| It has been shown, through decades of research, that those of tower socioeconomic status (SES) also experience lower levels of health. However, it has not been revealed why this association persists, what the best way to measure SES is, or what is meant by "health". Through a review of the literature, it was revealed that the most common measures of SES were education, occupation and income. Health has been measured in terms of behaviors, health conditions, status and mortality. Potential mediators of the association have been identified as psychosocial factors, access to healthcare, physician attitudes and healthcare coverage. This association was further investigated using data from a community health survey. Education, occupation and income were observed independently as indicators of SES in association with quality of life as a measure of health. It was revealed that in addition to having a high BMI, cholesterol and being diabetic, respondents of low education, occupation and income also reported being dissatisfied with numerous aspects of their regular source of healthcare. |
