[Intelligence, socio-economic status and hospital admissions of young adults].
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether socio-economic differences in hospital admissions of adolescents and young adults are related to differences in intelligence.


METHODS
. Retrospective cohort study.


METHODS
The data were derived from a group of 10,231 young adults and adolescents who were followed for a total of 47,212 person years with regard to their hospital admissions. Intelligence was measured in the first year of secondary school by 2 non-verbal intelligence tests for fluid intelligence. Data from hospital admissions were matched to a large-scale educational and occupational cohort. Data were analysed with Cox proportional hazards analysis.


RESULTS
Intelligence was not found to be related to hospital admissions. However, a low occupational and educational level of the young adults or their parents, was strongly related to heightened risk for hospital admissions. In particular, the low socio-economic status of a respondent was associated with heightened risk for hospital admissions due to accidents (relative risk: 3.49; 95% confidence interval: 1.91-6.39).


CONCLUSIONS
The small extent to which the socio-economic differences in hospital admissions seem to be based upon fluid intelligence, at least in adolescents and young adults, as well as the heightened risks of hospital admissions in lower socio-economic status groups and the associated high costs for health care legitimise further study of the determinants of these differences.
Bosma
H
H
Universiteit Maastricht, capaciteitsgroep Zorgwetenschappen, sectie Medische Sociologie, Postbus 616, 6200 MD Maastricht. hans.bosma@zw.unimaas.nl
Traag
T
T
Berger-van Sijl
M
M
van Eijk
J
J
Otten
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors