Citation

Klein J, Vonneilich N, Baumeister SE, Kohlmann T, von dem Knesebeck O. Int. J. Public Health 2012; 57(3): 619-627.

Affiliation

Department of Medical Sociology and Health Economics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, j.klein@uke.uni-hamburg.de.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00038-012-0356-y

PMID

22415373

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study explores the contribution of social relations to explain inequalities in self-rated health in a changing north-eastern German region. So far, there are only few studies that analysed the mediating effects of social relations in a longitudinal design. METHODS: We used data from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) consisting of 3,300 randomly selected men and women at baseline (2001), and at the 5-year follow-up (2006). Indicators of social inequality were education, equivalent household income and occupational status. Social relations were estimated by the Social Integration Index (SII) and the perceived instrumental and emotional support. Self-rated general health was assessed at both waves of data collection. RESULTS: Depending on the indicators used, social relations explain up to 35% of the inequalities in self-rated health. Changes in odds ratios are slightly more pronounced when education and income are used as inequality indicator and when adjusting for the SII. CONCLUSIONS: Overall findings suggest that social relations are an important explanatory factor for health inequalities in a deprived German region.

Language: en