To what extent do financial strain and labour force status explain social class inequalities in self-rated health? Analysis of 20 countries in the European Social Survey.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Nordic countries do not have the smallest health inequalities despite egalitarian social policies. A possible explanation for this is that drivers of class differences in health such as financial strain and labour force status remain socially patterned in Nordic countries.

Methods

Our analyses used data for working age (25-59) men (n = 48,249) and women (n = 52,654) for 20 countries from five rounds (2002-2010) of the European Social Survey. The outcome was self-rated health in 5 categories. Stratified by gender we used fixed effects linear regression models and marginal standardisation to instigate how countries varied in the degree to which class inequalities were attenuated by financial strain and labour force status.

Results and discussion

Before adju

SUBMITTER: Shaw RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4196960 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature