Measuring socioeconomic position in health research

Abstract

Objective: In this article we review different measures of socioeconomic position (SEP) and their uses in health-related research.Areas of agreement: Socioeconomic circumstances influence health.Areas of controversy: Generally, poorer socioeconomic circumstances lead to poorer health. This has generated a search for generic mechanisms that could explain such a general association. However, we propose that there is a greater variation in the association between SEP and health than is generally acknowledged when specific health outcomes are investigated. We propose that studying these variations provide a better understanding of the aetiological mechanisms relating specific diseases with specific exposures.Areas to develop research: Using different indicators of SEP in health research can better capture these variations and is important when evaluating the full contribution of confounding by socioeconomic conditions. We propose that using an array of SEP indicators within a life course framework also offers considerable opportunity to explore causal pathways in disease aetiology.

Does life-course socioeconomic position influence racial inequalities in the occurrence of uterine leiomyoma? Evidence from the Pro-Saude Study

“…Although information about the education marker for socioeconomic position covered more than one time period in participants' life course, this marker most likely does not fully capture the complexity of social stratification and resulting lifelong, socially patterned exposures and behaviors 45,46,47 . In addition, this marker may not be equivalent across color/race groups, again for complex social, economic and political reasons 46,47 .…”

“…Although information about the education marker for socioeconomic position covered more than one time period in participants' life course, this marker most likely does not fully capture the complexity of social stratification and resulting lifelong, socially patterned exposures and behaviors 45,46,47 . In addition, this marker may not be equivalent across color/race groups, again for complex social, economic and political reasons 46,47 . In the United States, for example, there are great differences in the quality of education enjoyed by whites and blacks; moreover, the incomes of individuals of similar educational level were higher among whites than among blacks and Hispanics 45,48,49 .…”

“…Higher levels of education provide better opportunities for jobs and higher wages, which lead to better nutrition, housing, and access to health services. Higher educational attainment also strengthens cognitive resources that influence health-related decisions and behaviors 46,50,51 . Parental education level, in turn, is a widely used indicator of childhood socioeconomic position, and is a powerful clue to the environment in which the child grows, learns, and adopts behaviors that may influence his or her future life 50 .…”

Functional Ability, Physical Activity and Self-rated Health in Old Age A Cross Sectional Population-based Study in Norway

“…Even though we did not have information about income, we had other valid indicators of socioeconomic status as years of education and size -and type of residence [30]. For "years of education" we found a positive trend for both men and women -the more years the better FA.…”

Long-term Effects of Adolescent Smoking on Depression and Socioeconomic Status in Adulthood in an Urban African American Cohort

“…We used different indicators of socioeconomic status to capture different dimensions for socioeconomic status that are not interchangeable. 43,44 Independent Variable Regular Smoking at Adolescence. Adolescents were asked to self-report their current smoking status.…”