Effects Of Socioeconomic Indicators Research Articles

Subjective Socioeconomic Status, Cognitive Abilities, and Personal Control: Associations With Health Behaviours.

ObjectiveTo examine subjective and objective socioeconomic status (SSES and OSES, respectively) as predictors, cognitive abilities as confounders, and personal control perceptions as mediators of health behaviours.DesignA cross-sectional study including 197 participants aged 30–50 years, recruited from the crowd-working platform, Prolific.Main Outcome MeasureThe Good Health Practices Scale, a 16-item inventory of health behaviours.ResultsSSES was the most important predictor of health behaviours (beta = 0.19, p < 0.01). Among the OSES indicators, education (beta = 0.16, p < 0.05), but not income, predicted health behaviours. Intelligence (r = −0.16, p < 0.05) and memory (r = −0.22, p < 0.01) were negatively correlated with health-promoting behaviours, and the effect of memory was upheld in the multivariate model (beta = −0.17, p < 0.05). Personal control perceptions (mastery and constraints) did not act as mediators.ConclusionSSES predicted health behaviours beyond OSES. The effect of socioeconomic indicators was not confounded by cognitive abilities. Surprisingly, cognitive abilities were negatively associated with health-promoting behaviours. Future research should emphasise SSES as a predictor of health behaviours. Delineating the psychological mechanisms linking SSES with health behaviours would be a valuable contribution toward improved understanding of socioeconomic disparities in health behaviours.

Effects of socio-economic indicators on perceptions of urban acoustic environments in Chinese megacities

The acoustic environment in an urban dwelling is a key factor in human health, especially in megacities, where there are high levels of traffic noise. This study investigated the effects of various socio-economic indicators (gender, age, roadside residence, average daily time at home) on the subjective evaluation of residential acoustic environments, employing a series of questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews in two Chinese megacities (Chongqing and Guangzhou). The findings indicate that residents in Chongqing, a typical mountainous city, are less satisfied with their acoustic environment than those in Guangzhou, a city built on a plain. However, there were no significant differences between residents in the two Chinese megacities in terms of their perspectives on their thermal, humid or luminous environments or noise-related health symptoms. Regarding perceptions of acoustic environments, there were significant differences between residents in the mountainous city and the plain city, as well as those in roadside and non-roadside homes, but no significant differences were identified between the views of men and women or the young and the old, and time spent at home appeared to have no impact. Moreover, age and average daily time spent at home are likely to be associated with noise-related health symptoms.

Market Transition, Multidimensional Socioeconomic Status, and Health Disparities in Urban China

Synthesizing the theory of fundamental causes in the health literature with the stratification research on transitional economies, this paper investigates how the multidimensional socioeconomic status (SES), especially education and communist party membership, is associated with three self-rated health outcomes in urban China. Using data from the 2013 Chinese General Social Survey, we find that party membership is associated with better self-rated health, higher health-related quality of life and work, and lower levels of self-rated depression, whereas the effect of education is somewhat more elusive than it usually is in Western societies. Our findings suggest that the effects of socioeconomic indicators are better understood by being contextualized in a sociopolitical environment. It is also fruitful to include both global (education, income, employment status, and subjective SES) and local measures of SES (party membership and housing ownership) in exploring their associations with health in the world’s largest transitional society.

Investigation of the effects of socio-economic indicators on the urban area by spatial and nonspatial techniques

The aim of this study is to determine the spatial spread of all the cities with the use of remote sensing technologies in Turkey and to examine the relationship between this spatial extension and socio-economic indicators with the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In the study, the nighttime images taken in 2010 and the socio-economic indicator data of the provinces were used. For determination of urban areas of provinces, the Otsu method, which is a threshold determination method, was used on grey level images. When the spread of the urban areas in the country was examined, it was seen that the urban area sizes are higher in the provinces in the central and western regions. According to the multiple linear regression (MLR) and geographical weighted regression (GWR) analysis conducted between the urban areas and socio-economic indicators, the highest positive effect on the urban area was found to be the literacy rate, which is an indicator of education level. In this study, the results of MLR and GWR were compared. In the GWR analysis, the provincial values ​​were obtained, and the rate of explanation of urban areas was found to be higher differently from the MLR analysis. For the verification of regression models, the data of 2011 were used. At the end of the verification, the accuracy of the GWR analysis was higher.

Beyond DRG: The effect of socio-economic indicators on inpatient resource allocation in Australia

Financing in Australia's public hospital works through the Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (AR-DRGs) with separations to specific DRG groups based on medical diagnosis or surgical procedure, patient's age, mode of separation, clinical complexity and complications. This paper aims at assessing how the AR-DRGs reflect the efficiency and equity of the hospitals resource allocation. Using administrative data of all acute public hospital admissions and length of stay (LOS) as a proxy for hospital costs, this paper showed that patients’ socio-economic (SES) characteristics are a strong determinant of health care utilization. Our results revealed that the lower the SES, the longer the LOS and hence more utilization of the inpatient resources. Therefore, omitting SES from the risk adjusters list and solely focusing on DRG- based compensation penalizes hospitals catering to lower SES populations. Our findings further support the idea of smaller/remote hospitals based on block funding.

The effect of socioeconomic indicators and macronutrient intake rate on body composition in adolescents 12 to 16 years old in Merida, Yucatan.

Intake pattern of macronutrients (protein, lipid, carbohydrate) and socioeconomic status (SES) are major causes of high child and adolescent overweight and obesity prevalences in Mexico. An evaluation was done of the relationship between body mass index (BMI)-based nutritional status and body composition (BC), macronutrient intake rates (MIR) and SES indicators in 127 boys and 156 girls aged 12 to 16 years attending schools in Merida, Mexico. Anthropometric variables included height, weight, and BMI. The BC (body fat mass, fat-free mass, dry lean mass) was estimated by bioelectrical impedance (Bodystat 1500 MDD). The MIR were estimated following FAO/WHO/UNO standard (1985). Proxy socioeconomic indicators included parents' age (as a maturity indicator) and education, fathers' occupation, school type and monthly household food expenditure per capita. Excess weight (overweight + obesity) assessed by BMI, was higher in boys (40.16 %) than in girls (33.97 %). Boys had higher BMI, less fat mass and higher fat-free mass than girls. The MIR did not vary significantly in response to age, sex, BC or SES. Participants with higher SES were taller and heavier, had higher fat-free mass and lower fat mass. In the studied adolescents, anthropometric and BC values, and overweight and obesity rates were more associated with SES than MIR.

Household income, sex and respiratory mortality in São Paulo, Brazil, 1996–2010

Respiratory mortality rates are declining in several countries, including Brazil; however, the effect of socio-economic indicators and sex is unclear. To identify differences in mortality trends according to income and sex in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. We performed a time-trend analysis of all respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and tuberculosis, using Joinpoint regression comparing high, middle and low household income levels from 1996 to 2010. The annual per cent change (APC) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) for death rates from all respiratory disease in men in high-income areas was -1.1 (95%CI -2.7 to 0.5) in 1996-2002 and -4.3 (95%CI -5.9 to -2.8) in 2003-2009. In middle- and low-income areas, the decline was respectively -1.5 (95%CI -2.2 to -0.7) and -1.4 (95%CI -1.9 to -0.8). For women, the APC declined in high-income (-1.0, 95%CI -1.9 to -0.2) and low-income areas (0.8, 95%CI -1.3 to -0.2), but not in middle-income areas (-0.5, 95%CI -1.4 to 0.3) from 1996 to 2010. Death rates due to COPD and all respiratory disease declined more consistently in men from high-income areas. Mortality due to lung cancer decreased in men, but increased in women in middle- and low-income areas.

Traffic-related and Socioeconomic Indicators in Association With Birth Defects and Infant Mortality in Eastern Massachusetts Between 1996 and 2002

P-489 Introduction: Physical and social characteristics of places are important factors in determining human health. These characteristics may define gradients of exposure, and as result, they may define gradients of population health outcomes. The focus of the present work was to study the association between indicators of city-specific gradients of traffic and socioeconomic measures, air pollution and birth defects and infant mortality in Eastern Massachusetts. Methods: We obtained data on birth defects and infant mortality for seven counties of Eastern Massachusetts from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) between 1996 and 2002. Data on socioeconomic measures were available at the census-, block group- (received from the US Bureau of Census), and individual-level (obtained from MDPH). Traffic count, distance to major, secondary and tertiary roadways, percent of land use in each tract as recreational and conservation area were also available and were assigned to each subject based on their tract and address location. We had data on air pollution only for the Greater Boston area. We have developed a model that estimates geographic and temporal distribution of traffic related exposures that will be assigned to individual addresses of subjects in the study limited to within the Greater Boston. Effects of socioeconomic indicators, traffic, ambient particle concentrations, and land use on birth defects and infant mortality are estimated through mixed effects models. We controlled for conditions of the mother during pregnancy, mother age, race, gender of infant, amount smoked during pregnancy, prenatal care index measured by Kotelchuck Index, and level of education of mother – as a measure of socioeconomic level. Results: Among the total 359 875 births for the seven year period of our study, there were recorded 2255 infant deaths (<365 days old). The Massachusetts recording for birth defects started in 1999, and we have obtained the data till 2001, that total at 2320 birth defects (including cardiovascular defects, cleft/palate defects, and multiple birth defects). We observed differences in socio-economic indicators, traffic related variables, and percent land use for recreation and conservation that suggested a greater likelihood of birth defects and mortality among the more disadvantaged groups. Further analyses will explore in more detail the spatial and temporal effects of exposures to ambient particles.

P4-009 African American and white differences in cognitive function test scores: the effect of socioeconomic indicators

P4-009 African American and white differences in cognitive function test scores: the effect of socioeconomic indicators

Effects of socioeconomic indicators on coronary risk factors, self-rated health and psychological well-being among urban Japanese civil servants

In Japan, the effects of socioeconomic indicators on coronary risk factors and subjective well-being in an urban population have not been compared. The subjects of this study were 1361 civil servants (968 men and 393 women, aged 35–64 years) working in an urban area of Japan. Screening examinations were conducted from April 1997 to March 1998, and a questionnaire survey was conducted in February 1998. The effects of two socioeconomic indicators, education level (junior high school, high school and university education) and employment grade (manual, low-level nonmanual and high-level nonmanual work), on behavioral and biological coronary risk factors, self-rated health and affect balance were investigated using multivariate logistic regression analyses. Smoking was found to be inversely associated with level of education; compared to university graduates, the odds ratios for subjects who had only graduated from high school and those for subjects who had only graduated from junior high school were 1.96 and 2.07 in men and 3.44 and 5.48 in women, respectively. As for alcohol drinking and physical inactivity, relationships were inconsistent in terms of direction by the two indicators. Among biological risk factors, diabetes was inversely associated with education level in men. Self-rated health, however, was inversely associated with employment grade both in men and women, and affect balance was inversely associated with employment grade in men. In summary, different effects of two socioeconomic indicators, education and employment grade, were seen in some coronary risk factors and subjective well-being in an urban Japanese population. Our findings should contribute to the elucidation of mechanisms of the socioeconomic gradients of risk factors and mortality from coronary heart disease in Japan.

Helicobacter pylori infection in preschool and school-aged minority children: effect of socioeconomic indicators and breast-feeding practices.

Helicobacter pylori infection was examined among 356 asymptomatic white Hispanic and black children aged 2--16 years attending 13 licensed day care centers in Houston. Demographic information and socioeconomic factors were evaluated. H. pylori status was determined by (13)C-urea breath testing. The prevalence of active H. pylori infection was 24% and increased with age. Prevalence was almost identical among white Hispanic and black children. Children living in the most crowded conditions were at the greatest risk for H. pylori acquisition, and an inverse correlation was seen between the mother's education and H. pylori positivity in children. Breast-feeding played a protective role against the acquisition of H. pylori infection. Understanding the epidemiology of H. pylori infection in childhood requires better understanding of the interactions between environment, ethnic group, and socioeconomic conditions.

Racial differences in the presentation and surgical management of breast cancer

Background: African American women are seen with more advanced breast cancers, are less likely to be treated with breast-conserving surgery, and generally have poorer prognoses than white women. There are a myriad of potential causes for these phenomena. The purpose of this study was to measure racial differences in the surgical treatment of breast cancer among women with comparable health care access and delivery. Methods: The Breast Cancer Registry of the Department of Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital was accessed for all patients between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1997 for whom data on race, tumor characteristics, stage, and treatment specifics were available. Socioeconomic information was collected with use of 1990 census block data. Proportions of women who received each treatment were compared for African Americans and whites with use of the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). We used multiple logistic regression to obtain estimates of the relative risk, controlling for potential confounding factors. Results: Of the 1699 patients in the database, 1250 had sufficient information for analysis. A total of 8.7% of African American women were diagnosed with late-stage disease (ie, stage III or IV) compared with 7.9% of whites. Nevertheless, African American women had a lower frequency of stage I disease (30.5% vs 36.2%) and a higher frequency of stage II disease (36.8% vs 31.4%). Overall and adjusted risk estimates for age, tumor stage, marital status, median income, and type of insurance revealed no substantive or statistically significant differences between African American and white patients. The adjusted RR for local excision was 1.39 (95% CI 0.78 to 2.49), for lumpectomy and axillary dissection RR 0.92 (95% CI 0.66 to 1.29), for simple mastectomy RR 0.84 (95% CI 0.41 to 1.72), and for modified radical mastectomy RR 1.00 (95% CI 0.73 to 1.36). Conclusions: In this setting of equal access to health care, African American women still have higher frequenceis of stage II disease, although the frequencies for late-stage disease are similar. Nevertheless, no surgical differences were found in this population, even after the effects of socioeconomic indicators and stage at diagnosis were controlled for. Survival differences between African American and white women are unlikely to be explained by differences in treatment. (Surgery 1999;125:375-9.)