Socioeconomic indicators and hysterectomy status in the United States, 2004.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between socioeconomic indicators and hysterectomy.


METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey database. The effect of multiple socioeconomic exposures (education level, annual income and employment status) on hysterectomy status was evaluated. Logistic regression was used to estimate ORs between the multiple exposures and the outcome of hysterectomy status.


RESULTS
Our analytic sample included 180,982 women. Prior hysterectomy was reported by 26.4%. After adjusting for confounders, women who had not graduated from high school had 1.75 times higher odds (95% CI 1.68-1.83) of having a hysterectomy as compared to women who were college graduates, and women with an annual household income of < $15,000 had 1.06 times higher odds (95% CI 1.02 to 1.10) of having a hysterectomy as compared to women who reported an income of > $50,000/year. Women who were unemployed did not have higher odds of having a hysterectomy than women who were employed.


CONCLUSIONS
Socioeconomic indicators of education level and income are associated with hysterectomy status; however, employment status is not.
Erekson
Elisabeth A
EA
Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, Department of Community Health, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, RI 02903, USA. eerekson@wihri.org
Weitzen
Sherry
S
Sung
Vivian W
VW
Raker
Christina A
CA
Myers
Deborah L
DL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult