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An examination of the validity of the Family Affluence Scale II (FAS II) in a general adolescent population of Canada

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Abstract

This study examined the performance of the FAS II in a general population of 17,545 students in grades 7, 9, 10 and 12 in the Atlantic provinces of Canada. The FAS II was assessed against two other measures of socioeconomic status: mother’s highest level of education and family structure. Our study found that the FAS II reduces the likelihood of nonresponse which is a common threat to the validity of items inquiring about parental income, education or occupation. Ordinal regression analysis revealed that mother’s education and family structure were independent risk factors of lesser affluence. Participants whose mother had less than a post secondary degree were 2 to 3 times more likely to report lesser affluence and those who reported living in other than 2 parent families were 1.5 to 3 times more likely to report lesser affluence. The authors conclude that the FAS II is a useful measure of socioeconomic status for this population.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Canada Research Chair program as well as the Canadian Population Health Initiative [CPHI], a program of the Canadian Institute for Health Information [CIHI]. Funding for data collection was provided in part by the provincial departments of health in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Community Health and Epidemiology, Centre for Clinical Research, Dalhousie University, 5790, University Ave, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 1V7

    Brock Boudreau & Christiane Poulin

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  1. Brock Boudreau
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  2. Christiane Poulin
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Correspondence to Christiane Poulin.

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Boudreau, B., Poulin, C. An examination of the validity of the Family Affluence Scale II (FAS II) in a general adolescent population of Canada. Soc Indic Res 94, 29–42 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9334-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9334-4

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