Diabetes Mellitus in Korean Adults: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2008-2010

PubMed Central

Kim, So-Ra; Han, Kyungdo; Choi, Jin-Young; Ersek, Jennifer; Liu, Junxiu; Jo, Sun-Jin; Lee, Kang-Sook; Yim, Hyeon Woo; Lee, Won-Chul; Park, Yong Gyu; Lee, Seung-Hwan; Park, Yong-Moon

2015-01-01

Background To investigate the effects of age and sex on the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and the prevalence and control status of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Korean adults. Methods Data came from 16,175 adults (6,951 men and 9,227 women) over the age of 30 who participated in the 2008-2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. SES was measured by household income or education level. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the prevalence or control status of diabetes were calculated using multiple logistic regression analyses across household income quartiles and education levels. Results The household income-DM and education level-DM relationships were significant in younger age groups for both men and women. The adjusted ORs and 95% CI for diabetes were 1.51 (0.97, 2.34) and 2.28 (1.29, 4.02) for the lowest vs. highest quartiles of household income and education level, respectively, in women younger than 65 years of age (both P for linear trend < 0.05 with Bonferroni adjustment). The adjusted OR and 95% CI for diabetes was 2.28 (1.53, 3.39) for the lowest vs. highest quartile of household income in men younger than 65 (P for linear trend < 0.05 with Bonferroni adjustment). However, in men and women older than 65, no associations were found between SES and the prevalence of DM. No significant association between SES and the status of glycemic control was detected. Conclusions We found age- and sex-specific differences in the relationship of household income and education with the prevalence of DM in Korea. DM preventive care is needed for groups with a low SES, particularly in young or middle-aged populations. PMID:25622031

Using Multiple-hierarchy Stratification and Life Course Approaches to Understand Health Inequalities: The Intersecting Consequences of Race, Gender, SES, and Age.

PubMed

Brown, Tyson H; Richardson, Liana J; Hargrove, Taylor W; Thomas, Courtney S

2016-06-01

This study examines how the intersecting consequences of race-ethnicity, gender, socioeconomics status (SES), and age influence health inequality. We draw on multiple-hierarchy stratification and life course perspectives to address two main research questions. First, does racial-ethnic stratification of health vary by gender and/or SES? More specifically, are the joint health consequences of racial-ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic stratification additive or multiplicative? Second, does this combined inequality in health decrease, remain stable, or increase between middle and late life? We use panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 12,976) to investigate between- and within-group differences in in self-rated health among whites, blacks, and Mexican Americans. Findings indicate that the effects of racial-ethnic, gender, and SES stratification are interactive, resulting in the greatest racial-ethnic inequalities in health among women and those with higher levels of SES. Furthermore, racial-ethnic/gender/SES inequalities in health tend to decline with age. These results are broadly consistent with intersectionality and aging-as-leveler hypotheses. © American Sociological Association 2016.

Using Multiple-hierarchy Stratification and Life Course Approaches to Understand Health Inequalities: The Intersecting Consequences of Race, Gender, SES, and Age

PubMed Central

Brown, Tyson H.; Richardson, Liana J.; Hargrove, Taylor W.; Thomas, Courtney S.

2016-01-01

This study examines how the intersecting consequences of race-ethnicity, gender, socioeconomics status (SES), and age influence health inequality. We draw on multiple-hierarchy stratification and life course perspectives to address two main research questions. First, does racial-ethnic stratification of health vary by gender and/or SES? More specifically, are the joint health consequences of racial-ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic stratification additive or multiplicative? Second, does this combined inequality in health decrease, remain stable, or increase between middle and late life? We use panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 12,976) to investigate between- and within-group differences in in self-rated health among whites, blacks, and Mexican Americans. Findings indicate that the effects of racial-ethnic, gender, and SES stratification are interactive, resulting in the greatest racial-ethnic inequalities in health among women and those with higher levels of SES. Furthermore, racial-ethnic/gender/SES inequalities in health tend to decline with age. These results are broadly consistent with intersectionality and aging-as-leveler hypotheses. PMID:27284076

The contribution of at-home and away-from-home food to dietary intake among 2–13y Mexican children

PubMed Central

Taillie, Lindsey Smith; Afeiche, Myriam C.; Eldridge, Alison L.; Popkin, Barry M.

2016-01-01

Objectives Away-from-home foods have been shown to have lower nutritional quality and larger portion sizes as compared to many foods prepared at home. The objective of this study was to describe calorie and nutrient intakes among 2–13y old Mexican children by eating location (at-home and away-from-home), overall, by socio-economic status (SES), and by urbanicity. Design Dietary intake was collected via one 24-hr recall in the 2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT). Location was reported for each food consumed. Results were adjusted for age, sex, weight status, socio-economic status and urbanicity. Setting Mexico (nationally representative) Subjects 2–5y (n=1905) and 6–13y (n=2868) children Results Children consumed the majority of daily energy at home (89% and 82%, respectively). The most common away-from-home eating location was the school (22% 2–5y; 43% 6–13y old), followed by street (14% 2–5y; 13% 6–13y old). The most common foods consumed away-from-home were wheat, rice, and corn mixed dishes, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), pastries/ candy/desserts, milk (2–5y only) and salty snacks (6–13y). Multivariate models showed that high SES 2–5 year-olds consumed 14% of daily energy away-from-home relative to 8% among low SES 2–5 year-olds, and high SES 6–13 year-olds consumed 21% of daily energy away-from-home compared to 14% among low SES 6–13 year-olds. There were no differences by urban residence. Conclusions Among Mexican children, most foods and beverages were consumed at home. However, the percent of foods consumed or purchased away-from-home increased with age and with SES. PMID:27608532

Social isolation and loneliness: Prospective associations with functional status in older adults.

PubMed

Shankar, Aparna; McMunn, Anne; Demakakos, Panayotes; Hamer, Mark; Steptoe, Andrew

2017-02-01

The present analysis aimed to examine the associations of isolation and loneliness, individually as well as simultaneously, with 2 measures of functional status (gait speed and difficulties in activities of daily living) in older adults over a 6-year period using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, and to assess if these associations differ by SES. Loneliness was measured using the short form of the Revised UCLA scale, and an index of social isolation was computed incorporating marital status; frequency of contact with friends, family, and children; and participation in social activities. Measures of functional status were assessed identically at baseline and 6 years later for 3070 participants (mean age 69 years). Wealth was used as an indicator of SES. In fully and mutually adjusted models, social isolation and loneliness were found to be associated with a decrease in gait speed at follow-up, with stronger effects among more disadvantaged individuals. Loneliness was associated with an increase in difficulties with activities of daily living. Isolation and loneliness were adversely associated with different aspects of functional status. Interventions to reduce isolation and loneliness may be particularly beneficial for individuals in disadvantaged groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Independent effects of bilingualism and socioeconomic status on language ability and executive functioning.

PubMed

Calvo, Alejandra; Bialystok, Ellen

2014-03-01

One hundred and seventy-five children who were 6-years old were assigned to one of four groups that differed in socioeconomic status (SES; working class or middle class) and language background (monolingual or bilingual). The children completed tests of nonverbal intelligence, language tests assessing receptive vocabulary and attention based on picture naming, and two tests of executive functioning. All children performed equivalently on the basic intelligence tests, but performance on the language and executive functioning tasks was influenced by both SES and bilingualism. Middle-class children outperformed working-class children on all measures, and bilingual children obtained lower scores than monolingual children on language tests but higher scores than monolingual children on the executive functioning tasks. There were no interactions with either group factors or task factors. Thus, each of SES and bilingualism contribute significantly and independently to children's development irrespective of the child's level on the other factor. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Race/ethnicity and the socioeconomic status gradient in women's cancer screening utilization: a case of diminishing returns?

PubMed

Monnat, Shannon M

2014-02-01

Using three years (2006, 2008, 2010) of nationally representative data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, I assessed the socioeconomic status (SES) gradient for odds of receiving a mammogram in the past two years and a Pap test in the past three years among White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian women living in the U.S. Mammogram and Pap test utilization were less likely among low-SES women. However, women of color experience less benefit than Whites from increasing SES for both screenings; as income and education increased, White women experienced more pronounced increases in the likelihood of being screened than did women of color. In what might be referred to as paradoxical returns, Asian women actually experienced a decline in the likelihood of obtaining a recent Pap test at higher levels of education. My findings suggest that women of color differ from Whites in the extent to which increasing socioeconomic resources is associated with increasing cancer screening utilization.

Social Anxiety, Depression and Self-Esteem in Obese Adolescent Girls with Acanthosis Nigricans

PubMed Central

Pirgon, Özgür; Sandal, Gonca; Gökçen, Cem; Bilgin, Hüseyin; Dündar, Bumin

2015-01-01

Objective: To assess the impact of acanthosis nigricans (AN) on depression symptoms, related quality of life and self-esteem scores in obese adolescent girls. Methods: Fifty-nine obese adolescent girls (mean age: 13.19±1.3 years, age range: 12-17 years, mean body mass index: 29.89±3.30) were enrolled in this study. The obese adolescent girls were divided into two groups based on presence or absence of AN. Non-obese healthy adolescents constituted the control group (30 girls, mean age: 13.5±1.4 years). All subjects were evaluated using the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-C), and the modified Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES). Higher scores indicated more severe depression and anxiety, as well as low self-esteem status. Results: The AN and non-AN obese groups showed significantly higher CDI, STAI-C and SES scores than the control group, and the two obese groups demonstrated no significant differences for these scores. The AN obese group with higher total testosterone levels (>50 ng/dL) had higher scores for SES (2.55±1.8 vs. 1.42±1.2; p=0.03) than the AN obese group with low total testosterone levels. SES scores significantly correlated with total testosterone levels (r=0.362; p=0.03) and fasting insulin (r=0.462; p=0.03) in the AN obese group. Conclusion: Higher SES scores (low self-esteem status) were determined in obese adolescents with acanthosis and were related to hyperandrogenism. This study also showed that a high testosterone level may be one of the important indicators of low self-esteem status in obese girls with AN. PMID:25800478

Social anxiety, depression and self-esteem in obese adolescent girls with acanthosis nigricans.

PubMed

Pirgon, Özgür; Sandal, Gonca; Gökçen, Cem; Bilgin, Hüseyin; Dündar, Bumin

2015-03-01

To assess the impact of acanthosis nigricans (AN) on depression symptoms, related quality of life and self-esteem scores in obese adolescent girls. Fifty-nine obese adolescent girls (mean age: 13.19±1.3 years, age range: 12-17 years, mean body mass index: 29.89±3.30) were enrolled in this study. The obese adolescent girls were divided into two groups based on presence or absence of AN. Non-obese healthy adolescents constituted the control group (30 girls, mean age: 13.5±1.4 years). All subjects were evaluated using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-C), and the modified Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES). Higher scores indicated more severe depression and anxiety, as well as low self-esteem status. The AN and non-AN obese groups showed significantly higher CDI, STAI-C and SES scores than the control group, and the two obese groups demonstrated no significant differences for these scores. The AN obese group with higher total testosterone levels (>50 ng/dL) had higher scores for SES (2.55±1.8 vs. 1.42±1.2; p=0.03) than the AN obese group with low total testosterone levels. SES scores significantly correlated with total testosterone levels (r=0.362; p=0.03) and fasting insulin (r=0.462; p=0.03) in the AN obese group. Higher SES scores (low self-esteem status) were determined in obese adolescents with acanthosis and were related to hyperandrogenism. This study also showed that a high testosterone level may be one of the important indicators of low self-esteem status in obese girls with AN.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in the Oral Health of People Aged 15-40 Years in Kurdistan, Iran in 2015: A Cross-sectional Study.

PubMed

Moradi, Ghobad; Moinafshar, Ardavan; Adabi, Hemen; Sharafi, Mona; Mostafavi, Farideh; Bolbanabad, Amjad Mohamadi

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of dental caries among an urban population. This study was conducted among 2000 people 15-40 years of age living in Kurdistan, Iran in 2015. Using a questionnaire, data were collected by 4 trained dental students. The dependent variable was the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMF) index. Using principal component analysis, the socioeconomic status (SES) of families was determined based on their household assets. Inequality was measured using the concentration index; in addition, the Oaxaca analytical method was used to determine the contribution of various determinants to the observed inequality. The concentration index for poor scores on the DMF index was -0.32 (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.40 to -0.36); thus, poor DMF indices had a greater concentration in groups with a low SES (p<0.001). Decomposition analysis showed that the mean prevalence of a poor DMF index was 43.7% (95% CI, 40.4 to 46.9%) in the least privileged group and 14.4% (95% CI, 9.5 to 9.2%) in the most privileged group. It was found that 85.8% of the gap observed between these groups was due to differences in sex, parents' education, and the district of residence. A poor DMF index was less prevalent among people with higher SES than among those with lower SES (odds ratio, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.52). An alarming degree of SES inequality in oral health status was found in the studied community. Hence, it is suggested that inequalities in oral health status be reduced via adopting appropriate policies such as the delivery of oral health services to poorer groups and covering such services in insurance programs.

Explicit and implicit issues in the developmental cognitive neuroscience of social inequality

PubMed Central

D'Angiulli, Amedeo; Lipina, Sebastian J.; Olesinska, Alice

2012-01-01

The appearance of developmental cognitive neuroscience (DCN) in the socioeconomic status (SES) research arena is hugely transformative, but challenging. We review challenges rooted in the implicit and explicit assumptions informing this newborn field. We provide balanced theoretical alternatives on how hypothesized psychological processes map onto the brain (e.g., problem of localization) and how experimental phenomena at multiple levels of analysis (e.g., behavior, cognition and the brain) could be related. We therefore examine unclear issues regarding the existing perspectives on poverty and their relationships with low SES, the evidence of low-SES adaptive functioning, historical precedents of the “alternate pathways” (neuroplasticity) interpretation of learning disabilities related to low-SES and the notion of deficit, issues of “normativity” and validity in findings of neurocognitive differences between children from different SES, and finally alternative interpretations of the complex relationship between IQ and SES. Particularly, we examine the extent to which the available laboratory results may be interpreted as showing that cognitive performance in low-SES children reflects cognitive and behavioral deficits as a result of growing up in specific environmental or cultural contexts, and how the experimental findings should be interpreted for the design of different types of interventions—particularly those related to educational practices—or translated to the public—especially the media. Although a cautionary tone permeates many studies, still, a potential deficit attribution—i.e., low-SES is associated with cognitive and behavioral developmental deficits—seems almost an inevitable implicit issue with ethical implications. Finally, we sketch the agenda for an ecological DCN, suggesting recommendations to advance the field, specifically, to minimize equivocal divulgation and maximize ethically responsible translation. PMID:22973216

The Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Counseling Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawley, Lisa D.; Leibert, Todd W.; Lane, Joel A.

2014-01-01

In this study, we examined the relationship between various indices of socioeconomic status (SES) and counseling outcomes among clients at a university counseling center. We also explored links between SES and three factors that are generally regarded as facilitative of client change in counseling: motivation, treatment expectancy and social…

Examining the Bricks and Mortar of Socioeconomic Status: An Empirical Comparison of Measurement Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markle, Ross Edward

2010-01-01

The impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on educational outcomes has been widely demonstrated in the fields of sociology, psychology, and educational research. Across these fields however, measurement models of SES vary, including single indicators (parental income, education, and occupation), multiple indicators, hierarchical models, and most…

Socioeconomic Status, a Forgotten Variable in Lateralization Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boles, David B.

2011-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES), a variable combining income, education, and occupation, is correlated with a variety of social health outcomes including school dropout rates, early parenthood, delinquency, and mental illness. Several studies conducted in the 1970s and 1980s largely failed to report a relationship between SES and hemispheric asymmetry…

Socioeconomic Status and Health in Adolescents: The Role of Stress Interpretations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Edith; Langer, David A.; Raphaelson, Yvonne E.; Matthews, Karen A.

2004-01-01

The role of psychological interpretations in the relationship between low socioeconomic status (SES) and physiological responses was tested. One hundred high school students (ages 15-19) watched videos of ambiguous and negative life situations, and were interviewed about their interpretations. Lower SES was associated with greater threat…

Parsing the Relations of Race and Socioeconomic Status in Special Education Disproportionality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kincaid, Aleksis P.; Sullivan, Amanda L.

2017-01-01

This study investigated how student and school-level socioeconomic status (SES) measures predict students' odds of being identified for special education, particularly high-incidence disabilities. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study--Kindergarten cohort, hierarchical models were used to determine the relations of student and school SES to…

Socioeconomic Status and Child Development: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Letourneau, Nicole Lyn; Duffett-Leger, Linda; Levac, Leah; Watson, Barry; Young-Morris, Catherine

2013-01-01

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is widely accepted to have deleterious effects on the well-being and development of children and adolescents. However, rigorous meta-analytic methods have not been applied to determine the degree to which SES supports or limits children's and adolescents behavioural, cognitive and language development. While…

Disparities in survival after Hodgkin lymphoma: a population-based study

PubMed Central

Keegan, Theresa H.M.; Clarke, Christina A.; Chang, Ellen T.; Shema, Sarah J.; Glaser, Sally L.

2009-01-01

Survival after Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is generally favorable, but may vary by patient demographic characteristics. The authors examined HL survival according to race/ethnicity and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES), determined from residential census block group at diagnosis. For 12,492 classical HL patients ≥15 years diagnosed in California during 1988-2006 and followed through 2007, we determined risk of overall and HL-specific death using Cox proportional hazards regression; analyses were stratified by age and Ann Arbor stage. Irrespective of disease stage, patients with lower neighborhood SES had worse overall and HL-specific survival than patients with higher SES. Patients with the lowest quintile of neighborhood SES had a 64% (patients aged 15-44 years) and 36% (≥45 years) increased risk of HL-death compared to patients with the highest quintile of SES; SES results were similar for overall survival. Even after adjustment for neighborhood SES, blacks and Hispanics had increased risks of HL-death 74% and 43% (15-44 years) and 40% and 17% (≥45 years), respectively, higher than white patients. The racial/ethnic differences in survival were evident for all stages of disease. These data provide evidence for substantial, and probably remediable, racial/ethnic and neighborhood SES disparities in HL outcomes. PMID:19557531

Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences in short-term breast cancer survival among women in an integrated health system.

PubMed

Keegan, Theresa H M; Kurian, Allison W; Gali, Kathleen; Tao, Li; Lichtensztajn, Daphne Y; Hershman, Dawn L; Habel, Laurel A; Caan, Bette J; Gomez, Scarlett L

2015-05-01

We examined the combined influence of race/ethnicity and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on short-term survival among women with uniform access to health care and treatment. Using electronic medical records data from Kaiser Permanente Northern California linked to data from the California Cancer Registry, we included 6262 women newly diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. We analyzed survival using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression with follow-up through 2010. After consideration of tumor stage, subtype, comorbidity, and type of treatment received, non-Hispanic White women living in low-SES neighborhoods (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07, 1.52) and African Americans regardless of neighborhood SES (high SES: HR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.01, 2.07; low SES: HR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.42, 2.50) had worse overall survival than did non-Hispanic White women living in high-SES neighborhoods. Results were similar for breast cancer-specific survival, except that African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites living in high-SES neighborhoods had similar survival. Strategies to address the underlying factors that may influence treatment intensity and adherence, such as comorbidities and logistical barriers, should be targeted at low-SES non-Hispanic White and all African American patients.

Individual and School-Level Socioeconomic Gradients in Physical Activity in Australian Schoolchildren.

PubMed

Lewis, Lucy; Maher, Carol; Katzmarzyk, Peter; Olds, Timothy

2016-02-01

We attempted to determine whether there was a socioeconomic gradient in 9- to 11-year-old Australian children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and whether school facilities or policies supporting physical activity were associated with school-level socioeconomic status (SES) and MVPA. Children (N = 528) from 26 randomly selected schools participated in the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment. School-level SES was determined by the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage. MVPA was determined from 7-day, 24-hour accelerometry. School facilities (21 items) were evaluated with an objective school ground audit. School policies related to physical activity were collected (18 items) in a school administrator survey. Relationships among SES, MVPA, school facilities, and policies were examined using bivariate regression, correlation analyses, and analysis of variance. There was a clear SES gradient in daily and in-school MVPA. School facilities or physical activity policies were not associated with SES or in-school MVPA, with the exception of presence of a sports field which was associated with lower SES schools (p = .02) and lower in-school MVPA (p = .001). School-built, policy, and resource environments are similar across different SES-level schools. Therefore, some other mechanism must be underlying the SES gradients seen in MVPA participation in Australian children. © 2016, American School Health Association.

Women's relative immunity to the socio-economic health gradient: artifact or real?

PubMed Central

Phillips, Susan P.; Hamberg, Katarina

2015-01-01

Background Individual and area socio-economic status (SES) are significant predictors of morbidity and mortality in developed and developing countries. However, the span in health from poorest to richest, that is, the socio-economic gradient, appears steeper for men than women. Objective Our aim is to understand women's apparent immunity to the health harms of the SES gradient. Design Findings from a non-systematic search of Medline for population-based, SES gradient studies reporting results for both men and women and with health outcomes of morbidity, mortality or self-rated health (SRH) were reflectively analyzed. Results The 36 papers reviewed generally showed women to be relatively immune to the SES gradient for all but cardiovascular health outcomes. However, addressing the interconnected nature of socio-economic circumstances, exploring whether some measures of SES had ambiguous meanings for either women or men, including modifiers of SES such as household circumstances, social capital or area gender equity, or using indicators of area SES that were contextual rather than aggregates of individual, compositional measures increased the SES gradient for women. Outcome measures that combined mental and physical health, accounted for gender differences in SRH and adjusted for sex-specific differences in causes of mortality also explained some of the observed amelioration of the SES gradient among women. Conclusions Socio-economic circumstances have a real and sustained impact on individual health. The SES gradient appears stronger for men than for women for all health outcomes other than heart disease. However, some of the observed variability between men and women may be an artifact of biased methodology. Considering webs of causation rather than individual markers of SES along with other sources of gender bias can explain much of women's blunted socio-economic gradient and deepen understanding of the pathways from SES to morbidity and mortality overall. PMID:25947541

Deconstructing the Alcohol Harm Paradox: A Population Based Survey of Adults in England

PubMed Central

Beard, Emma; Brown, Jamie; West, Robert; Angus, Colin; Brennan, Alan; Holmes, John; Kaner, Eileen; Meier, Petra; Michie, Susan

2016-01-01

Background The Alcohol Harm Paradox refers to observations that lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups consume less alcohol but experience more alcohol-related problems. However, SES is a complex concept and its observed relationship to social problems often depends on how it is measured and the demographic groups studied. Thus this study assessed socioeconomic patterning of alcohol consumption and related harm using multiple measures of SES and examined moderation of this patterning by gender and age. Method Data were used from the Alcohol Toolkit Study between March and September 2015 on 31,878 adults (16+) living in England. Participants completed the AUDIT which includes alcohol consumption, harm and dependence modules. SES was measured via qualifications, employment, home and car ownership, income and social-grade, plus a composite of these measures. The composite score was coded such that higher scores reflected greater social-disadvantage. Results We observed the Alcohol Harm Paradox for the composite SES measure, with a linear negative relationship between SES and AUDIT-Consumption scores (β = -0.036, p<0.001) and a positive relationship between lower SES and AUDIT-Harm (β = 0.022, p<0.001) and AUDIT-Dependence (β = 0.024, p<0.001) scores. Individual measures of SES displayed different, and non-linear, relationships with AUDIT modules. For example, social-grade and income had a u-shaped relationship with AUDIT-Consumption scores while education had an inverse u-shaped relationship. Almost all measures displayed an exponential relationship with AUDIT-Dependence and AUDIT-Harm scores. We identified moderating effects from age and gender, with AUDIT-Dependence scores increasing more steeply with lower SES in men and both AUDIT-Harm and AUDIT-Dependence scores increasing more steeply with lower SES in younger age groups. Conclusion Different SES measures appear to influence whether the Alcohol Harm Paradox is observed as a linear trend across SES groups or a phenomenon associated particularly with the most disadvantaged. The paradox also appears more concentrated in men and younger age groups. PMID:27682619

Blood lead levels in pregnant women of high and low socioeconomic status in Mexico City.

PubMed Central

Farias, P; Borja-Aburto, V H; Rios, C; Hertz-Picciotto, I; Rojas-Lopez, M; Chavez-Ayala, R

1996-01-01

This study examined the determinants of blood lead (BPb) in 513 pregnant women in Mexico City: 311 from public hospital prenatal clinics, representing primarily women of low socioeconomic status (SES), and 202 from private hospitals, primarily women of high SES. Overall, BPb levels ranged from 1.38 to 29 micrograms/dl, with geometric means of 6.7 and 11.12 micrograms/dl for women from private and public hospitals, respectively. The crude geometric means difference obtained by t-test was 4.42 (p < 0.001). BPb was measured from January 1994 to August 1995 and showed higher levels during fall and winter and lower levels during spring and summer. The main BPb determinants were the use of lead-glazed ceramics in women from public hospitals and season of the year in women from private hospitals. Consumption of tortillas (corn bread rich in calcium) decreased BPb levels in the lower SES group, but the relationship was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Consumption of milk products significantly (p < 0.05) reduced BPb levels in the higher SES group. In 112 women whose diets were deficient in calcium, taking calcium supplements lowered their blood lead levels about 7 micrograms/dl. A predictive model fitted to these data, using the strongest predictors plus gestational age, showed a difference of 14 micrograms/dl between the best and worst scenarios in women from public hospitals. Avoiding use of lead-glazed ceramics, consuming diets rich in calcium, and, if needed, taking calcium supplements, would be expected to result in substantial lowering of BPb, especially in pregnant women of low socioeconomic status. Images Figure 1. Figure 2. PMID:8930548

Development & standardization of a scale to measure socio-economic status in urban & rural communities in India.

PubMed

Tiwari, S C; Kumar, Aditya; Kumar, Ambrish

2005-10-01

The commonly used available scales for measurement of socio-economic status (SES) with some cross regional applicability are old and have lost their relevance. There is a need for the development of a valid and reliable instrument for measurement of SES in rural and urban communities in India. The present study was undertaken to develop a cross regionally applicable scale for the purpose of enlisting true measures of socio-economic items applicable in multilingual, multicultural, multireligious, setting of the country. For developing the scale, seven indicators (house, materials possession, education, occupation, monthly income, land, social participation and understanding), presumably determining the socioeconomic status were selected. These indicators were named as profiles. Thus, initially the scale had seven profiles and every profile contained five alternatives. This instrument was prepared on a 10-point scale. Weightage system of scoring (varying from 2 to 10) was followed from first to sixth profile while the additive pattern of scoring was followed in seventh profile. The final version of the scale was arrived at through three trial administrations on rural and urban families. The basis of selection of the families for the first two trials was stratified random. The validity and reliability of the scale was established through a defined visual analogue scale (VAS) and test-retest methods. Both the initial version as well as the final version of the scale for the measurement of SES of incumbents had seven profiles. The difference between the two versions was in terms of contents and range of items in different categories of SES. The final version was arrived at through field trials and suggestions of the experts. The reliability of the scale was high with a correlation coefficient of 0.998. The new scale appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of socio-economic status of the families/individuals from urban as well as rural areas in India.

A systematic review of socio-economic differences in food habits in Europe: consumption of fruit and vegetables.

PubMed

Irala-Estévez, J D; Groth, M; Johansson, L; Oltersdorf, U; Prättälä, R; Martínez-González, M A

2000-09-01

To evaluate the differences in the consumption of fruit and vegetables between groups with different socio-economic status (SES) in the adult population of European countries. A systematic review of published and unpublished surveys of food habits conducted between 1985 and 1999 in 15 European countries. Educational level and occupational status were used as indicators of SES. A pooled estimate of the mean difference between the highest and the lowest level of education and occupation was calculated separately for men and women, using DerSimonian and Laird's random effects model. The inclusion criteria of studies were: use of a validated method for assessing intake at the individual level; selection of a nationwide sample or a representative sample of a region; and providing the mean and standard deviation of overall fruit and vegetable consumption for each level of education or occupation, and separately for men and women. Participants in the individual surveys had to be adults (18-85 y). Eleven studies from seven countries met the criteria for being included in the meta-analysis. A higher SES was associated with a greater consumption of both fruit and vegetables. The pooled estimate of the difference in the intake of fruit was 24.3 g/person/day (95% confidence interval (CI) 14.0-34.7) between men in the highest level of education and those in the lowest level of education. Similarly, this difference was 33.6 g/person/day for women (95% CI 22.5-44.8). The differences regarding vegetables were 17.0 g/person/day (95% CI 8.6-25.5) for men and 13.4 g/person/day (95% CI 7.1-19.7) for women. The results were in the same direction when occupation instead of education was used as an indicator of SES. Although we cannot exclude over-reporting of intake by those with highest SES, it is unlikely that this potential bias could fully explain the differences we have found. Our results suggest that an unhealthier nutrition pattern may exist among adults belonging to lower socio-economic levels in Europe. The present study was supported by the European Union's FAIR programme (FAIR-97-3096).

Social capital, social class and tobacco smoking.

PubMed

Lindström, Martin

2008-02-01

In all developed and some developing countries there are socioeconomic status (SES) differences in tobacco smoking. People with a low of education, manual occupation, low income as well as the unemployed are daily smokers to a higher extent than those with high SES. People with low SES also stop smoking to a lesser extent in many developed countries. Several theories have been proposed to account for SES differences in health. Social capital concerns the relationships of trust, participation and reciprocity among individuals, groups and institutions in a society that may enhance health and health-related behaviors. The materialist standpoint concerns material conditions. Studies with ecological, individual and multilevel study design, mostly cross-sectional studies, suggest that both (individual level) social capital and material factors are related to tobacco smoking, although multilevel studies concerning contextual level social capital are few and mostly, at least in adult populations, fail to demonstrate associations. There is also a want of longitudinal studies to investigate the associations between social capital and material conditions, smoking initiation, smoking continuation as well as smoking cessation, since cross-sectional studies analyze only prevalence data. More sophisticated multilevel studies are needed to investigate the association between social capital and material conditions, and tobacco smoking in SES groups in different social contexts.

Subjective Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Health: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Quon, Elizabeth C.; McGrath, Jennifer J.

2017-01-01

Objective To comprehensively and quantitatively examine the association between subjective socioeconomic status (SES) and health outcomes during adolescence. Methods Forty-four studies met criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Information on study quality, demographics, subjective SES, health outcomes, and covariates were extracted from each study. Fisher’s Z was selected as the common effect size metric across studies. Random-effect meta-analytic models were employed and fail-safe numbers were generated to address publication bias. Results Overall, subjective SES was associated with health during adolescence (Fisher’s Z = .10). The magnitude of the effect varied by type of health outcome, with larger effects observed for mental health outcomes, self-rated health, and general health symptoms; and nonsignificant effects observed for biomarkers of health and substance-use-related health behaviors. Of the measures of subjective SES employed in the reviewed studies, perception of financial constraints, was most strongly associated with adolescent health outcomes. Analysis of covariates indicated that inclusion of objective SES covariates did not affect the association between subjective SES and health. Conclusions This meta-analysis has implications for the measurement of subjective SES in adolescents, for the conceptualization of subjective and objective SES, and for the pathways between SES and health in adolescents. PMID:24245837

Neighborhood deprivation and warfarin, aspirin and statin prescription – a cohort study of men and women treated for atrial fibrillation in Swedish primary care

PubMed Central

Carlsson, Axel C; Wändell, Per; Gasevic, Danijela; Sundquist, Jan; Sundquist, Kristina

2015-01-01

Background We aimed to study differences in the prescribing of warfarin, aspirin and statins to patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in socio-economically diverse neighborhoods. We also aimed to explore the effects of neighborhood deprivation on the relationship between CHADS2 risk score and warfarin prescription. Methods Data were obtained from primary health care records that contained individual clinical data that were linked to national data on neighborhood of residence and a deprivation index for different neighborhoods. Logistic regression was used to estimate the potential neighborhood differences in prescribed warfarin, aspirin and statins, and the association between the CHADS2 score and prescribed warfarin treatment, in neighborhoods with high, middle (referent) and low socio-economic (SES). Results After adjustment for age, socio-economic factors, co-morbidities and moves to neighborhoods with different SES during follow-up, adults with AF living in high SES neighborhoods were more often prescribed warfarin (men Odds ratio (OR) (95%confidence interval (CI): 1.44 (1.27–1.62); and women OR (95%CI): 1.19 (1.05–1.36)) and statins (men OR (95%CI): 1.23 (1.07–1.41); women OR (95%CI): 1.23 (1.05–1.44)) compared to their counterparts residing in middle SES. Prescription of aspirin was lower men from high SES neighborhoods (OR (95%CI): 0.75 (0.65–0.86) than in those from middle SES neighborhoods. Higher CHADS2 risk scores were associated with higher warfarin prescription which remained after adjustment for neighborhood SES. Conclusions The apparent inequalities in pharmacotherapy seen in the present study calls for resource allocation to primary care in neighborhoods with low and middle socio-economic status. PMID:25863300

Individual and Area Level Socioeconomic Status and Its Association with Cognitive Function and Cognitive Impairment (Low MMSE) among Community-Dwelling Elderly in Singapore.

PubMed

Wee, Liang En; Yeo, Wei Xin; Yang, Gui Rong; Hannan, Nazirul; Lim, Kenny; Chua, Christopher; Tan, Mae Yue; Fong, Nikki; Yeap, Amelia; Chen, Lionel; Koh, Gerald Choon-Huat; Shen, Han Ming

2012-01-01

Neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) can affect cognitive function. We assessed cognitive function and cognitive impairment among community-dwelling elderly in a multi-ethnic urban low-SES Asian neighborhood and compared them with a higher-SES neighborhood. The study population involved all residents aged ≥60 years in two housing estates comprising owner-occupied housing (higher SES) and rental flats (low SES) in Singapore in 2012. Cognitive impairment was defined as <24 on the Mini Mental State Examination. Demographic/clinical details were collected via questionnaire. Multilevel linear regression was used to evaluate factors associated with cognitive function, while multilevel logistic regression determined predictors of cognitive impairment. Participation was 61.4% (558/909). Cognitive impairment was found in 26.2% (104/397) of residents in the low-SES community and in 16.1% (26/161) of residents in the higher-SES community. After adjusting for other sociodemographic variables, living in a low-SES community was independently associated with poorer cognitive function (β = -1.41, SD = 0.58, p < 0.01) and cognitive impairment (adjusted odds ratio 5.13, 95% CI 1.98-13.34). Among cognitively impaired elderly in the low-SES community, 96.2% (100/104) were newly detected. Living in a low-SES community is independently associated with cognitive impairment in an urban Asian society.

Physical Activity in Public Parks of High and Low Socioeconomic Status in Colombia Using Observational Methods.

PubMed

Camargo, Diana Marina; Ramírez, Paula Camila; Quiroga, Vanesa; Ríos, Paola; Férmino, Rogério César; Sarmiento, Olga L

2018-03-28

Public parks are an important resource for the promotion of physical activity (PA). This is the first study in Colombia and the fourth in Latin America to describe the characteristics of park users and their levels of PA using objective measures. A systematic observation assessed sex, age, and the level of PA of users of 10 parks in an intermediate-size city in Colombia, classified in low (5 parks) and high (5 parks) socioeconomic status (SES). A total of 10 daily observations were conducted, in 5 days of the week during 3 periods: morning, afternoon, and evening. In total, 16,671 observations were completed, recording 46,047 users. A higher number of users per park, per day, were recorded in high SES (1195) versus low SES (647). More men were observed in low-SES than high-SES parks (70.1% vs 54.2%), as well as more children were observed in low-SES than high-SES parks (30.1% vs 15.9%). Older adults in high-SES parks were more frequent (9.5% vs 5.2%). Moderate to vigorous PA was higher in low-SES parks (71.7% vs 63.2%). Low-SES parks need more green spaces, walk/bike trails, and areas for PA. All parks need new programs to increase the number of users and their PA level, considering sex, age group, and period of the week.

Selective attention neutralizes the adverse effects of low socioeconomic status on memory in 9-month-old infants.

PubMed

Markant, Julie; Ackerman, Laura K; Nussenbaum, Kate; Amso, Dima

2016-04-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) has a documented impact on brain and cognitive development. We demonstrate that engaging spatial selective attention mechanisms may counteract this negative influence of impoverished environments on early learning. We previously used a spatial cueing task to compare target object encoding in the context of basic orienting ("facilitation") versus a spatial selective attention orienting mechanism that engages distractor suppression ("IOR"). This work showed that object encoding in the context of IOR boosted 9-month-old infants' recognition memory relative to facilitation (Markant and Amso, 2013). Here we asked whether this attention-memory link further interacted with SES in infancy. Results indicated that SES was related to memory but not attention orienting efficacy. However, the correlation between SES and memory performance was moderated by the attention mechanism engaged during encoding. SES predicted memory performance when objects were encoded with basic orienting processes, with infants from low-SES environments showing poorer memory than those from high-SES environments. However, SES did not predict memory performance among infants who engaged selective attention during encoding. Spatial selective attention engagement mitigated the effects of SES on memory and may offer an effective mechanism for promoting learning among infants at risk for poor cognitive outcomes related to SES. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A matter of perception: Perceived socio-economic status and cortisol on the island of Utila, Honduras.

PubMed

García, Angela R; Gurven, Michael; Blackwell, Aaron D

2017-09-10

Numerous studies link low objective and subjective socioeconomic status (SES) to chronic activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Here, we examine associations between objective and subjective SES and diurnal salivary cortisol, a primary HPA component, as well as demographic and ecological predictors associated with SES perceptions and changes in diurnal cortisol. Participants were residents (age 18-79, n = 61) of Utila, a Honduran island where economic disparities are overt and geographically contained. Objective SES was measured as a composite of income, education, and occupation. Subjective SES was measured with a MacArthur ladder and a perceived lifestyle discrepancy (PLD) scale. Salivary cortisol was collected three times per day for two days. Questions addressing demographic, social, and household characteristics were assessed as predictors of PLD. Assessed independently, objective SES (P = .06) and PLD (P = .003) were associated with the steepness of diurnal cortisol changes, while PLD was also associated with higher cortisol area under the curve (AUC) (P = .036). Modeled together, only PLD predicted diurnal slope and AUC. PLD was associated with household sanitation, immigration status, food scarcity, objective SES, and owing money. Only access to sanitation and owing money had direct associations with cortisol that were not mediated by PLD. For adults on Utila, perceptions of unmet need outweigh other social and economic status factors in predicting cortisol AUC and slope. In addition, the unmediated effects of access to sanitation and owing money on cortisol suggest that these distinct aspects of inequality are important to consider when seeking to understand how inequality can impact HPA function. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The effectiveness of school-based smoking prevention interventions among low- and high-SES European teenagers.

PubMed

Mercken, L; Moore, L; Crone, M R; De Vries, H; De Bourdeaudhuij, I; Lien, N; Fagiano, F; Vitória, P D; Van Lenthe, F J

2012-06-01

Preventing smoking initiation among adolescents of lower socio-economic groups is crucial for the reduction of socio-economic inequalities in health. The aim of the present study was to examine whether effective smoking prevention interventions in Europe are equally effective among adolescents of low- and high-socio-economic status (SES). As part of the European Union-funded TEENAGE project, three school-based smoking prevention intervention studies in Europe were selected for secondary analyses: (i) a Dutch class competition intervention, (ii) the European Smoking Prevention Framework (ESFA) study and (iii) the A Stop Smoking in Schools Trial (ASSIST) intervention. All three studies differed in effectiveness by SES. The Dutch class competition study only had a significant effect among higher SES adolescents. The results for the ESFA study and ASSIST study were mixed and depended on which SES indicator was used. The conclusion of the study is that stratified analyses provide important insights in differential intervention effects for higher and lower socio-economic groups. Although findings from the different studies were mixed, interventions that use a social network approach in which youngsters are allowed to deliver the intervention themselves may be a successful strategy in targeting adolescents from lower socio-economic groups.

Associations of family and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics with longitudinal adiposity patterns in a biracial cohort of adolescent girls.

PubMed

Crespi, Catherine M; Wang, May C; Seto, Edmund; Mare, Robert; Gee, Gilbert

2015-01-01

Although many studies have examined the relationship of adiposity with neighborhood socioeconomic context in adults, few studies have investigated this relationship during adolescence. Using 10-year annual measurements of body mass index, expressed as z-scores (BMIz), obtained from 775 black and white participants of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study, a prospective cohort study of girls from pre- to postadolescence, we used multilevel modeling to investigate whether family socioeconomic status (SES) and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics (measured by census-tract median family income) explain variation in BMIz trajectory parameters. Analyses controlled for pubertal maturation. We found that lower SES was associated with higher overall levels of BMIz for both white and black girls. Additionally, lower-SES black girls had a more sustained increase in BMIz during early adolescence and reached a higher peak compared to higher-SES black girls and to white girls. Neighborhood income was associated with BMIz trajectory for black girls only. Unexpectedly, among black girls, living in higher-income neighborhoods was associated with higher overall levels of BMIz, controlling for SES. Our findings suggest that neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics may affect adolescent BMIz trajectories differently in different racial/ethnic groups.

Associations of family and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics with longitudinal adiposity patterns in a biracial cohort of adolescent girls

PubMed Central

Crespi, Catherine M.; Wang, May C.; Seto, Edmund; Mare, Robert; Gee, Gilbert

2014-01-01

Although many studies have examined the relationship of adiposity with neighborhood socioeconomic context in adults, few studies have investigated this relationship during adolescence. Using 10-year annual measurements of body mass index, expressed as z-scores (BMIz), obtained from 775 Black and White participants of the NHLBI Growth and Health Study, a prospective cohort study of girls from pre- to post-adolescence, we used multilevel modeling to investigate whether family socioeconomic status (SES) and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics (measured by census tract median family income) explain variation in BMIz trajectory parameters. Analyses controlled for pubertal maturation. We found that lower SES was associated with higher overall levels of BMIz for both White and Black girls. Additionally, lower SES Black girls had a more sustained increase in BMIz during early adolescence and reached a higher peak compared to higher SES Black girls and to White girls. Neighborhood income was associated with BMIz trajectory for Black girls only. Unexpectedly, among Black girls, living in higher income neighborhoods was associated with higher overall levels of BMIz, controlling for SES. Our findings suggest that neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics may affect adolescent BMIz trajectory differently in different racial/ethnic groups. PMID:25879263

Health-Related Quality of Life of Low-Socioeconomic-Status Populations in Urban China.

PubMed

Wu, Lei; Zhang, Huiping

2016-11-20

Previous researchers had not yet examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in urban China. The present study attempts to assess HRQOL of lower-SES populations in urban China in comparison with middle- and high-SES populations, and then to examine the mediating role of sense of control between SES and HRQOL. A national representative sample of 1,856 participants responded to the HRQOL survey using the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), conducted by the Chinese General Social Survey research team in 2010. The results showed that lower-SES populations reported lower HRQOL than middle- and high-SES populations. Sense of control could partially mediate the association between social class and HRQOL. These findings will generate significant policy and practice implications for identifying those at particular risk for lower HRQOL and, accordingly, suggesting ways to improve their HRQOL through specific social work interventions in urban China's context. © 2016 National Association of Social Workers.

The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Patients Supported with a Left Ventricular Assist Device: An Analysis of the UNOS Database

PubMed Central

Clerkin, Kevin J.; Garan, A. Reshad; Wayda, Brian; Givens, Raymond C.; Yuzefpolskaya, Melana; Nakagawa, Shunichi; Takeda, Koji; Takayama, Hiroo; Naka, Yoshifumi; Mancini, Donna M.; Colombo, Paolo C.; Topkara, Veli K.

2016-01-01

Background Low socioeconomic status (SES) is a known risk factor for heart failure, mortality among those with heart failure, and poor post heart transplant (HT) outcomes. This study sought to determine if SES is associated with decreased waitlist survival while on LVAD support and after HT. Methods and Results 3,361 adult patients bridged to primary HT with an LVAD between May 2004 and April 2014 were identified in the UNOS database. SES was measured using the AHRQ SES index using data from the 2014 American Community Survey. In the study cohort, SES did not have an association with the combined endpoint of death or delisting on LVAD support (p=0.30). In a cause-specific unadjusted model, those in the top (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.14–2.11, p=0.005) and second greatest SES quartile (HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.10–2.04, p=0.01) had an increased risk of death on device support compared to the lowest SES quartile. Adjusting for clinical risk factors mitigated the increased risk. There was no association between SES and complications. Post-HT survival, both crude and adjusted, was decreased for patients in the lowest quartile of SES index compared to all other SES quartiles. Conclusions Freedom from waitlist death or delisting was not impacted by SES. Patients with a higher SES had an increased unadjusted risk of waitlist mortality during LVAD support, which was mitigated by adjusting for increased comorbid conditions. Low SES was associated with worse post-HT outcomes. Further study is needed to confirm and understand a differential effect of SES on post-transplant outcomes that was not seen during LVAD support prior to HT. PMID:27758810

Independent associations of childhood and current socioeconomic status with risk of self-reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis in a family-medicine cohort of North-Carolinians.

PubMed

Baldassari, Antoine R; Cleveland, Rebecca J; Callahan, Leigh F

2013-11-20

Associations of socioeconomic status (SES) with the prevalence of various forms of arthritis are well documented. Increasing evidence suggests that SES during childhood is a lasting determinant of health, but its association with the onset of arthritis remains unclear. Cross-sectional data on 1276 participants originated from 22 family practices in North-Carolina, USA. We created 4-level (high, medium, low, lowest) current SES and childhood SES summary scores based on parental and participant education, occupation and homeownership. We investigated associations of individual SES characteristics, summary scores and SES trajectories (e.g. high/low) with self-reported arthritis in logistic regression models progressively adjusted for race and gender, age, then BMI, and clustered by family practice. We found evidence for independent associations of both childhood and current SES with the reporting of arthritis across our models. In covariate-adjusted models simultaneously including current and childhood SES, compared with high SES participants in the lowest childhood SES category (OR = 1.39 [95% CI = 1.04, 1.85]) and those in the low (OR = 1.66 [95% CI = 1.14, 2.42]) and lowest (OR = 2.08 [95% CI = 1.16, 3.74]) categories of current SES had significantly greater odds of having self-reported arthritis. Current SES and childhood SES are both associated with the odds of reporting arthritis within this primary-care population, although the possibly superseding influence of existing circumstances must be noted. BMI was a likely mechanism in the association of childhood SES with arthritis onset, and research is needed to elucidate further pathways linking the socioeconomic environment across life-stages and the development of rheumatic diseases.

Factor Structure of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire in Turkish Children and Gender, Grade-Level, and Socioeconomic Status Differences in Reactive and Proactive Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uz Bas, Asli; Yurdabakan, Irfan

2012-01-01

The present study aimed to evaluate the factor structure of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) with Turkish children, and to investigate gender, grade-level, and socioeconomic status (SES) differences in reactive and proactive aggression. Participants consisted of 1,081 Turkish children (544 boys and 537 girls) aged 9 to 14…

Development of two socioeconomic indices for Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

AlOmar, Reem S; Parslow, Roger C; Law, Graham R

2018-06-26

Health and socioeconomic status (SES) are linked in studies worldwide. Measures of SES exist for many countries, however not for Saudi Arabia (SA). We describe two indices of area-based SES for SA. Routine census data has been used to construct two indices of SES at the geographically-delimited administrative region of Governorates in SA (n = 118). The data used included indicators of educational status, employment status, car and material ownership. A continuous measure of SES was constructed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a categorical measure of SES using latent class analysis (LCA). Both indices were mapped by Governorates. The EFA identified three factors: The first explained 51.58% of the common variance within the interrelated factors, the second 15.14%, and the third 14.26%. These proportions were used in the formulation of the standard index. The scores were fixed to range from 100 for the affluent Governorate and 0 for the deprived. The LCA found a 4 class model as the best model fit. Class 1 was termed "affluent" and included 11.01% of Governorates, class 2 "upper middle class" (44.91%), class 3 "lower middle class" (33.05%) and class 4 "deprived" (11.01%). The populated urbanised Governorates were found to be the most affluent whereas the smaller rural Governorates were the most deprived. This is the first description of measures of SES in SA at a geographical level. Two measures have been successfully constructed and mapped. The maps show similar patterns suggesting validity. Both indices support the common perception of SES in SA.

Fitness differentials amongst schools: how are they related to school sector?

PubMed

Olds, T; Tomkinson, G; Baker, S

2003-09-01

Data on the performance fitness of 50,385 Australian students aged between 12 and 15 years were used to determine whether students differed in physical fitness according to school sector (independent vs government vs Catholic). Students were tested between 1995 and 2001 as part of the Australian Sports Commission's Talent Search program. The results of the 20 m shuttle run (20mSRT), vertical jump and 40 m sprint tests were selected as being representative of aerobic, explosive and anaerobic performance. All results were expressed as age- and gender-specific z-scores. MANOVA showed that independent school students outperformed students from the Catholic and government sectors on the selected tests for both boys and girls (p < 0.0001). In the 20mSRT, the difference amounted to 0.28-0.43 SDs. In the sprint and jump tests, independent school students were superior by 0.05-0.17 SDs. A proxy for socio-economic status (SES) explained about 90% of the differences between sectors, with high SES schools consistently outperforming low SES schools. Nonetheless, even when SES was factored in, sectoral differences remained significant. Insofar as fitness is related to school activities, these findings raise equity concerns in Australian school physical education.

Socioeconomic factors and childhood overweight in Europe: results from the multi-centre IDEFICS study.

PubMed

Bammann, K; Gwozdz, W; Lanfer, A; Barba, G; De Henauw, S; Eiben, G; Fernandez-Alvira, J M; Kovács, E; Lissner, L; Moreno, L A; Tornaritis, M; Veidebaum, T; Pigeot, I

2013-02-01

What is already known about this subject Overweight and obesity can be linked to different parental socioeconomic factors already in very young children. In Western developed countries, the association of childhood overweight and obesity and parental socioeconomic status shows a negative gradient. Ambiguous results have been obtained regarding the association between socioeconomic factors and childhood overweight and obesity in different countries and over time. What this study adds European regions show heterogeneous associations between socioeconomic factors and overweight and obesity in a multi-centre study with highly standardized study protocol. The strength of association between SES and overweight and obesity varies across European regions. In our study, the SES gradient is correlated with the regional mean income and the country-specific Human development index indicating a strong influence not only of the family but also of region and country on the overweight and obesity prevalence. To assess the association between different macro- and micro-level socioeconomic factors and childhood overweight. Data from the IDEFICS baseline survey is used to investigate the cross-sectional association between socioeconomic factors, like socioeconomic status (SES), and the prevalence of childhood overweight. Differences and similarities regarding this relationship in eight European regions (located in Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Sweden) are explored. 11 994 children (50.9% boys, 49.1% girls) and their parents were included in the analyses. In five of the eight investigated regions (in Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Spain and Sweden), the prevalence of childhood overweight followed an inverse SES gradient. In the other three regions (in Cyprus, Hungary and Italy), no association between SES and childhood overweight was found. The SES-overweight association in a region was best explained by the country-specific human development index and the centre-specific mean income. For the investigated association between other socioeconomic factors and overweight, no clear pattern could be found in the different regions. The association between socioeconomic factors and childhood overweight was shown to be heterogeneous across different European regions. Further research on nationwide European data is needed to confirm the results and to identify target groups for prevention. © 2012 The Authors. Pediatric Obesity © 2012 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

School-Based Health Centers and Adolescent Substance Use: Moderating Effects of Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bersamin, Melina; Paschall, Mallie J.; Fisher, Deborah A.

2017-01-01

Background: School-based health centers (SBHCs) have been associated with many positive health and academic outcomes. The current study extends previous research and examines possible differences in the association between SBHC exposure and adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use by race/ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES).…

Elementary Students' Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Science: Role of Grade Level, Gender, and Socio-Economic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karaarslan, Guliz; Sungur, Semra

2011-01-01

This study examined grade level and gender difference with respect to elementary students' science and technology self-efficacy. Additionally, relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and self-efficacy was examined. A total of 145 elementary students participated in the study. Self efficacy towards Science and Technology Scale was used to…

Preschoolers' Vocabulary Acquisition in Chile: The Roles of Socioeconomic Status and Quality of Home Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lohndorf, Regina T.; Vermeer, Harriet J.; Cárcamo, Rodrigo A.; Mesman, Judi

2018-01-01

Preschoolers' vocabulary acquisition sets the stage for later reading ability and school achievement. This study examined the role of socioeconomic status (SES) and the quality of the home environment of seventy-seven Chilean majority and Mapuche minority families from low and lower-middle-class backgrounds in explaining individual differences in…

Social disparities in body mass index (BMI) trajectories among Chinese adults in 1991-2011.

PubMed

Fang, Changchun; Liang, Ying

2017-08-16

Obesity is a serious public health problem in China. The relationship between obesity and socio-economic status (SES) is changing and affected by uncertainty, particularly, in developing countries. The sex-related differences in body mass index (BMI) trajectories are controversial and require substantial empirical data for updating and enriching. This study examined the relationship between SES and BMI in Chinese adults from a dynamic perspective using longitudinal data (1991-2011) from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). Then, sex-related differences were determined. A hierarchical linear model was used. SES positively affected the male BMI changes, with faster BMI growth rates in the high-SES males over the past 20 years. By contrast, female BMI was only affected by BMI baseline and residential area. Specifically, greater BMI baseline led to greater BMI growth rate and earlier BMI decline. In the past 20 years, the BMI growth rate has been greater in the urban females than in the rural females. The relationship between SES and obesity is complex in China, and a substantial sex-related difference exists. We argue that this large sex-related difference is due to the rapid economic and social changes that have affected national health and increased the gender inequality and social role restrictions in females. We provide insights for further research and policy recommendations.

Socioeconomic differences in overweight and weight-related behaviors across adolescence and young adulthood: 10-year longitudinal findings from Project EAT

PubMed Central

Watts, Allison W.; Mason, Susan M.; Loth, Katie; Larson, Nicole; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne

2016-01-01

Reducing socioeconomic disparities in weight-related health is a public health priority. The purpose of this paper was to examine 10-year longitudinal patterns in overweight and weight-related behaviors from adolescence to young adulthood as a function of family-level socioeconomic status (SES) and educational attainment. Project EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults) followed a diverse sample of 2,287 adolescents from 1999 to 2009. Mixed-effects regression tested longitudinal trends in overweight, fast food, breakfast skipping, physical inactivity, and screen use by family-level SES. The influence of subsequent educational attainment in young adulthood was examined. Results revealed that the prevalence of overweight increased significantly from adolescence to young adulthood with the greatest change seen in those from low SES (mean change = 30.7%, 95% CI = 25.6%-35.9%) as compared to high SES families (mean change = 21.7%, 95% CI = 18.2% to 25.1%). Behavioral changes from adolescence to young adulthood also differed by SES background; the prevalence of frequent fast food intake (≥ 3 times/wk) increased most dramatically in those from low SES (mean change = 6%, 95% CI = 0.5%-11%) as compared to high SES families (mean change = -1.2%, 95% CI = -5.2%-2.9%). Overall trends suggest that a higher educational attainment mitigates the negative impacts of a low SES background. These findings suggest that continued effort is needed to ensure that public health strategies addressing obesity and related behaviors reach adolescents and young adults from low SES backgrounds and do not contribute to widening socioeconomic gaps in weight-related health. PMID:26970036

Disparities in children's vocabulary and height in relation to household wealth and parental schooling: A longitudinal study in four low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Reynolds, Sarah A; Andersen, Chris; Behrman, Jere; Singh, Abhijeet; Stein, Aryeh D; Benny, Liza; Crookston, Benjamin T; Cueto, Santiago; Dearden, Kirk; Georgiadis, Andreas; Krutikova, Sonya; Fernald, Lia C H

2017-12-01

Children from low socio-economic status (SES) households often demonstrate worse growth and developmental outcomes than wealthier children, in part because poor children face a broader range of risk factors. It is difficult to characterize the trajectories of SES disparities in low- and middle-income countries because longitudinal data are infrequently available. We analyze measures of children's linear growth (height) at ages 1, 5, 8 and 12y and receptive language (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) at ages 5, 8 and 12y in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam in relation to household SES, measured by parental schooling or household assets. We calculate children's percentile ranks within the distributions of height-for-age z-scores and of age- and language-standardized receptive vocabulary scores. We find that children in the top quartile of household SES are taller and have better language performance than children in the bottom quartile; differences in vocabulary scores between children with high and low SES are larger than differences in the height measure. For height, disparities in SES are present by age 1y and persist as children age. For vocabulary, SES disparities also emerge early in life, but patterns are not consistent across age; for example, SES disparities are constant over time in India, widen between 5 and 12y in Ethiopia, and narrow in this age range in Vietnam and Peru. Household characteristics (such as mother's height, age, and ethnicity), and community fixed effects explain most of the disparities in height and around half of the disparities in vocabulary. We also find evidence that SES disparities in height and language development may not be fixed over time, suggesting opportunities for policy and programs to address these gaps early in life.

A Comparative Study of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged and Non-Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Fourth-Grade Students in Reading and Math in an Online Charter School and a Traditional School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansheim, Richard Lynn

2017-01-01

Few empirical studies explore how socioeconomic status (SES) disadvantaged students perform academically in a 100% online school. This causal-comparative ex post facto quantitative study examined how SES-disadvantaged students at an online charter school performed academically when compared with both SES-disadvantaged and non-SES-disadvantaged…

Association of African genetic ancestry with fasting glucose and HbA1c levels in non-diabetic individuals: the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Prediabetes Study.

PubMed

Meigs, James B; Grant, Richard W; Piccolo, Rebecca; López, Lenny; Florez, Jose C; Porneala, Bianca; Marceau, Lisa; McKinlay, John B

2014-09-01

To test among diabetes-free urban community-dwelling adults the hypothesis that the proportion of African genetic ancestry is positively associated with glycaemia, after accounting for other continental ancestry proportions, BMI and socioeconomic status (SES). The Boston Area Community Health cohort is a multi-stage 1:1:1 stratified random sample of self-identified African-American, Hispanic and white adults from three Boston inner city areas. We measured 62 ancestry informative markers, fasting glucose (FG), HbA1c, BMI and SES (income, education, occupation and insurance status) and analysed 1,387 eligible individuals (379 African-American, 411 Hispanic, 597 white) without clinical or biochemical evidence of diabetes. We used three-heritage multinomial linear regression models to test the association of FG or HbA1c with genetic ancestry proportion adjusted for: (1) age and sex; (2) age, sex and BMI; and (3) age, sex, BMI and SES. Mean age- and sex-adjusted FG levels were 5.73 and 5.54 mmol/l among those with 100% African or European ancestry, respectively. Using per cent European ancestry as the referent, each 1% increase in African ancestry proportion was associated with an age- and sex-adjusted FG increase of 0.0019 mmol/l (p = 0.01). In the BMI- and SES-adjusted model the slope was 0.0019 (p = 0.02). Analysis of HbA1c gave similar results. A greater proportion of African genetic ancestry is independently associated with higher FG levels in a non-diabetic community-based cohort, even accounting for other ancestry proportions, obesity and SES. The results suggest that differences between African-Americans and whites in type 2 diabetes risk may include genetically mediated differences in glucose homeostasis.

The role of perceived barriers in explaining socio-economic status differences in adherence to the fruit, vegetable and fish guidelines in older adults: a mediation study.

PubMed

Dijkstra, S Coosje; Neter, Judith E; van Stralen, Maartje M; Knol, Dirk L; Brouwer, Ingeborg A; Huisman, Martijn; Visser, Marjolein

2015-04-01

We aimed to identify barriers for meeting the fruit, vegetable and fish guidelines in older Dutch adults and to investigate socio-economic status (SES) differences in these barriers. Furthermore, we examined the mediating role of these barriers in the association between SES and adherence to these guidelines. Cross-sectional. Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), the Netherlands. We used data from 1057 community-dwelling adults, aged 55-85 years. SES was measured by level of education and household income. An FFQ was used to assess dietary intake and barriers were measured with a self-reported lifestyle questionnaire. Overall, 48.9 % of the respondents perceived a barrier to adhere to the fruit guideline, 40.0 % for the vegetable and 51.1 % for the fish guideline. The most frequently perceived barriers to meet the guidelines were the high price of fruit and fish and a poor appetite for vegetables. Lower-SES groups met the guidelines less often and perceived more barriers. The association between income and adherence to the fruit guideline was mediated by 'perceiving any barrier to meet the fruit guideline' and the barrier 'dislike fruit'. The association between income and adherence to the fish guideline was mediated by 'perceiving any barrier to meet the fish guideline' and the barrier 'fish is expensive'. Perceived barriers for meeting the dietary guidelines are common in older adults, especially in lower-SES groups. These barriers and in particular disliking and cost concerns explained the lower adherence to the guidelines for fruit and fish in lower-income groups in older adults.

Socioeconomic Status and the Career Aspirations of Australian School Students: Testing Enduring Assumptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gore, Jennifer; Holmes, Kathryn; Smith, Max; Southgate, Erica; Albright, Jim

2015-01-01

Recent Australian government targets for higher education participation have produced a flurry of activity focused on raising the aspirations of students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. In this paper we test two key assumptions underpinning much of this activity: that students from low-SES backgrounds hold lower career…

Family Socioeconomic Status, Parental Expectations, and Adolescents' Academic Achievements: A Case of China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Haiying; Pang, Weiguo

2016-01-01

This study examines direct and indirect effects of family socioeconomic status (SES) and parental expectations on adolescents' mathematics and problem-solving achievement in mainland China. SES here is composed of family wealth, home educational resources, and parental education. Over 5,000 ninth-grade students in 5 geographical districts of China…

Socialisation into Organised Sports of Young Adolescents with a Lower Socio-Economic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pot, Niek; Verbeek, Jan; van der Zwan, Joris; van Hilvoorde, Ivo

2016-01-01

Studies investigating sport socialisation often focussed on the barriers for youngsters from lower socio-economic status (SES) families to participate in sport. In the present study, the socialisation into sports of young adolescents from lower SES families that "do" participate in organised sports was investigated. A total of 9 girls…

Contribution of Socioeconomic Status to Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Among Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

PubMed

Kaplowitz, Elianna T; Ferguson, Sancia; Guerra, Marta; Laskin, Carl A; Buyon, Jill P; Petri, Michelle; Lockshin, Michael D; Sammaritano, Lisa R; Branch, D Ware; Merrill, Joan T; Katz, Patricia; Salmon, Jane E

2018-02-01

We examined rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) by race/ethnicity among women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with and without antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), and whether socioeconomic status (SES) accounted for differences. Data were from the PROMISSE (Predictors of Pregnancy Outcome: Biomarkers in Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) study, a multicenter study that enrolled 346 patients with SLE and 62 patients with SLE and aPL (50% white, 20% African American, 17% Hispanic, 12% Asian/Pacific Islander). Measures of SES were educational attainment, median community income, and community education. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine odds of APO for each racial/ethnic group, controlling first for age and clinical variables, and then for SES. The frequency of APO in white women with SLE, with and without aPL, was 29% and 11%, respectively. For African American and Hispanic women it was approximately 2-fold greater. In African American women with SLE alone, adjustment for clinical variables attenuated the odds ratio (OR) from 2.7 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.3-5.5) to 2.3 (95% CI 1.1-5.1), and after additional adjustment for SES, there were no longer significant differences in APO compared to whites. In contrast, in SLE patients with aPL, whites, African Americans, and Hispanics had markedly higher risks of APO compared to white SLE patients without aPL (OR 3.5 [95% CI 1.4-7.7], OR 12.4 [95% CI 1.9-79.8], and OR 10.4 [95% CI 2.5-42.4], respectively), which were not accounted for by clinical or SES covariates. This finding suggests that for African American women with SLE without aPL, SES factors are key contributors to disparities in APO, despite monthly care from experts, whereas other factors contribute to disparities in SLE with aPL. © 2017, American College of Rheumatology.

Does Nutrition Education with Fruit and Vegetable Supplementation Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Improve Anthropometrics of Overweight or Obese People of Varying Socioeconomic Status?

PubMed

Honrath, Kerrie; Wagner, Meredith G; Rhee, Yeong

2018-01-01

Fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake is inadequate and obesity is more prevalent among adults of lower socioeconomic status (SES) in the United States. The effect of nutrition education and F/V supplementation on F/V intake and anthropometrics of overweight or obese adults of varying SES was determined. F/V intake was not different between the nutrition education and F/V supplementation groups. Individuals with a graduate degree had significant improvements in fruit intake. Few of the improvements in anthropometrics seen were significant. Future research should focus on specific barriers to F/V intake and include information on total energy intake and expenditure.

Socioeconomic status, psychosocial factors, race and nocturnal blood pressure dipping in a Hispanic cohort.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Carlos J; Jin, Zhezhen; Schwartz, Joseph E; Turner-Lloveras, Daniel; Sacco, Ralph L; Di Tullio, Marco R; Homma, Shunichi

2013-05-01

Little information is available about the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) to blunted nocturnal ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) dipping among Hispanics and whether this relationship differs by race. We sought to characterize ABP nondipping and its determinants in a sample of Hispanics. We enrolled 180 Hispanic participants not on antihypertensive medications. SES was defined by years of educational attainment. All participants underwent 24-hour ABP monitoring. A decrease of <10% in the ratio between average awake and average asleep systolic BP was considered nondipping. The mean age of the cohort was 67.1 ± 8.7, mean educational level was 9.4 ± 4.4 years, and 58.9% of the cohort was female. The cohort was comprised of 78.3% Caribbean Hispanics with the rest from Mexico and Central/South America; 41.4% self-identified as white Hispanic, 34.4% self-identified as black Hispanic, and 24.4% did not racially self- identify. The percentage of nondippers was 57.8%. Educational attainment (10.5 years vs. 8.6 years; P <0.01) was significantly higher among dippers than nondippers. In multivariable analyses, each 1-year increase in education was associated with a 9% reduction in the likelihood of being a nondipper (odds ratio [OR], 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84-0.98; P = 0.01). There were significantly greater odds of being a nondipper for black Hispanics than for white Hispanics (OR, 2.83, 95% CI, 1.29-6.23; P = 0.005). Higher SES was significantly protective of nondipping in white Hispanics but not black Hispanics. These results document a substantial prevalence of nondipping in a cohort of predominantly normotensive Hispanics. Dipping status varied significantly by race. Lower SES is significantly associated with nondipping status, and race potentially impacts on this relation.

Impact of insurance carrier, prior authorization, and socioeconomic status on appropriate use of SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in private community-based office practice.

PubMed

Doukky, Rami; Hayes, Kathleen; Frogge, Nathan; Nazir, Noreen T; Collado, Fareed M; Williams, Kim A

2015-05-01

The impact of health insurance carrier and socioeconomic status (SES) on the adherence to appropriate use criteria (AUC) for radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is unknown. Health insurance carrier's prior authorization and patient's SES impact adherence to AUC for MPI in a fee-for-service setting. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 1511 consecutive patients who underwent outpatient MPI in a multi-site, office-based, fee-for-service setting. The patients were stratified according to the 2009 AUC into appropriate/uncertain appropriateness and inappropriate use groups. Insurance status was categorized as Medicare (does not require prior authorization) vs commercial (requires prior authorization). Socioeconomic status was determined by the median household income in the ZIP code of residence. The proportion of patients with Medicare was 33% vs 67% with commercial insurance. The rate of inappropriate use was higher among patients with commercial insurance vs Medicare (55% vs 24%; P < 0.001); this difference was not significant after adjusting for confounders known to impact AUC determination (odds ratio: 1.06, 95% confidence interval: 0.62-1.82, P = 0.82). The mean annual household income in the residential areas of patients with inappropriate use as compared to those with appropriate/uncertain use was $72 000 ± 21 000 vs $68 000 ± 20 000, respectively (P < 0.001). After adjusting for covariates known to impact AUC determination, SES (top vs bottom quartile income area) was not independently predictive of inappropriate MPI use (odds ratio: 0.9, 95% confidence interval: 0.53-1.52, P = 0.69). Insurance carriers prior authorization and SES do not seem to play a significant role in determining physicians adherence to AUC for MPI. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Birth order and private voluntary immunization--a study of 110,902 children.

PubMed

Gavrielov-Yusim, Natalie; Battat, Erez; Neumann, Lily; Friger, Michael; Balicer, Ran D

2012-01-05

Introduction of new private, voluntary immunizations often results in low vaccine uptake among certain sub-groups within the population. Revealing factors associated with underimmunization is crucial in vaccine endorsement and distribution. Our goal was to investigate the effect of child's birth order on private voluntary varicella vaccination. A nested case-control study was conducted on a cohort of 110,902 Israeli children under the age of 5 years. We compared social and demographic factors of immunized and unimmunized participants. Logistic regression models were built to examine the association between birth order and vaccination, controlling for child's age, gender, country of birth, ethnicity, parents' country of birth, area of residence, and socioeconomic status (SES). Ethnicity had the highest association with varicella immunization status. The odds of vaccination in the general Jewish and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish populations were 25.55- (95%CI:20.13;32.42) and 15.04- (95%CI:10.18;22.22) times the odds in Arab population, respectively. Child's birth order was inversely related to vaccination status and presented a nonlinear exposure-response relationship. This relationship was maintained in different ethnicity and SES groups. Child's birth order was associated with vaccination differently in large (> 3 siblings) and small to average-sized sibships (≤ 3 siblings). Other parameters associated with vaccination were child's and parents' country of origin, area of residence and SES. Birth order is an independent risk factor for underimmunization, associated with child's vaccination status beyond economic, social, and demographic parental characteristics. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of socio-economic status on health related quality of life for children and adolescents with heart disease.

PubMed

Cassedy, Amy; Drotar, Dennis; Ittenbach, Richard; Hottinger, Shawna; Wray, Jo; Wernovsky, Gil; Newburger, Jane W; Mahony, Lynn; Mussatto, Kathleen; Cohen, Mitchell I; Marino, Bradley S

2013-06-18

Socioeconomic status (SES) is known to influence children's health-related quality of life. Many SES indicators assess distinct dimensions of a family's position rather than measuring the same underlying construct. Many researchers, however, see SES indicators as interchangeable. The primary aim of this study was to determine which measure of SES had the strongest impact on health-related quality of life. This is a secondary analysis of the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory Validation Study. The SES variables were family income, Hollingshead Index (occupational prestige), and highest parent educational attainment level. Health-related quality of life was measured using the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory. Correlations tested the relationship among the three SES indicators. Regression-based modeling was used to calculate the strength of the association between SES measures and the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory. The correlations among the SES measures were moderately high, with the correlation between the Hollingshead Index and parental education being r = 0.62 (95% CI = 0.56-0.65). There were equally high correlations between family income and the Hollingshead (r = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.57-0.65) and a slightly lower correlation between family income and parental education (r = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.52-0.59). Family income had the highest explanatory value compared to the Hollingshead Index or parental educational attainment, while controlling for sex, race, current cardiac status, and original diagnosis, accounting for 4-5% of the variation in patient and parent Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory Total score, respectively, compared to the other SES measures. Family income as an SES measure demonstrated the greatest fidelity with respect to health-related quality of life as measured by the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory across respondent groups and explained more of the variation compared to the Hollingshead Index or highest parental educational attainment.

Socioeconomic status in children is associated with hair cortisol levels as a biological measure of chronic stress.

PubMed

Vliegenthart, J; Noppe, G; van Rossum, E F C; Koper, J W; Raat, H; van den Akker, E L T

2016-03-01

Low socioeconomic status (SES) may be associated with a high risk of lifestyle-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. There is a strong association between parental SES, stress and indicators of child health and adult health outcome. The exact mechanisms underlying this association have not yet been fully clarified. Low SES may be associated with chronic stress, which may lead to activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis, resulting in a higher circulating level of the stress hormone cortisol. Therefore, chronic stress may mediate the association between low SES and elevated cortisol levels and its adverse outcomes. We investigated whether SES was associated with a chronic measure of cortisol exposure in a child population. Cortisol and cortisone were measured in scalp hair in 270 children and adolescents, aged 4-18 years, enrolled through school visits. Neighborhood level SES was based on a score developed by the Netherlands Institute for Social Research using postal codes, and this includes neighborhood measures of income education and unemployment. Maternal and paternal education level were used as indicators of family SES. Neighborhood level socioeconomic status score was significantly associated with hair cortisol (β=-0.103, p=0.007, 95%CI [-0.179, -0.028]) and hair cortisone (β=-0.091, p=0.023, 95%CI [-0.167, -0.015]), adjusted for age and sex. Additionally, hair cortisol was significantly correlated with maternal education level and hair cortisone was significantly correlated with paternal education level. The results of our study suggest that the widely shown association between low family SES and adverse child health outcomes may be mediated by chronic stress, given the chronically higher levels of cortisol in children and adolescents in families with low SES. It is especially notable that the association between SES and cortisol was already found in children of young age as this can have major consequences, such as increased risk of cardio metabolic diseases in later life. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of socio-economic status on health related quality of life for children and adolescents with heart disease

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Socioeconomic status (SES) is known to influence children’s health-related quality of life. Many SES indicators assess distinct dimensions of a family’s position rather than measuring the same underlying construct. Many researchers, however, see SES indicators as interchangeable. The primary aim of this study was to determine which measure of SES had the strongest impact on health-related quality of life. Methods This is a secondary analysis of the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory Validation Study. The SES variables were family income, Hollingshead Index (occupational prestige), and highest parent educational attainment level. Health-related quality of life was measured using the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory. Correlations tested the relationship among the three SES indicators. Regression-based modeling was used to calculate the strength of the association between SES measures and the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory. Results The correlations among the SES measures were moderately high, with the correlation between the Hollingshead Index and parental education being r = 0.62 (95% CI = 0.56-0.65). There were equally high correlations between family income and the Hollingshead (r = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.57-0.65) and a slightly lower correlation between family income and parental education (r = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.52-0.59). Family income had the highest explanatory value compared to the Hollingshead Index or parental educational attainment, while controlling for sex, race, current cardiac status, and original diagnosis, accounting for 4-5% of the variation in patient and parent Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory Total score, respectively, compared to the other SES measures. Conclusion Family income as an SES measure demonstrated the greatest fidelity with respect to health-related quality of life as measured by the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory across respondent groups and explained more of the variation compared to the Hollingshead Index or highest parental educational attainment. PMID:23777248

Cross-national comparisons of time trends in overweight inequality by socioeconomic status among women using repeated cross-sectional surveys from 37 developing countries, 1989-2007.

PubMed

Jones-Smith, Jessica C; Gordon-Larsen, Penny; Siddiqi, Arjumand; Popkin, Barry M

2011-03-15

Chronic diseases are now among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in lower income countries. Although traditionally related to higher individual socioeconomic status (SES) in these contexts, the associations between SES and chronic disease may be actively changing. Furthermore, country-level contextual factors, such as economic development and income inequality, may influence the distribution of chronic disease by SES as well as how this distribution has changed over time. Using overweight status as a health indicator, the authors studied repeated cross-sectional data from women aged 18-49 years in 37 developing countries to assess within-country trends in overweight inequalities by SES between 1989 and 2007 (n=405,550). Meta-regression was used to examine the associations between gross domestic product and disproportionate increases in overweight prevalence by SES, with additional testing for modification by country-level income inequality. In 27 of 37 countries, higher SES (vs. lower) was associated with higher gains in overweight prevalence; in the remaining 10 countries, lower SES (vs. higher) was associated with higher gains in overweight prevalence. Gross domestic product was positively related to faster increase in overweight prevalence among the lower wealth groups. Among countries with a higher gross domestic product, lower income inequality was associated with faster overweight growth among the poor. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved.

Relationships of Race and Socioeconomic Status to Postpartum Depressive Symptoms in Rural African American and Non-Hispanic White Women

PubMed Central

Dolbier, Christyn L.; Rush, Taylor E.; Sahadeo, Latoya S.; Shaffer, Michele L.; Thorp, John

2012-01-01

This study examines the potential racial disparity in postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms among a cohort of non-Hispanic white and African American women after taking into consideration the influence of socioeconomic status (SES). Participants (N = 299) were recruited from maternity clinics serving rural counties, with over-sampling of low SES and African Americans. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was administered 1 and 6 months postpartum, and subjective SES scale at 6 months postpartum. Demographic information was collected during enrollment and 1 month postpartum, with updates at 6 months postpartum. Separate logistic regressions were conducted for 1 and 6 month time points for minor-major PPD (EPDS ≥ 10) and major PPD (EPDS > 12); with marital status, poverty, education, subjective SES, and race predictors entered in block sequence. After including all other predictors, race was not a significant predictor of minor-major or major PPD at 1 or 6 months postpartum. Subjective SES was the most consistent predictor of PPD, being significantly associated with minor-major PPD and major PPD at 6 months postpartum, with higher subjective SES indicating lower odds of PPD, even after accounting for all other predictors. This study shows that significant racial disparities were not observed for minor-major or major PPD criteria at 1 or 6 months postpartum. The most consistent and significant predictor of PPD was subjective SES. Implications of these findings for future research, as well as PPD screening and intervention are discussed. PMID:22961387

The risk of developing cardiovascular disease in Bangladesh: does diabetes mellitus matter? Which socioeconomic status does it impact? A cross sectional study.

PubMed

Islam, G M Rabiul

2017-01-01

The elevation of blood pressure levels has been recognized as a determinant of the risk for several common cardiovascular diseases. This work explores the evidence of disparities in the form of association between hypertension and diabetes mellitus in different socioeconomic statuses (SESs) at household level. A population sample of 7561 individuals aged ≥35 years from the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey (BDHS) was used for this study. Concentration indexes are used to measure the disparities of myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus with SES. A two-level hierarchical logit model was used to examine the effects of participants and household SES accompanied by other explanatory variables on having hypertension. Then, the analysis is stratified by SES groups to examine how the overall effect of diabetes mellitus on hypertension may vary with SES. Finally, predictive margins are determined to understand the predictive probability of diabetes and SES of having hypertension as a risk factor of developing cardiovascular disease. The descriptive summary measures of SES inequality indicate that prevalence of hypertension and diabetes was higher among high SES. The multivariate analysis covering all samples reveals that there is a strong association between diabetes and hypertension (P < .01). Likewise, after stratifying, it is evident that in high SES, there is a strong association between individuals with diabetes mellitus and hypertension development; they have around four-fold higher chance of being affected by hypertension in comparison to individuals with normal fasting plasma glucose (P < .01). Moreover, there are strong associations between individuals in low and medium SESs having diabetes and having hypertension (P < .01); the likelihood of having hypertension is almost double compared to individuals who have no diabetes. The result of this study also shed light on the chance of an increase in prevalence of hypertension in prediabetes individuals and in medium and high SES groups, although the association is statistically insignificant (P > .05). Finally, the predictive analysis reveals that the predictive margin of having hypertension is high among individuals belonging to the high SES (23%; CI, 20-23) and diabetic patients with high SES (37%; CI, 33-47). Contrary to other developed countries, hypertension in Bangladesh is prevalent among all SES, and the likelihood is high among diabetic patients in the medium and high SES. Hence, urgent preventive measures are needed to control the impending comorbidity of diabetes and developing cardiovascular disease risk. Copyright © 2016 American Society of Hypertension. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.