[Income differences in health and life expectancy--cross-sectional and longitudinal findings of the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP)].
Income is an important determinant of individual standards of living and participation in social life. Data from the German Socio-Economic Panel shows that the level of income also affects a person's health and life expectancy. People's self-assessment of their health and health-related quality of life follow a distribution pattern which can be described as a gradient: the lower the income, the more frequent the impairments to subjective health. Life expectancy statistics also reflect income differences, primarily due to premature deaths among lower-income groups. Clues for explaining income-related differences in health and life expectancy can be found in the results on health-related behaviour and use of the medical system: people in the lower income groups smoke more frequently, are slaker in sports and are less likely to go to a doctor when their health is impaired. Furthermore, work environment and job-specific influences, stress burdens and reactions, social comparison processes and disease-induced processes of declining social mobility and social exclusion are discussed as possible explanations.
Lampert
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Robert-Koch-Institut, Berlin. t.lampert@rki.de
Kroll
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008136:Longevity; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution