Abstract
The association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and serum lipids has been little studied and the results have been controversial. A total of 2063 young adults born in 1978/79 were evaluated at 23-25 years of age in the fourth follow-up of a cohort study carried out in Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil, corresponding to 31.8% of the original sample. Total serum cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, high-density cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) and low-density cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) were analyzed according to SEP at birth and during young adulthood. SEP was classified into tertiles of family income and a cumulative score of socioeconomic disadvantage was created. TC was 11.85 mg/100 mL lower among men of lower SEP in childhood (P < 0.01) but no difference was found in women, whereas it was 8.46 lower among men (P < 0.01) and 8.21 lower among women of lower SEP in adulthood (P < 0.05). Individuals of lower SEP had lower LDL and HDL cholesterol, with small differences between sexes and between the two times in life. There was no association between SEP and triglyceride levels. After adjustment of income at one time point in relation to the other, some associations lost significance. The greater the socioeconomic disadvantage accumulated along life, the lower the levels of TC, LDL and HDL cholesterol (P < 0.05). The socioeconomic gradient of TC and LDL cholesterol was inverse, representing a lower cardiovascular risk for individuals of lower SEP, while the socioeconomic gradient of HDL cholesterol indicated a lower cardiovascular risk for individuals of higher SEP.
Highlights
It has long been known that socioeconomic circumstances are related to health [1]
Serum cholesterol level was 11.85 mg/ 100 mL lower among men of lower socioeconomic position in childhood than among those of higher position (P < 0.01), whereas it was 8.46 lower among men of lower socioeconomic position in adulthood compared with their counterparts (P < 0.01)
Only income during childhood continued to be associated with serum LDL cholesterol levels in men (P < 0.01)
Summary
Several studies have been conducted in order to demonstrate associations between socioeconomic circumstances and health indicators in determined stages of life [2,3,4,5,6]. If socioeconomic conditions are measured in only one stage of life it is difficult to determine their impact on health during adulthood (1114). On this basis, several studies have been conducted in order to differentiate the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage on obesity [9], mortality [11], hypertension [12], adult morbidity [14,15], and myocardial infaction [16] during the different phases of life. Previous studies have concluded that individuals who ascend socioeconomically have lower rates of obesity and arterial hypertension during adulthood compared to those who remain in the same socioeconomic class, suggesting that the influence of socioeconomic position during younger ages may be partially reversible [9,12]
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