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Published in: Journal of Public Health 4/2014

01-08-2014 | Original Article

Changes in socioeconomic determinants of health: comparing the effect of social and economic indicators through European welfare state regimes

Authors: Javier Alvarez-Galvez, Maria Luisa Rodero-Cosano, Carlos García-Alonso, Luis Salvador-Carulla

Published in: Journal of Public Health | Issue 4/2014

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Abstract

Aim

This study is aimed at comparing the effect of different measures of socioeconomic status on self-rated health throughout European welfare state regimes during the period 2002–2008, in order to study how diverse socioeconomic inequalities can vary our health over time.

Subjects and methods

This study uses the European Social Survey to compare the impact of three specific socioeconomic measures (income, education and occupational status) on self-rated health.

Results

The main finding to be highlighted is that the importance of education-related inequalities surpasses differences in income and occupational status, especially in southern and eastern countries. The relationship between income and self-rated health is stronger in liberal and social-democratic regimes, where labour market regulation is characterized by its flexibility and high liberalization. The impact of occupational status is moderate among liberal, social-democratic and conservative regimes, but lower in southern and eastern ones.

Conclusion

These findings support the existence of a contextual effect among welfare states that varies the impact of social and economic indicators in self-rated health over time.
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Metadata
Title
Changes in socioeconomic determinants of health: comparing the effect of social and economic indicators through European welfare state regimes
Authors
Javier Alvarez-Galvez
Maria Luisa Rodero-Cosano
Carlos García-Alonso
Luis Salvador-Carulla
Publication date
01-08-2014
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Journal of Public Health / Issue 4/2014
Print ISSN: 2198-1833
Electronic ISSN: 1613-2238
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-014-0623-x

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