Age-social stratification designs had a negligible impact on income-mortality associations

OBJECTIVES: Age-social stratification has been used to offset socioeconomic status (SES) misclassification due to cohort effects. This study was to evaluate whether age-income stratification designs generate comparable income-mortality associations as those whose income rankings are based on absolute thresholds. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Using self-reported income as our SES variable, and mortality as our outcome measure, the impact of age-social stratification was examined in two distinct cohorts: one with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (n=3,138), and the second free of cardiovascular disease (n=15,115). Age-adjusted income-mortality associations were compared between age-social stratification techniques, which used "age-relative" income thresholds and "absolute" income thresholds whose ranks were independent of patient age. RESULTS: In both cohorts, crude mortality inversely correlated with age and income. Techniques using "age-relative" income thresholds yielded similar adjusted odds ratio for mortality as did those that used "absolute" income threshold methods (differences in adjusted odds ratios [+/-95% confidence interval (CI)] between "absolute" and "age-relative" classifications for highest vs. lowest income tertiles: -0.05 [-0.24, 0.12] among patients with AMI and 0.05 [-0.03, 0.13] among patients without cardiovascular disease). CONCLUSION: More complex designs incorporating age-social stratification techniques generate similar income-mortality associations as more simplified approaches, which classified SES using absolute income thresholds.     

Influence of individual and neighbourhood socioeconomic status on mortality among black,Mexican-American,and white women and men in the United States

STUDY OBJECTIVE:s: This study examines the influence of individual and neighbourhood socioeconomic status (SES) on mortality among black, Mexican-American, and white women and men in the US. The authors had three study objectives. Firstly, they examined mortality rates by both individual level SES (measured by income, education, and occupational/employment status) and neighbourhood level SES (index of neighbourhood income/wealth, educational attainment, occupational status, and employment status). Secondly, they examined whether neighbourhood SES was associated with mortality after controlling for individual SES. Thirdly, they calculated the population attributable risk to estimate the reduction in mortality rates if all women and men lived in the highest SES neighbourhoods. DESIGN: National Health Interview Survey (1987-1994), linked with 1990 census tract (neighbourhood proxy) and mortality data through 1997. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Nationally representative sample of 59 935 black, 19 201 Mexican-American, and 344 432 white men and women (six gender and racial/ethnic groups), aged 25-64 at interview. MAIN RESULTS: Mortality rates for all six gender and racial/ethnic groups were two to four times higher for those with the lowest incomes (lowest quartile) who lived in the lowest SES neighbourhoods (lowest tertile) compared with those with the highest incomes who lived in the highest SES neighbourhoods. For the six groups, the age adjusted mortality risk associated with living in the lowest SES neighbourhoods ranged from 1.43 to 1.61. The mortality risk decreased but remained significant (p values <.05) after adjusting for each of the three individual measures of SES, with the exception of Mexican-American women. Furthermore, the mortality risk associated with living in the lowest SES neighbourhoods remained significant after simultaneously adjusting for all three individual measures of SES for white men (p<0.001) and white women (p<0.05). Deaths would hypothetically be reduced by about 20% for each subgroup if everyone had the same death rates as those living in the highest SES neighbourhoods (highest tertile). CONCLUSIONS: Living in a low SES neighbourhood confers additional mortality risk beyond individual SES.     

Geographic Socioeconomic Status, Race, and Advanced-Stage Breast Cancer in New York City

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association between a residential area' socioeconomic status (SES), race, and advanced-stage breast cancer in New York City. METHODS: The cross-sectional study design used breast cancer information for 37 921 cases diagnosed in New York City from 1986 to 1995. Residential education and income levels were based on the 1990 census and ascribed to each case by zip code. Associations between race, area SES, and advanced-stage breast cancer stage, and the interaction between race and SES, were evaluated in bivariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: After adjusting for age and year at diagnosis, living in areas with lower levels of education and income increased the odds of presenting with advanced-stage breast cancer by 50% for Black women and by 75% for White women. No significant qualitative interaction was present between area SES and race. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed independent racial and socioeconomic differences in the risk of advanced-stage breast cancer in a large and diverse population. The results emphasize the need to improve screening practices and clinical treatment in both high-risk populations and high-risk geographic areas.     

Differences in the effect of patients' socioeconomic status on the use of invasive cardiovascular procedures across health insurance categories.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effect of patients' socioeconomic status on use of coronary angiography, bypass grafting, and angioplasty across health insurance categories. METHODS: Multiple logistic regression was used to compute the odds of receiving each procedure among 206 233 ischemic heart disease patients residing in urban California zip codes from 1991 through 1993. RESULTS: Residents of high socioeconomic status areas were more likely (odds ratios [ORs] = 1.20-1.41) and residents of low socioeconomic status areas were less likely (ORs = 0.79-0.84) than residents of middle socioeconomic status areas to undergo each procedure. These effects were common among Medicare and health maintenance organization patients and uncommon for privately insured and uninsured patients. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of socioeconomic status varies across health insurance categories.     

Neighborhood effects on posthospitalization mortality: a population-based cohort study of the elderly in Chicago

CONTEXT: Place of residence is associated with health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To examine neighborhood effects on mortality after the onset of serious disease and to assess whether these effects vary for different sociodemographic or diagnostic subgroups. DESIGN, SETTING, PATIENTS: Our sample consists of a complete cohort of 10,557 elderly Medicare beneficiaries throughout the city of Chicago newly diagnosed and hospitalized for the first time with one of five common serious diseases in 1993 (stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, hip fracture, and lung cancer) followed until 1999. Attributes of 51 zip code neighborhoods were obtained both from census data (1990) and from a comprehensive social survey of neighborhood residents (1994-1995). Cox proportional hazards models with robust standard errors were specified. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Survival after hospitalization. RESULTS: People who lived in neighborhoods with higher socioeconomic status (SES) or with a better social environment had significantly longer survival after disease onset. We evaluated the differential impact of neighborhood attributes on survival depending on gender, race, and poverty using interaction terms. Only the interaction terms between neighborhood social-structural factors and individual poverty were significant, suggesting that neighborhood SES and social environment were especially helpful for people with higher income. Neighborhood attributes did not differ in their impact depending on the race or sex of the subjects. Analyses of cause-specific mortality showed that myocardial infarction was the primary force driving the associations between neighborhood attributes and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Where people live matters with respect to posthospitalization mortality, but how neighborhoods affect this outcome depends on individual demographic and diagnostic characteristics. Myocardial infarction in particular may be a "neighborhood sensitive" condition. Individuals' health may depend not just on individuals' characteristics but also on their neighborhoods'.     

A population-based analysis of socioeconomic status and insurance status and their relationship with pediatric trauma hospitalization and mortality rates

OBJECTIVES: We investigated socioeconomic disparities in injury hospitalization rates and severity-adjusted mortality for pediatric trauma. METHODS: We used 10 years of pediatric trauma data from Sacramento County, Calif, to compare trauma hospitalization rates, trauma mechanism and severity, and standardized hospital mortality across socioeconomic strata (median household income, proportion of households in poverty, insurance). RESULTS: Children from lower-socioeconomic status (SES) communities had higher injury hospitalization and mortality rates, and presented more frequently with more lethal mechanisms of injury (pedestrian, firearm), but did not have higher severity-adjusted mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Higher injury mortality rates among children of lower SES in Sacramento County are explained by a higher incidence of trauma and more fatal mechanisms of injury, not by greater injury severity or poorer inpatient care.     

Lipid profile and socioeconomic status in healthy middle aged women in Sweden.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and full lipid profile in middle aged healthy women. PARTICIPANTS: These comprised 300 healthy Swedish women between 30 and 65 years who constitute the control group of the Stockholm female coronary risk study, a population based, case-control study of women with coronary heart disease (CHD). The age matched control group, drawn from the census register of greater Stockholm, was representative of healthy Swedish women aged 30-65 years. Five measures of SES were used; educational level, occupation, decision latitude at work, annual income, and size of house or apartment. MAIN RESULTS: Swedish women with low decision latitude at work, low income, low educational level, blue collar jobs, and who were living in small houses or apartments had an unhealthy lipid profile, suggesting an increased risk of CHD. Part of this social gradient in lipids was explained by an unhealthy lifestyle, but the lipid gradients associated with decision latitude at work and annual income were independent of these factors. Decision latitude, educational level, and annual income had the strongest associations with lipid profile. These associations were independent of age, menopausal status, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol consumption, obesity, excess abdominal fat, and unhealthy dietary habits. Of the lipid variables, low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) levels were most consistently associated with low SES. CONCLUSIONS: Decision latitude at work was the strongest SES predictor of HDL levels in healthy middle aged Swedish women, after simultaneous adjustment for other SES measures, age, and all lifestyle factors in the multivariable regression model.     

Socioeconomic risk factors for breast cancer: distinguishing individual- and community-level effects

BACKGROUND: Women are at higher risk of breast cancer if they have higher socioeconomic status (SES) or live in higher SES or urban communities. We examined whether women living in such communities remained at greater risk of breast cancer after controlling for individual education and other known individual-level risk factors. METHODS: Data were from a population-based, breast cancer case-control study conducted in Wisconsin from 1988 to 1995 (n = 14,667). Data on community SES and urbanicity come from the 1990 census, measured at the census tract and zip code levels. We evaluated relationships between individual- and community-level variables and breast cancer risk using multilevel logistic regression models with random community intercepts. RESULTS: After controlling for individual education and other individual-level risk factors (age, mammography use, family history of breast cancer, parity, age at first birth, alcohol intake, body mass index, hormone replacement use, oral contraceptive use, and menopausal status), women living in the highest SES communities had greater odds of having breast cancer than women living in the lowest SES communities (1.20; 95% confidence interval = 1.05-1.37). Similarly, the odds were greater for women in urban versus rural communities (1.17; 1.06-1.28). CONCLUSIONS: Community SES and urbanicity are apparently not simply proxies for individual SES. Future research should examine why living in such communities itself is associated with greater risk of breast cancer.     

Income is a stronger predictor of mortality than education in a national sample of US adults

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with mortality in several populations. SES measures, such as education and income, may operate through different pathways. However, the independent effect of each measure mutually adjusting for the effect of other SES measures is not clear. The association between poverty-income ratio (PIR) and education and all-cause mortality among 15,646 adults, aged >20 years, who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the USA, was examined. The lower PIR quartiles and less than high school education were positively associated with all-cause mortality in initial models adjusting for the demographic, lifestyle and clinical risk factors. After additional adjustment for education, the lower PIR quartiles were still significantly associated with all-cause mortality. The multivariable odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] of all-cause mortality comparing the lowest to the highest quartile of PIR was 2.11 (1.52-2.95, p trend < or = 0.0001). In contrast, after additional adjustment for income, education was no longer associated with all-cause mortality [multivariable OR (95% CI) of all-cause mortality comparing less than high school to more than high school education was 1.05 (0.85-1.31, p trend=0.57)]. The results suggest that income may be a stronger predictor of mortality than education, and narrowing the income differentials may reduce the health disparities.     

Excess mortality from avoidable and non-avoidable causes in men of low socioeconomic status: a prospective study in Korea

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the magnitude and contributory factors of socioeconomic differentials in mortality in a cohort of Korean male civil servants. DESIGN: A prospective observational study of male civil servants followed up for five years after baseline measurement. SETTING: All civil service offices in Korea. PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENTS: The study was conducted on 759,665 Korean male public servants aged 30-64 at baseline examination in 1992. The grade of monthly salary of these participants divided into four groups, a proxy indicator of socioeconomic status (SES), was the main predictive variable. Mortality of the participants was followed up from 1992 to 1996. The causes of deaths were categorised into four groups according to the medical amenability: avoidable, partly avoidable, non-avoidable, and external causes of death. The risk of mortality associated with SES was estimated using the Cox proportional hazard model. MAIN RESULTS: Lowest SES group had significantly higher risk of mortality from most causes compared with the highest SES group in the order of external cause (relative risk (RR): 2.26), avoidable (RR: 1.65), all cause (RR: 1.59), and non-avoidable mortality (RR: 1.54). With the adjustment of known risk factors, significantly higher risks of mortality in lowest SES group were attenuated but persisted. Looking at the deaths from partly avoidable causes, significantly higher risks of mortality in the lowest SES group was observed from cerebrovascular disease but not from coronary heart disease. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic differentials in non-avoidable as well as avoidable mortality, persisting even under the control of risk factors, suggest that mortality is influenced not only by the quality of health care and different distribution of risk factors but also by other aspects of SES that are yet unknown.     

经济收人对男男性接触者艾滋病高危性行为的影响研究

目的 探讨中国男男性接触者(MSM)中不同经济收入人群艾滋病高危性行为状况.方法 采用定向抽样方法,对9个城市2250例MSM进行匿名问卷调查,比较高、中、低经济收入人群的高危性行为发生状况.结果 高和中等收入组累计同性性伴数(平均分别为110.17个和71.97个)、同性口交性伴数(平均分别为62.45个和46.6个)、同性肛交性伴数(平均分别为52.21个和32.3个)均明显高于低收入组(P＜0.01),高收入组累计同性性伴数、同性口交性伴数及同性肛交性伴数均明显高于中等收入组(P＜0.05).高和中等收入组最近一次肛交安全套使用率(分别为79.03%和77.29%)明显高于低收入组(P＜0.01).高收入组最近一次与男性性工作者性交(3.81%)百分率明显高于中等及低收入组(P＜0.01).高和中等收人组曾经向男性"买"性(分别为24.27%和14.7%)的百分率明显高于低收入组(P＜0.01),高收入组曾经向男性"买"性的百分率明显高于中等收入组(P＜0.01).高和中等收入组是男性性工作者(分别为6.72%和11.05%)的百分率明显低于低收入组(P＜0.01),高收人组是男性性工作者的百分率明显低于中等收入组(P＜0.01).结论 MSM中不同经济状况人群具有某些不同的AIDS高危性行为,较好的经济状况并不能制约高危性行为,因此对不同的亚人群应制定和实施相应的AIDS干预措施.     

Socioeconomic status and the occurrence of fatal and nonfatal injury in the United States

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the contribution of socioeconomic status (SES) to the risk of injury mortality and morbidity among working-age adults. METHODS: The sample consisted of respondents to the National Health Interview Survey (1987-1994), and separate analyses were conducted for injury deaths to respondents by linking to the National Death Index. Proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze mortality. Logistic regression models were used to analyze morbidity. RESULTS: The effects of SES varied substantially by cause of injury mortality and indicator of SES. In the multivariate models, blue-collar workers were at significantly increased odds of nonfatal injury. Education was unrelated to total injury morbidity, although associations were observed after stratification of the outcome by severity and place of occurrence. Black persons were at increased risk for homicide, and Black and Hispanic persons were at decreased risk for suicide and nonfatal injuries, after adjustment for SES. CONCLUSIONS: SES is an important determinant of injury, although the effect depends on the indicator of SES and the cause and severity of injury.     

社会经济状况对北京市急性心肌梗死患者心血管疾病危险因素分布和临床治疗的影响

目的 评估社会经济状况对北京市急性心肌梗死患者心血管疾病危险因素分布和临床治疗的影响.方法 数据来源于前瞻性、多中心、注册研究.包括2005年11月至2006年12月连续入选自北京市19家医院因患急性ST段抬高型心肌梗死并于24 h2:内到达上述医院且住院接受治疗的800名患者.主要社会经济指标包括:自述个人经济收入、受教育程度以及医疗保险情况.按照受教育程度,将患者分为社会经济状况较差和较好两组.分别比较两组患者的心血管疾病危险因素分布和住院期间临床治疗情况.结果 社会经济状况较好的患者中糖尿病和高血脂症患者的比例明显高于社会经济状况较差的患者(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).社会经济状况较差的患者中吸烟患者的比例较高(P＜0.05).社会经济状况较差的患者接受冠脉造影和经皮腔内冠状动脉成形术(PTCA)的比例明显低于社会经济状况较好的患者.医疗保险与经济收入是决定进行PTCA的最重要的两个社会经济因素.结论 与社会经济状况较差的冠心病患者相比,社会经济状况较好的患者其危险因素中,高脂血症和糖尿病的比例较高,而吸烟率较低;社会经济状况较差的患者接受介入性检查和治疗手段的比例较低.     

Neighbourhood characteristics and mortality in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the relationship between neighbourhood characteristics and mortality (all-cause, cardiovascular disease [CVD], and cancer) in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC). METHODS: Analysis was limited to African-American and white participants 45-64 years of age at baseline whose records were linked to census data. Deaths ascertained through 31 December 1999 were included in the analysis. Individual-level characteristics were obtained from the baseline interview. A composite index was used to characterize the neighbourhood socioeconomic environment. Proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the effect of neighbourhood socioeconomic status (SES) index and family income on the survival time. RESULTS: The rate of mortality adjusted for age and gender was highest among those who lived in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and were of lower SES. In general, all-cause and CVD mortality rates decreased with increasing neighbourhood SES advantage and family income in all race-gender groups. Although this pattern generally persisted after adjustment for individual socioeconomic factors, statistically significant associations persisted for CVD mortality in whites only (hazard ratio = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.0) for most disadvantaged versus most advantaged tertile). When compared with the most affluent participants living in the most advantaged neighbourhoods, the increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality associated with being poor and living in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods was equivalent to being 11 and 13 years older at baseline for whites and African Americans, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that neighbourhood socioeconomic characteristics are associated with modest increases in CVD mortality in white adults. The lack of neighbourhood effects in African Americans needs to be interpreted with caution due to the limited range in the characteristics of the neighbourhood from which these participants were drawn.     

The relation between socioeconomic status and short-term mortality after acute myocardial infarction persists in the elderly: results from a nationwide study

We assessed whether the previously observed relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and short-term mortality (pre-hospital mortality and 28-day case-fatality) after a first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in persons <75?years, are also observed in the elderly (i.e. ≥75?years), and whether these relationships vary by sex. A nationwide register based cohort study was conducted. Between January 1st 1998 and December 31st 2007, 76,351 first AMI patients were identified, of whom 60,498 (79.2?%) were hospitalized. Logistic regression analyses were performed to measure SES differences in pre-hospital mortality after a first AMI and 28-day case-fatality after a first AMI hospitalization. All analyses were stratified by sex and age group (<55, 55-64, 65-74, 75-84, ≥85), and adjusted for age, ethnic origin, marital status, and degree of urbanization. There was an inverse relation between SES and pre-hospital mortality in both sexes. There was also an inverse relation between SES and 28-day case-fatality after hospitalization, but only in men. Compared to elderly men with the highest SES, elderly men with the lowest SES had a higher pre-hospital mortality in both 75-84?year-olds (OR?=?1.26; 95?% CI 1.09-1.47) and ≥85?year-olds (OR?=?1.26; 1.00-1.58), and a higher 28-day case-fatality in both 75-84?year-olds (OR?=?1.26; 1.06-1.50) and ≥85?year-olds (OR?=?1.36; 0.99-1.85). Compared to elderly women with the highest SES, elderly women with the lowest SES had a higher pre-hospital mortality in ≥85?year-olds (OR?=?1.20; 0.99-1.46). To conclude, in men there are SES inequalities in both pre-hospital mortality and case-fatality after a first AMI, in women these SES inequalities are only shown in pre-hospital mortality. The inequalities persist in the elderly (≥75?years of age). Clinicians and policymakers need to be more vigilant on the population with a low SES background, including the elderly.     

Inequality in health: socioeconomic differentials in mortality in Rome, 1990-95

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Population groups with a lower socioeconomic status (SES) have a greater risk of disease and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between SES and mortality in the metropolitan area of Rome during the six year period 1990-1995, and to examine variations in mortality differentials between 1990-92 and 1993-95. DESIGN: Rome has a population of approximately 2,800,000, with 6100 census tracts (CTs). During the study period, 149,002 deaths occurred among residents. The cause-specific mortality rates were compared among four socioeconomic categories defined by a socioeconomic index, derived from characteristics of the CT of residence. MAIN RESULTS: Among men, total mortality and mortality for the major causes of death showed an inverse association with SES. Among 15-44 year old men, the strong positive association between total mortality and low SES was attributable to AIDS and overdose mortality. Among women, a positive association with lower SES was observed for stomach cancer, uterus cancer and cardiovascular disease, whereas mortality for lung and breast cancers was higher in the groups with higher SES. Comparing the periods 1990-92 and 1993-95, differences in total mortality between socioeconomic groups widened in both sexes. Increasing differences were observed for tuberculosis and lung cancer among men, and for uterus cancer, traffic accidents, and overdose mortality among women. CONCLUSIONS: The use of an area-based indicator of SES limits the interpretations of the findings. However, despite the possible limitations, these results suggest that social class differences in mortality in Rome are increasing. Time changes in lifestyle and in the prevalence of risk behaviours may produce differences in disease incidence. Moreover, inequalities in the access to medical care and in the quality of care may contribute to an increasing differentials in mortality.     

Socioeconomic status and cardiovascular disease among men: the Korean national health service prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and myocardial infarction and stroke subtypes, including the possible mediating influence of cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: We evaluated data on 578756 Korean male public servants aged 30 to 58 years from August 1, 1990, to July 31, 2001. RESULTS: SES had inverse associations with mortality because of myocardial infarction and stroke subtypes, which were not changed by an adjustment for, or stratification by, cardiovascular risk factors. For nonfatal events, SES had positive, null, and inverse associations with myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke, respectively. The association between SES and nonfatal myocardial infarction depended on the presence of risk factors and was positive only among men who had cardiovascular risk factors. Case-fatality after hospital admission for cardiovascular diagnoses was significantly lower among higher SES groups, even after risk factor adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Inverse SES associations with cardiovascular diseases were not mediated by cardiovascular risk factors among men who were undergoing economic transition. Socioeconomically patterned access to medical care may partly explain these socioeconomic gradients.     

Socioeconomic Status,Physical Functioning and Mortality: Results From a Cohort Study of Older Adults in Hong Kong

ObjectivesIt is inconsistent in the literature on whether inequalities of health in older age widen or narrow over time. We assessed the associations of socioeconomic status (SES), physical functioning, and mortality in an older age cohort in Hong Kong.DesignLongitudinal cohort study.Setting and ParticipantsWe recruited 2032 older adults aged 70+ in 1991 to 1992 and followed them for 10 years.MethodsSES was operationalized as education, baseline individual income, and longest-held occupation in lifetime. Physical functioning was measured by Barthel's Index for activities of daily living (ADL), from which disability was defined as ADL score <20. Mortality data were obtained from the Death Registry. Bayesian joint modeling with 2 sub-models, mixed-effect, and Cox proportional hazard model, were used to respectively model the associations of SES and disability, and SES and mortality, accounting for selection by mortality.ResultsEducation and income at baseline were not clearly related to disability, but those with lower education level and income at baseline tended to have their risks increased with time. Older adults who had been mostly economically inactive or unemployed in their lifetime had higher risk of disability [odds ratio 3.24; 95% credible interval (95%CrI) 1.29 to 7.97], and such risk increased over time. For mortality, older adults with no schooling were at higher risk compared with those with secondary education or above (hazard ratio 1.25; 95%CrI 1.00 to 1.57). Income at baseline and longest-held occupation in lifetime were not clearly related to mortality.Conclusions and ImplicationsWe observed inequalities of health of older adults in Hong Kong that widened as they age. Community and medical interventions targeting the older adults with the lowest SES would be important to prevent their more rapid decline in physical functioning.     

Association of Lower Socioeconomic Status and SARS-CoV-2 Positivity in Los Angeles,California

ObjectivesSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spreads heterogeneously, disproportionately impacting poor and minority communities. The relationship between poverty and race is complex, with a diverse set of structural and systemic factors driving higher rates of poverty among minority populations. The factors that specifically contribute to the disproportionate rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, are not clearly understood.MethodsWe evaluated SARS-CoV-2 test results from community-based testing sites in Los Angeles, California, between June and December, 2020. We used tester zip code data to link those results with United States Census report data on average annual household income, rates of healthcare coverage, and employment status by zip code.ResultsWe analyzed 2 141 127 SARS-CoV-2 test results, of which 245 154 (11.4%) were positive. Multivariable modeling showed a higher likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 test positivity among Hispanic communities than among other races. We found an increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 positivity among individuals from zip codes with an average annual household income <US$65 000 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.72 to 1.82), as well as from zip codes with <85% of individuals with health insurance (aOR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.25 to 1.33), and <60% of individuals employed (aOR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.41 to 1.44).ConclusionsResidence in zip codes with lower average annual household income, lower rates of employment, or lower rates of health insurance was associated with SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Further research is needed into how those factors increase the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection among populations of lower socioeconomic status in order to develop targeted public health interventions.     

Relation of female gender and low socioeconomic status to internalizing symptoms among adolescents: A case of double jeopardy?

Characteristics associated with disadvantaged social position, such as low socioeconomic status (SES) and female gender, may play a significant role in the development of internalizing symptoms among adolescents. Indeed, theories of "double jeopardy" suggest that these disadvantaged status characteristics interact to produce particularly harmful mental health outcomes. We tested the hypothesis that lower SES places adolescent females at greater risk for internalizing symptoms than males. We used data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods collected from a 15-year-old adolescent cohort (n=640) at baseline and at two-year follow-up. Female gender predicted internalizing symptoms cross-sectionally and prospectively, whereas household income and caretaker education generally were not associated with internalizing symptoms. Findings overall did not indicate interactive effects between gender and SES indicators. However, subgroups of females at the lowest levels of caretaker education and household income displayed increased risk for specific outcomes, including higher internalizing symptom levels at follow-up and maintenance of severe symptom levels from baseline to follow-up.