Measuring socioeconomic position in health research.
OBJECTIVE
In this article we review different measures of socioeconomic position (SEP) and their uses in health-related research.


RESULTS
Socioeconomic circumstances influence health.


RESULTS
Generally, poorer socioeconomic circumstances lead to poorer health. This has generated a search for generic mechanisms that could explain such a general association. However, we propose that there is a greater variation in the association between SEP and health than is generally acknowledged when specific health outcomes are investigated. We propose that studying these variations provide a better understanding of the aetiological mechanisms relating specific diseases with specific exposures. AREAS TO DEVELOP RESEARCH: Using different indicators of SEP in health research can better capture these variations and is important when evaluating the full contribution of confounding by socioeconomic conditions. We propose that using an array of SEP indicators within a life course framework also offers considerable opportunity to explore causal pathways in disease aetiology.
Galobardes
Bruna
B
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Bristol, UK.
Lynch
John
J
Smith
George Davey
GD
D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006302:Health Services Research; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors