The public health impact of socioeconomic status on adolescent depression and obesity.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the public health impact of the socioeconomic status (SES) gradient on adolescents' physical and mental health.


METHODS
Population attributable risk (PAR) for household income and parental education were calculated relative to depression and obesity among a nationally representative sample of 15,112 adolescents.


RESULTS
PARs for income and education were large. Across each gender and race/ethnicity group, the PAR for education tended to exceed that for income. For depression, the adjusted PAR for income was 26%, and the PAR for education was 40%; for obesity, the adjusted PAR for income was 32%, and the PAR for education was 39%.


CONCLUSIONS
SES is associated with a large proportion of the disease burden within the total population.
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA. goodman@brandeis.edu
Elizabeth
E
Goodman
Gail B
GB
Slap
Bin
B
Huang
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011634:Public Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012962:Sociology, Medical; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology