title: [Small area-based socio-economic indicators in the study of inequalities in health].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether 2 area-level socioeconomic indicators (one single and the other composite) are able to detect social inequalities in health.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the Health Interview Survey of Barcelona, 1992. Perceived health status, the presence of chronic conditions, smoking, pap test, educational level and social class were analyzed. As area-level indicators, the percentage of unemployment and a deprivation index at census tract level were obtained from the 1991 census. The associations between area-based socioeconomic indicators and individual-level socioeconomic position, as well as the associations among both types of socioeconomic indicator and health, were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A clear positive association was found between small area-based socioeconomic indicators and individual-level indicators. Similar effects were observed for different health outcomes among men as well as among women. For most of the outcomes analyzed, the differences were greater with the deprivation index than with unemployment. Thus, in men the age-adjusted odds ratio (ORa) of average, poor or very poor perceived health status was 2.0 (95% CI, 1.4-2.9) in the most disadvantaged unemployment quartile in relation to the least disadvantaged quartile while with the deprivation index the ORa was 2.7 (95% CI, 1.9-3.9). For women these ORa were 1.8 (95% CI, 1.4-2.4) and 2.4 (95% CI, 1.8-3.2), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Area-based socioeconomic indicators, such as those available through the Spanish census, can be applied in all members of a population and are useful for detecting social inequalities in health.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Salud Pública del Area 2, Instituto de Salud Pública, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain. felicitas.dominguez@madrid.org
authors.forename: María Felícitas
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Domínguez-Berjón
authors.forename: Carme
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Borrell
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pastor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017062:Small-Area Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology