Abstract
BackgroundSocial inequalities in health threaten social cohesion and their investigation is an important research field. Monitoring the health of the population is necessary to identify health needs, design programs focused in people’s needs and to evaluate the effectiveness of health policies.MethodsA cross-sectional survey using primary data was applied. The study investigated the size and the extent of social inequalities in quality of life and health behaviours in Limassol, Cyprus. Data collection was done door-to-door in the form of survey interviews. The sample consisted of 450 residents aged 45–64 across 45 randomly selected neighbourhoods, that met the selection criteria. The tools used were: Demographic questionnaire, SF 36 Questionnaire, IPAQ- International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form.ResultsThe social gradient appears in all social indicators. Physical dimension of health has a strong relationship between health-related quality of life with the education index. Specifically, the range is 12 points for males and 14 points for females (p for interaction = 0.16). Profession systematically appears to have a stronger relationship with men than with women, and is present in both physical and mental dimensions. The range is 13 points for men and 10 points for women (p for interaction = 0.31).ConclusionsIt seems that young highly educated males, employed full time, earning high income and engaging in mild physical activity, have significantly higher level of health-related life quality, compared to other middle age adult groups, living in Limassol. This finding is in agreement with other studies that show correlations between gender and the patterns of risk factors.
Highlights
Social inequalities in health threaten social cohesion and their investigation is an important research field
The results showed that 84% (N = 378) of the sample were either married or cohabiting, while2.7% (N = 12) stated to be single
This study explores the impact of social inequalities in health in a single city, but it is the starting point for raising awareness among other researchers about future studies with new research questions on health-related quality of life
Summary
Social inequalities in health threaten social cohesion and their investigation is an important research field. Social inequalities in health refer to systematic differences in health between different socio-economic groups. When these characteristics are compared, the difference is noticeable between what one would perceive as a simple fluctuation in health and social inequality in health. When the observed differences are systematic, they are considered as the effect of Social inequalities in health threaten social cohesion. The existence of socio-economic disadvantage, psychosocial effects (social cohesion), health behavior and gender can partially explain the social classification of health [4, 6,7,8,9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
