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International Journal for Equity in Health
Published in: International Journal for Equity in Health 1/2010

Open Access 01-12-2010 | Research

Socioeconomic inequalities in general and psychological health among adolescents: a cross-sectional study in senior high schools in Greece

Authors: Konstantina Magklara, Petros Skapinakis, Dimitrios Niakas, Stefanos Bellos, Anastasia Zissi, Stylianos Stylianidis, Venetsanos Mavreas

Published in: International Journal for Equity in Health | Issue 1/2010

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Abstract

Background

Socioeconomic health inequalities in adolescence are not consistently reported. This may be due to the measurement of self-reported general health, which probably fails to fully capture the psychological dimension of health, and the reliance on traditional socio-economic indicators, such as parental education or occupational status. The present study aimed at investigating this issue using simple questions to assess both the physical and psychological dimension of health and a broader set of socioeconomic indicators than previously used.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional survey of 5614 adolescents aged 16-18 years-old from 25 senior high schools in Greece. Self-reported general and psychological health were both measured by means of a simple Likert-type question. We assessed the following socio-economic variables: parents' education, parents' employment status, a subjective assessment of the financial difficulties experienced by the family and adolescents' own academic performance as a measure of the personal social position in the school setting.

Results

One out of ten (10%) and one out of three (32%) adolescents did not enjoy good general and psychological health respectively. For both health variables robust associations were found in adolescents who reported more financial difficulties in the family and had worse academic performance. The latter was associated with psychological health in a more linear way. Father's unemployment showed a non-significant trend for an association with worse psychological health in girls only.

Conclusions

Socioeconomic inequalities exist in this period of life but are more easily demonstrated with more subjective socioeconomic indicators, especially for the psychological dimension of health.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Socioeconomic inequalities in general and psychological health among adolescents: a cross-sectional study in senior high schools in Greece
Authors
Konstantina Magklara
Petros Skapinakis
Dimitrios Niakas
Stefanos Bellos
Anastasia Zissi
Stylianos Stylianidis
Venetsanos Mavreas
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
International Journal for Equity in Health / Issue 1/2010
Electronic ISSN: 1475-9276
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-9-3

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