Widespread and widely widening? Examining absolute socioeconomic health inequalities in northern Sweden across twelve health indicators

• Published in: International Journal for Equity in Health
• Main Authors: Kinza Degerlund Maldi, Miguel San Sebastian, Per E. Gustafsson, Frida Jonsson
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2019
• Subjects: Socioeconomic inequalities in health; Outcome-wide approach; Slope index of inequality; Time trends; Northern Sweden; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-019-1100-5; https://doaj.org/article/9296e50be0b742d88546a7c81dd7a5d7

Abstract Background Socioeconomic inequalities in health is a widely studied topic. However, epidemiological research tends to focus on one or a few outcomes conditioned on one indicator, overlooking the fact that health inequalities can vary depending on the outcome studied and the indicator used. To bridge this gap, this study aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the patterns of socioeconomic health inequalities in Northern Sweden over time, across a range of health outcomes, using an ‘outcome-wide’ epidemiological approach. Method Cross-sectional data from three waves of the ‘Health on Equal Terms’ survey, distributed in 2006, 2010 and 2014 were used. Firstly, socioeconomic inequalities by income and education for twelve outcomes (self-rated health, self-rated dental health, overweight, hypertension, diabetes, long-term illness, stress, depression, psychological distress, smoking, risky alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity) were examined by calculating the Slope Index of Inequality. Secondly, time trends for each outcome and socioeconomic indicator were estimated. Results Income inequalities increased for psychological distress and physical inactivity in men as well as for self-rated health, overweight, hypertension, long-term illness, and smoking among women. Educational inequalities increased for hypertension, long-term illness, and stress (the latter favouring lower education) in women. The only instance of decreasing income inequalities was seen for long-term illness in men, while education inequalities decreased for long-term illness in men and poor self-rated health, poor self-rated dental health, and smoking in women. Conclusion Patterns of absolute socioeconomic inequalities in health vary by health and socioeconomic indicator, as well as between men and women. Overall, trends appear more stagnant in men while they fluctuate in women. Income inequalities seem to be generally greater than educational inequalities when looking across several different health indicators, a message that can ...