TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - Do social relations explain health inequalities? Evidence from a longitudinal survey in a changing eastern German region
JO  - International journal of public health
A1  - Klein, Jens
A1  - Vonneilich, Nico
A1  - Baumeister, Sebastian E.
A1  - Kohlmann, Thomas
A1  - von dem Knesebeck, Olaf
SP  - 619
EP  - 627
VL  - 57
IS  - 3
N2  - 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.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1661-8556
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0356-y
ID  - ref1
ER  -