title: Validity of a Subjective Financial Situation Measure to Assess Socioeconomic Status in US Young Adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Young adulthood is an important period for preventing the establishment of negative health behaviors that can influence trajectories to chronic disease and early death. Given the evolving nature of educational attainment and income variation during this developmental period, identifying indicators of socioeconomic status (SES) remains a challenge. This study examines measures of subjective and objective indicators of SES to predict health risk for young adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study uses data from the Truth Initiative Young Adult Cohort Study from respondents aged 18 to 34 years who completed 3 consecutive surveys between June 2011 and August 2012 (n = 2182). Analyses were conducted to compare a measure of subjective financial situation (SFS) to commonly used SES measures for adults and adolescents. Age-stratified, multivariable logistic regression was used to model the relationship between 5 SES indicators (SFS, household income, respondent education, parental education, and subjective childhood financial situation) and dichotomized versions of 3 health status measures (body mass index, self-reported health status, and quality of life), controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, and region.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings indicate that SFS is associated with other commonly used SES measures. Prospective associations with health outcomes revealed that SFS is a stronger predictor of health outcomes among young adults aged 18 to 24 years as compared with other SES measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides evidence that subjective financial situation may be more robust than traditional SES indicators in predicting health outcomes among young adults, particularly for 18- to 24-year-olds, and should be considered a viable candidate measure for assessing SES among this age group.
authors: Evaluation Science & Research at Truth Initiative, Washington, District of Columbia (Mss Williams, Smith, and Teplitskaya and Drs Villanti, Rath, Hair, Cantrell, and Vallone); Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at Truth Initiative, Washington, District of Columbia (Drs Villanti and Vallone); Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland (Drs Villanti, Rath, Hair, and Cantrell); and College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York (Dr Vallone).
authors: Valerie F
authors: VF
authors: Williams
authors: Alexandria A
authors: AA
authors: Smith
authors: Andrea C
authors: AC
authors: Villanti
authors: Jessica M
authors: JM
authors: Rath
authors: Elizabeth C
authors: EC
authors: Hair
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Cantrell
authors: Lyubov
authors: L
authors: Teplitskaya
authors: Donna M
authors: DM
authors: Vallone