Health disparities by occupation, modified by education: a cross-sectional population study
2007

Health Disparities by Occupation and Education

Sample size: 136189 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Volkers Anita C, Westert Gert P, Schellevis Francois G

Primary Institution: NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research)

Hypothesis

A lower occupational position is related to a poor health status and higher morbidity rates, independent of the level of education.

Conclusion

A low occupational position was consistently associated with poor health and physician-diagnosed morbidity.

Supporting Evidence

  • The lowest occupational position was associated with poor health in both men and women.
  • People with lower educational levels faced additional health risks.
  • Gender modified the effects of occupational position and education on health outcomes.

Takeaway

People with lower job positions tend to be less healthy, and education also plays a role in this.

Methodology

Data were derived from the National Survey of General Practice, assessing health outcomes through self-perceived health status and physician-diagnosed diseases using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Potential Biases

Potential response bias as the study sample may not fully represent the overall working population.

Limitations

The study relied on last occupation instead of current occupation, and the cross-sectional design limits causality determination.

Participant Demographics

Participants were working people aged 25–64, with a mix of genders and educational levels.

Statistical Information

P-Value

1.6

Confidence Interval

95% CI 1.5 to 1.7

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-7-196

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