Changes in socioeconomic determinants of health: comparing the effect of social and economic indicators through European welfare state regimes

Abstract

Aim This study is aimed at comparing the effect of different measures of socioeconomic status on self-rated health throughout European welfare state regimes during the period 2002–2008, in order to study how diverse socioeconomic inequalities can vary our health over time. Subjects and methods This study uses the European Social Survey to compare the impact of three specific socioeconomic measures (income, education and occupational status) on selfrated health. Results The main finding to be highlighted is that the importance of education-related inequalities surpasses differences in income and occupational status, especially in southern and eastern countries. The relationship between income and selfrated health is stronger in liberal and social-democratic regimes, where labour market regulation is characterized by its flexibility and high liberalization. The impact of occupational status is moderate among liberal, social democratic and conservative regimes, but lower in southern and eastern ones. Conclusion These findings support the existence of a contextual effect among welfare states that varies the impact of social and economic indicators in self-rated health over time.