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 self-rated 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 self-rated 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.

Javier Alvarez-Galvez

Senior Research Fellow (Ramon & Cajal)

PhD by the Complutense University of Madrid. Currently I am working as Ramón y Cajal Research Fellow in the Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health at the University of Cadiz. I have experience teaching courses related with statistics, quantitative methods, multivariate analysis, data analysis and sociology. My main research interests are related with quantitative research methods, social/health systems, social determinants of health, and sociology.