title: Income-related inequality in health and health-related behaviour: exploring the equalisation hypothesis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have found the socioeconomic gradient in health among adolescents to be lower than that observed during childhood and adulthood. The aim of this study was to examine income-related inequalities in health and health-related behaviour across the lifespan in England to explore 'equalisation' in adolescence.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used five years of data (2006-2010) from the Health Survey for England to explore inequalities in six indicators: self-assessed general health, longstanding illness, limiting longstanding illness, psychosocial wellbeing, obesity and smoking status. We ran separate analyses by age/gender groups. Inequality was measured using concentration indices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our findings for longstanding illnesses, psychosocial wellbeing and obesity were consistent with the equalisation hypothesis. For these indicators, the extent of income-related inequality was lower among late adolescents (16-19 years) and young adults (20-24 years) compared to children and young adolescents (under 15 years), mid- and late-adults (25-44 and 45-64 years) and the elderly (65+ years). The remaining indicators showed lower inequality among adolescents compared to adults, but higher inequality when compared with children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our work shows that inequalities occur across the life-course but that for some health issues there may be a period of equalisation in late adolescence and early adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, UK Center for Biomedical Research of the Canary Islands (CIBICAN), Universidad de la Laguna, Tenerife, Spain Departamento de Economía de las Instituciones, Estadística Económica y Econometría, Universidad de la Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vallejo-Torres
authors.affiliation: UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hale
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Russell M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Viner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004739:England; D015438:Health Behavior; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ADOLESCENTS CG; CHILD HEALTH; Health inequalities; INEQUALITIES