Socioeconomic differences in health and well-being of children and adolescents in Iceland.
OBJECTIVE
To assess differences in health, healthcare use and well-being of children according to their socioeconomic situation.


METHODS
Part of a larger cross-sectional survey on health and well-being of children and their parents in the Nordic countries.


METHODS
Iceland.


METHODS
A questionnaire was sent to the parents of a nationally representative sample of 3,007 school children aged two to seventeen years.


RESULTS
The SES indicators used were education and occupation of both parents and the disposable income of the family. Logistic regression models were used for the analysis. Children of lower SES were found to have worse health and well-being than those of higher SES. Children of lower SES appeared to use doctor's services to the same degree as children of higher SES, especially after differences in ill health were taken into account.


CONCLUSIONS
The association between SES and health status and well-being in adulthood can already be detected in childhood, even in an egalitarian country with a homogeneous population.
Halldórsson
M
M
Department of Public Health, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. matthias@landlaeknir.is
Cavelaars
A E
AE
Kunst
A E
AE
Mackenbach
J P
JP
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors