Combination Of Socioeconomic Status Research Articles

Socioeconomic inequalities in deaths of despair: Age heterogeneity in Canada's working age population

PurposeAlthough prior literature documented socioeconomic inequalities in deaths of despair among working age population, it is unclear whether and how (a) the link between socioeconomic status and deaths of despair differs by age (b) each measure of socioeconomic status has independent effects on deaths of despair. This study aims to reduce these knowledge gaps. MethodsUsing data from a large scale nationally representative linked dataset (2011 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohorts), this study employed Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard models to estimate the link between socioeconomic status and deaths of despair due to suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholic liver disease among working age population (N = 4,076,530). Age stratified analysis was conducted to examine age heterogeneity. ResultsSocioeconomic status, such as housing tenure, employment status, household income, and education level, was associated with deaths of despair among working age population. Age differences in the association between socioeconomic status and deaths of despair were found. While education level was pronounced for deaths of despair for younger adults, a combination of socioeconomic status was significantly associated with deaths of despair for those in late adulthood. ConclusionsSocioeconomic inequalities in deaths of despair are manifest among Canadian working age population. This study lends support the social and health policies aimed at reducing gaps in mortalities.

Changing Motherhood in the South African Middle-Class Context

Parenting has been found to be highly contextually and culturally determined and there have been calls to research parenting within culture as it is lived. Due to changing social and economic factors, middle-class South African mothers face unique challenges in relation to the navigation of culture and class in child-rearing. Foregrounding the complexity of acculturation, this paper uses social constructionist theory in the analysis of maternal narratives and responses to video-recordings of their interaction with their infants, of a group of middle-class South African mothers from various cultural and racial groups, with an aim to understanding how mothering is changing amongst middle-class South African mothers. The findings suggest that acculturation is complex and influenced by a combination of socioeconomic status, geographical location, contact with other cultural groups and personal emotional experiences of having been parented within a particular culture.

The combined effect of socioeconomic status and metabolic syndrome on depression: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES)

BackgroundDepression shows different patterns depending on socioeconomic status (SES) and metabolic syndrome (MS). However, the nature of this association remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine whether the combination of MS and lower SES was associated with the prevalence of depression, based on data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).MethodsData were obtained from a cross-sectional study of 24,102 adults (> 19 years of age) who participated in the KNHANES during 2008–2013 and for whom MS and depression data were available. MS was defined using the diagnostic criteria of the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Measure of depression was ascertained from self-reports of physician diagnosis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between depression and MS as well as SES (alone and in combination).ResultsOverall, 622 of the 24,102 subjects (2.6%) met the criteria for depression. The prevalence of depression was associated with MS, a lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, an elevated triglyceride level, a lower education level, and a lower household income. Participants with MS and a low SES had a higher likelihood of depression than those without MS and a high SES (odds ratio [OR] = 4.180 for low education level and OR = 3.994 for low household income level).ConclusionsThis study suggests that the combination of SES and MS may play an important role in depression, which has implications for healthcare policy and depression management.

Can physical activity compensate for low socioeconomic status with regard to poor self-rated health and low quality-of-life?

BackgroundBoth high socioeconomic status (SES) and high physical activity (PA) are associated with better self-rated health (SRH) and higher quality-of-life (QoL).AimTo investigate whether high levels of PA may compensate for the association between low SES and subjective health outcomes in terms of poorer SRH and lower QoL.MethodData from a cross-sectional, population-based study (n = 5326) was utilized. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the associations between indicators of SES (economic situation and educational level), SRH and QoL, as well as between the combination of SES and PA in relation to SRH and QoL.ResultParticipants with high PA and economic problems had approximately the same OR for good SRH as those with low PA and without economic problems (OR 1.75 [95% CI 1.20–2.54] and 1.81 [1.25–2.63] respectively). Participants with high PA and low education had higher odds for good SRH (OR 3.34 [2.96–5.34] compared to those with low PA and high education (OR 1.46 [0.89–2.39]).Those with high PA and economic problems had an OR of 2.09 [1.42–3.08], for high QoL, while the corresponding OR for those with low PA and without economic problems was 4.38 [2.89–6.63].ConclusionPhysically active people with low SES, had the same or even better odds to report good SRH compared to those with low PA and high SES. For QoL the result was not as consistent. The findings highlight the potential for promotion of PA to reduce SES-based inequalities in SRH.

Incorporating non-biological factors into the TNM staging system for better prognostication and decision-making in testicular cancer.

We combined county-level socioeconomic status (SES), marital status and insurance status to introduce NBF-stage, which were further incorporated into the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system to generate an integrated staging system for better prognostication and decision-making for testicular cancer patients. 15,324 eligible patients diagnosed with primary testicular cancer between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2015 were strictly selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Independent survival predictors were determined based on Cox proportional hazards model. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves were conducted to describe the difference in predicting survival probability and the Multivariate Cox proportion hazard regression analyses were established to compare the cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) difference among NBF stages or NBF-TNM subgroups. County-level SES, marital status and insurance status were independent prognostic non-biological factors (NBFs) in our study (P < 0.05). NBF-stage (combination of SES, marital status, and insurance status) was also an independent survival predictor in TC (P < 0.05). NBF1 patients had 167% increased risk of cancer-specific mortality (CSM) as compared to NBF0 patients in testicular cancer (P < 0.01). And NBF0 patients all had a better CSS as compared to NBF1 patients of the same TNM stage both in seminoma and non-seminomatous germ cell tumor (P < 0.05). Incorporation of NBFs into AJCC TNM staging system in testicular cancer would potentially impact treatment decisions where treatments would not be rendered for a typically curable cancer with multi-modal therapy.

Individual and contextual factors for the child abuse potential of Croatian mothers: The role of social support in times of economic hardship

The study assessed mothers’ risk for abusing their children in middle adolescence in relation to individual and contextual factors during the economic crisis in Croatia. Socioeconomic status of mothers, family economic pressure, and mothers’ exposure to stress were measured. Special attention was given to the perceived availability of social support as one of protective factors potentially buffering the negative impact of risks of child abuse. The community sample included 746 mothers (Mage = 42.85; SDage = 5.319). The results showed that the risk of child abuse is higher for mothers with lower education, those who perceive themselves as suffering greater family economic hardship, those who have experienced a higher number of stressful events, and those with lower social support. When the mothers perceive a lower availability of social support, the effects of exposure to cumulative risk, namely the combination of socioeconomic status, economic pressure, and exposure to stress, are stronger. Since social support proved to be one of the key protective factors in the relationship between adverse life circumstances and parenting, the development of effective and non-stigmatized interventions aiming to increase social support, positive social relationships, and adequate parenting practices for parents facing economic hardship is an important direction for future family policy measures.

Risk of Hospitalization Due to Unintentional Fall Injury in British Columbia, Canada, 1999-2008: Ecological Associations with Socioeconomic Status, Geographic Place, and Aboriginal Ethnicity.

Aboriginal people in British Columbia (BC), especially those residing on Indian reserves, have higher risk of unintentional fall injury than the general population. We test the hypothesis that the disparities are attributable to a combination of socioeconomic status, geographic place, and Aboriginal ethnicity. Within each of 16 Health Service Delivery Areas in BC, we identified three population groups: total population, Aboriginal off-reserve, and Aboriginal on-reserve. We calculated age and gender-standardized relative risks (SRR) of hospitalization due to unintentional fall injury (relative to the total population of BC), during time periods 1999-2003 and 2004-2008, and we obtained custom data from the 2001 and 2006 censuses (long form), describing income, education, employment, housing, proportions of urban and rural dwellers, and prevalence of Aboriginal ethnicity. We studied association of census characteristics with SRR of fall injury, by multivariable linear regression. The best-fitting model was an excellent fit (R 2 = 0.854, p < 0.001) and predicted SRRs very close to observed values for the total, Aboriginal off-reserve, and Aboriginal on-reserve populations of BC. After stepwise regression, the following terms remained: population per room, urban residence, labor force participation, income per capita, and multiplicative interactions of Aboriginal ethnicity with population per room and labor force participation. The disparities are predictable by the hypothesized risk markers. Aboriginal ethnicity is not an independent risk marker: it modifies the effects of socioeconomic factors. Closing the gap in fall injury risk between the general and Aboriginal populations is likely achievable by closing the gaps in socioeconomic conditions.

Rich lizards: How affluence and land cover influence the diversity and abundance of desert reptiles persisting in an urban landscape

Fourteen native lizard species inhabit the desert surrounding Phoenix, AZ, USA, but only two occur within heavily developed areas. This pattern is best explained by a combination of socioeconomic status, land-cover, and location. Lizard diversity is highest in affluent areas and lizard abundance is greatest near large patches of open desert. The percentage of building cover had a strong negative impact on both diversity and abundance. Despite Phoenix’s intense urban heat island effect, which strongly constrains the potential activity and microhabitat use of lizards in summer, thermal patterns have not yet impacted their distribution and relative abundance at larger scales. As Phoenix emerges from an economic recession, efforts to restrict urban sprawl and encourage higher density development could lower water and energy use while benefiting lizards in undisturbed habitats. However, this would likely exacerbate the urban heat island effect, and pose a threat to native species within the urban landscape.

Are We Segregated and Satisfied? Segregation and Inequality in Southern California Schools

Southern California is facing a demographic transformation that will become characteristic of the nation as a whole in coming decades. In this research, we present a historical review of the region’s attempt to address school inequity, recent enrollment and segregation trends, and an investigation of whether segregation still matters. Our results indicate that school segregation has increased, with inequitable access to learning opportunities and resources enduring. Policies advocating integration by some combination of socioeconomic status, race, and/or linguistic background are legal, offer real possibilities, and should be used in Southern California and other similar regions across the nation.

Predictors of treatment outcome in parent training for families with conduct problem children

A total of 101 mothers and 70 fathers with conduct problem children completed a 10-week parent-training program. Treatment effectiveness was assessed at 1 month and 1 year posttreatment based on three types of outcome variables: home observations of parent and child behaviors, parent reports of their children's behavior and teacher reports of the children's adjustment. Multiple regression analyses were performed using four predictors: parent depression, marital status or marital adjustment, socioeconomic status, and amount of negative life experiences. Results indicated that depression and the amount of negative life stress made a significant contribution to the prediction of mother and father reports of child adjustment regardless of the time of the posttreatment assessment. The combination of socioeconomic status and marital status (single versus married) made a significant contribution to mothers' behaviors with their children at both posttreatment assessments. For fathers, marital adjustment made the greatest contribution to the prediction of their critical behaviors with their children immediately at posttreatment but by 1-year follow-up, socioeconomic status emerged as a more significant predictor. For children, the best predictor of the amount of observed child deviance on the home observations was single-parent status or marital adjustment. For families who had a father present, the amount of negative life stress experienced by the family in the year since treatment was completed, was the best predictor of child deviance.

Correlates of mothers' use of medications for their children

This study examines the extent, determinants and quality of mothers' independent use of medications for treating their children's symptoms. Data on mother-initiated medication behavior (MIMB) were obtained from a stratified systematic random sample of 500 mothers of children presenting for a well child visit at two pediatric ambulatory care sites. Six expert pediatric judges each rated every reported medication use (N = 3908) along three dimensions (usefulness, correctness and harmfulness or helpfulness) and also evaluated the overall appropriateness of each mother's MIMB. Results indicate that: (1) mothers keep available and use for children a considerable variety of different medications and medical appliances; (2) a positive linear relationship exists between mothers' socioeconomic status (SES) and degree of MIMB; (3) mothers' attitudes toward medications and toward their children's health are associated with the number of categories of medications and appliances they possess and use; (4) the combination of SES and attitudinal characteristics accounts for substantial portions of the variance in MIMB; and (5) judges' ratings show only minimal-level support of MIMB (extending to mothers in all SES groups) and are linearly related to SES ( P < 0.001). These findings emphasize the need for health care providers to review MIMB, and to provide advice concerning use and misuse of mother-initiated treatments.

THE URBAN SYSTEM IN KOREAN CITIES

The purpose of the present study is to elucidate the underlying structure of the Korean urban system and classify urban centers on the basis of relative dimentionality. In addition, and most important of all, this study aims to scale Korean cities according to Berry's schema (1969, 1972). The present study comprises 34 variables such as population, household, housing conditions, age structure, occupational-industrial structure, standard of living and so on (Table 3). Data were collected for 35 cities in Korea with a population of 50 thousand or over. The use of a principal axis factor model revealed that 82 percent of the variation among the cities described by 34 variables can be expressed by 9 factors having an eigenvalue of greater than unity (Fig. 2). The main factors are identified as representative of urban population size, contrasts between rural centers and modern urban centers, housing conditions, age structure, population migration, and contrasts between educational centers and stagnant small trade centers. Factor 1 indicates urban economic base and urban population size concomitantly. It provides a concise statement of economic differentiation between larger urban centers and smaller regional centers having a population of about 50 thousand (Tables 3 and 4). Factor 2 is identified as representative of the contrasts between rural traditional centers (rural urban areas) and larger urban centers having modern elements. The larger urban centers are shown to have higher population increase and greater proportion of the active age-groups. Such phenomena are also closely related to manufacturing activites indicating mordern elements in Korean urban society. The rural traditional centers Korea can be charaterized by high birth rates, high natural increase, high death rates and high proportion of old age group. Traditional characteristics remain in the small centers as they were found in Chile (Tables 3 and 4). Factor 3 is interpreted as housing conditions. It means that the six largest urban centers such as Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangjon Daejon and other manufacturing centers attract workers at the age between fifteen and fifty-nine. As a result, it gives rise to urban problems such as overcrowding, higher housing shortage and high population increase. This is the influence of industrialization, without regard to other industry that creates urban problems in the larger urban centers. In contrast, the small urban centers are characterized by the age group and higher proportion of farm household. This factor corresponds closely with the second factor describing traditionalism of small urban centers (Tables 3 and 4). Factor 4 can be labelled as age structure. It identifies the movement of youth at the age between fifteen and twenty-four and the active age group of between fifteen and fifty-nine from the small urban centers and rural areas to larger urban centers with the advantages of manufacturing, education, commerce and other services. The five largest Korean cities and industrial centers are good examples in this respect. In contrast to this urban centers are those small urban centers showing high infant groups between the age of zero_??_fourteen. Owing to the lack of suitable data, it is difficult to give a clear affirmation. However, a combination of socioeconomic status and age structure is assumed to be the same as shown in Yugoslavia. Accordingly, Factor 4 reveales the traditionalism of the small urban centers nearly identical to the second and third factor (Tables 3 and 4). In factor 5 which indicates migration, larger urban centers, such as Seoul, Busan, Incheon and satellite cities of Seoul are shown to have higher social increase, higher proportion of construction workers, , higher population increase during the period between 1966 and 1971.