The socioeconomic position of employed women, risk factors and mortality

Many studies have demonstrated the graded association between socioeconomic position and health. Few of these studies have examined the cumulative eff ect of socioeconomic position throughout the lifecourse, and even fewer hav e included women. Those that have explored gender differences affirm the im portance of studying the factors that predict women and men's health separa tely, This study addresses the associations between cross-sectional and lon gitudinal socioeconomic position, risk factors for cardiovascular disease a nd mortality From various causes. Analyses are based on data from a cohort of working Scottish women recruited between 1970 and 1973. Five socioeconom ic measures were explored in relation to diastolic blood pressure, plasma c holesterol concentration, body mass index, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), amount of recreational exercise taken, cigarette smoking and alcoho l consumption. in general, for each of the five measures of socioeconomic p osition, there were significant differences in at least one of the age-adju sted physiological risk factors for cardiovascular disease (diastolic blood pressure, plasma cholesterol concentration, body mass index, FEV1). There were also significant differences in the percentage of current cigarette sm okers according to different measures of socioeconomic position. although t his: was not the case for the other behavioural risk factors for cardiovasc ular disease (amount of recreational exercise taken, and alcohol consumptio n). Measures of socioeconomic position were also examined in relation to ca use of death for the women who died before 1 January 1999. After adjusting for age and risk factors. a composite measure of lifetime socioeconomic exp erience was a more potent predictor of all cause mortality and mortality fr om cardiovascular disease than other measures of socioeconomic position. It therefore seems that conventional measures of socioeconomic position, esti mated at one point in time, do not adequately capture the effects of socioe conomic circumstances on the risk of mortality among employed women. Thus, a broader range of explanatory factors for mortality differentials than cur rently exists must be considered, and must include consideration of Factors operating throughout the lifecourse. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.