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Published in: International Journal of Public Health 4/2011

Open Access 01-08-2011 | Brief Report

Better health reports when the grass is greener on your side of the fence? A cross-sectional study in older persons

Authors: Hans Bosma, Daniëlle Groffen, Marjan van den Akker, Gertrudis I. J. M. Kempen, Jacques Th. M. van Eijk

Published in: International Journal of Public Health | Issue 4/2011

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Abstract

Objective

To study whether the luxury goods make older people feel in better health and whether this association is similar in higher and lower social classes.

Methods

SMILE consists of a Dutch general population consisting of 2.637 men and women aged 60 years and older in 2007. The SF-36 was used to measure health-related functioning.

Results

In the lower social class, having many luxury goods was related to feeling in better physical (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.39–3.07) and mental health (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.21–2.64), but not in the higher social class.

Conclusions

There might be a health benefit of keeping up appearances, snobbism, and “conspicuous consumption” in older people from lower social classes.
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Metadata
Title
Better health reports when the grass is greener on your side of the fence? A cross-sectional study in older persons
Authors
Hans Bosma
Daniëlle Groffen
Marjan van den Akker
Gertrudis I. J. M. Kempen
Jacques Th. M. van Eijk
Publication date
01-08-2011
Publisher
SP Birkhäuser Verlag Basel
Published in
International Journal of Public Health / Issue 4/2011
Print ISSN: 1661-8556
Electronic ISSN: 1661-8564
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-010-0176-x

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