HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Related articles in AJPH Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hemingway, H Articles by Marmot, M Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hemingway, H Articles by Marmot, M

The impact of socioeconomic status on health functioning as assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire: the Whitehall II Study.

H Hemingway, A Nicholson, M Stafford, R Roberts and M Marmot

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London Medical School, England.

OBJECTIVES: This study measured the association between socioeconomic status and the eight scale scores of the Medical Outcomes Study short form 36 (SF-36) general health survey in the Whitehall II study of British civil servants. It also assessed, for the physical functioning scale, whether this association was independent of disease. METHODS: A questionnaire containing the SF-36 was administered at the third phase of the study to 5766 men and 2589 women aged 39 through 63 years. Socioeconomic status was measured by means of six levels of employment grades. RESULTS: There were significant improvements with age in general mental health, role-emotional, vitality, and social functioning scale scores. In men, all the scales except vitality showed significant age-adjusted gradients across the employment grades (lower grades, worse health). Among women, a similar relationship was found for the physical functioning, pain, and social functioning scales. For physical functioning, the effect of grade was found in those with and without disease. CONCLUSIONS: Low socioeconomic status was associated with poor health functioning, and the effect sizes were comparable to those for some clinical conditions. For physical functioning, this association may act both via and independently of disease.

Related articles in AJPH:

The body politic and the power of socioeconomic status.

N Moss
AJPH 1997 87: 1411-1413. [PDF]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Brunner, M. Shipley, V. Spencer, M. Kivimaki, T. Chandola, D. Gimeno, A. Singh-Manoux, J. Guralnik, and M. Marmot Social Inequality in Walking Speed in Early Old Age in the Whitehall II Study J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, October 1, 2009; 64A(10): 1082 - 1089. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Westin and R. Westerling Social capital and inequality in health between single and couple parents in Sweden Scand J Public Health, December 1, 2007; 35(6): 609 - 617. [Abstract] [PDF]

				E. Laaksonen, P. Martikainen, E. Lahelma, T. Lallukka, O. Rahkonen, J. Head, and M. Marmot Socioeconomic circumstances and common mental disorders among Finnish and British public sector employees: evidence from the Helsinki Health Study and the Whitehall II Study Int. J. Epidemiol., August 1, 2007; 36(4): 776 - 786. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. De Vogli, J. E Ferrie, T. Chandola, M. Kivimaki, and M. G Marmot Unfairness and health: evidence from the Whitehall II Study J Epidemiol Community Health, June 1, 2007; 61(6): 513 - 518. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Marchand, A. Demers, and P. Durand Social structures, agent personality and workers' mental health:A longitudinal analysis of the specific role of occupation and of workplace constraints-resources on psychological distress in the Canadian workforce Human Relations, July 1, 2006; 59(7): 875 - 901. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Westin and R. Westerling Health and healthcare utilization among single mothers and single fathers in Sweden Scand J Public Health, March 1, 2006; 34(2): 182 - 189. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. J. Peterson, J. B. Lowe, N. A. Peterson, and K. F. Janz The relationship between active living and health-related quality of life: income as a moderator Health Educ. Res., February 1, 2006; 21(1): 146 - 156. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Lahelma, P. Martikainen, O. Rahkonen, E. Roos, and P. Saastamoinen Occupational class inequalities across key domains of health: Results from the Helsinki Health Study Eur J Public Health, October 1, 2005; 15(5): 504 - 510. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Koster, B. W. J. H. Penninx, H. Bosma, G. I. J. M. Kempen, T. B. Harris, A. B. Newman, R. N. Rooks, S. M. Rubin, E. M. Simonsick, J. T. M. van Eijk, et al. Is There a Biomedical Explanation for Socioeconomic Differences in Incident Mobility Limitation? J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, August 1, 2005; 60(8): 1022 - 1027. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Chandola, P. Clarke, R. D Wiggins, and M. Bartley Who you live with and where you live: setting the context for health using multiple membership multilevel models J Epidemiol Community Health, February 1, 2005; 59(2): 170 - 175. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. H. Casey, K. L. Szeto, J. M. Robbins, J. E. Stuff, C. Connell, J. M. Gossett, and P. M. Simpson Child Health-Related Quality of Life and Household Food Security Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, January 1, 2005; 159(1): 51 - 56. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Koster, H. Bosma, G. I J M Kempen, F. J van Lenthe, J. T. M van Eijk, and J. P Mackenbach Socioeconomic inequalities in mobility decline in chronic disease groups (asthma/COPD, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, low back pain): only a minor role for disease severity and comorbidity J Epidemiol Community Health, October 1, 2004; 58(10): 862 - 869. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M Bartley, A Sacker, and P Clarke Employment status, employment conditions, and limiting illness: prospective evidence from the British household panel survey 1991-2001 J Epidemiol Community Health, June 1, 2004; 58(6): 501 - 506. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R L Ferrer and R Palmer Variations in health status within and between socioeconomic strata J Epidemiol Community Health, May 1, 2004; 58(5): 381 - 387. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Steptoe and M. Marmot Burden of Psychosocial Adversity and Vulnerability in Middle Age: Associations With Biobehavioral Risk Factors and Quality of Life Psychosom Med, November 1, 2003; 65(6): 1029 - 1037. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Romero, W. Chavkin, P. H. Wise, and L. A. Smith Low-Income Mothers' Experience with Poor Health, Hardship, Work, and Violence: Implications for Policy Violence Against Women, October 1, 2003; 9(10): 1231 - 1244. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. M. Nilsson, M. Engberg, J.-A. Nilsson, B. Karlsmose, and T. Lauritzen Adverse social factors predict early ageing in middle-aged men and women: the Ebeltoft Health Study, Denmark Scand J Public Health, August 1, 2003; 31(4): 255 - 260. [Abstract] [PDF]

				L. B. Mauksch, W. J. Katon, J. Russo, S. M. Tucker, E. Walker, and J. Cameron The Content of a Low-income, Uninsured Primary Care Population: Including the Patient Agenda J Am Board Fam Med, July 1, 2003; 16(4): 278 - 289. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H Kuper, A Singh-Manoux, J Siegrist, and M Marmot When reciprocity fails: effort-reward imbalance in relation to coronary heart disease and health functioning within the Whitehall II study Occup. Environ. Med., November 1, 2002; 59(11): 777 - 784. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. R. Wood, L. A. Smith, D. Romero, P. Bradshaw, P. H. Wise, and W. Chavkin Relationships Between Welfare Status, Health Insurance Status, and Health and Medical Care Among Children With Asthma Am J Public Health, September 1, 2002; 92(9): 1446 - 1452. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Romero, W. Chavkin, P. H. Wise, L. A. Smith, and P. R. Wood Welfare to Work? Impact of Maternal Health on Employment Am J Public Health, September 1, 2002; 92(9): 1462 - 1468. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. L. Gordon, V. Ganesan, A. Towell, and F. J. Kirkham Functional Outcome Following Stroke in Children J Child Neurol, June 1, 2002; 17(6): 429 - 434. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Bartley and I. Plewis Accumulated labour market disadvantage and limiting long-term illness: data from the 1971-1991 Office for National Statistics' Longitudinal Study Int. J. Epidemiol., April 1, 2002; 31(2): 336 - 341. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E Monso, J Campbell, P Tonnesen, G Gustavsson, and J Morera Sociodemographic predictors of success in smoking intervention Tob. Control, June 1, 2001; 10(2): 165 - 169. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				E. Simchen, N. Galai, D. Braun, Y. Zitser-Gurevich, E. Shabtai, and I. Naveh Sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with low quality of life one year after coronary bypass operations: The Israeli Coronary Artery Bypass Study (ISCAB) J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., May 1, 2001; 121(5): 909 - 919. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S Heistaro, P Jousilahti, E Lahelma, E Vartiainen, and P Puska Self rated health and mortality: a long term prospective study in eastern Finland J Epidemiol Community Health, April 1, 2001; 55(4): 227 - 232. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Fiscella and P. Franks Influence of Patient Education on Profiles of Physician Practices Ann Intern Med, November 16, 1999; 131(10): 745 - 751. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]