The association between income, education, control over life and health in a large urban population of Poland.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of our study was to examine the relation of income, education and control over life with health self-evaluation and chronic diseases, e.g., hypertension, back illness, hypercholesterolemia, gastritis, coronary heart disease, and diabetes.


METHODS
The data were collected in Lódź, a large industrial city of Poland, between 2001 and 2002, as a part of the Countrywide Integrated Noncommunicable Diseases Intervention Programme. The surveys were directed at random samples of the adult population, 1837 men and women aged 18-64 years. A questionnaire completed during a doctor's visit was used for data collection.


RESULTS
All chronic illnesses were age-related. A strong association was also seen between chronic illnesses and poor control over life. People who reported poor control over life were more likely to suffer from any of the studied chronic illnesses; this relationship was mostly pronounced in case of gastritis. The incidence of coronary heart disease and back illnesses was very strongly related with low education, whereas low income with hypertension, back illnesses and coronary heart disease, however this relation was not so strongly manifested. Seventy percent of the study population rated their health as "good" and 30% as "poor". The worst results of health self-evaluation were found in older people with low education, low income, poor control over life and chronic illnesses.


CONCLUSIONS
Poor control over life was associated with chronic illnesses. Our study suggest that higher education and higher income in the period of socioeconomic changes are the explanatory variables for good health.
Stelmach
Włodzimierz
W
Regional Health Insurance Fund, Lódź, Poland. interna@wss.zgierz.pl
Kaczmarczyk-Chałas
Krystyna
K
Bielecki
Wojciech
W
Drygas
Wojciech
W
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007389:Internal-External Control; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population