Key result
The Scottish deprivation categorisation exhibited a strong linear trend for individual prevalent coronary heart disease (p ≤ 0.001), comparable to traditional occupation-based social class measures.
Why the study?
Is a deprivation index calculated from small area statistics an effective measure of individual social status associated with prevalent CHD?
Cross-Sectional (n=10,359)
Yes
Is a deprivation index calculated from small area statistics an effective measure of individual social status associated with prevalent CHD?
A deprivation index based on small area statistics is an effective marker of individual social status and correlates strongly with prevalent CHD, comparable to occupation-based classifications.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports area deprivation indices as proxies for individual social status in prevalent CHD; leaves open prospective validation and causal inference.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a deprivation index, calculated from small area statistics for postcode sectors, as a measure of individual social status in an epidemiological study of coronary heart disease (CHD). DESIGN: A baseline, cross sectional survey. SETTING: Twenty two local authority districts of Scotland surveyed between 1984 and 1986. SUBJECTS: A total of 10359 men and women aged 40-59 years randomly selected to the Scottish heart health study. MAIN RESULTS: The Scottish deprivation categorisation, derived from small area statistics, exhibits a strong linear trend (p = 0.001 or below) for individual prevalent CHD for men and women, unadjusted, and adjusted for major cardiovascular risk factors. The degree of association with CHD is similar to that for measures of social class based upon occupation. CONCLUSIONS: The Scottish deprivation categorisation is an effective measure of individual social status in the current study, broadly comparable in its effect with the more traditional classification derived from occupations. The latter has important problems in definition, especially for women. Small area statistics may provide a useful marker of individual social status in a more general epidemiological setting.
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Mark Woodward (1996) conducted a cross-sectional in Coronary heart disease (CHD) (n=10,359). Scottish deprivation categorisation vs. Occupation-based social class was evaluated on Individual prevalent CHD (p=≤0.001). The Scottish deprivation categorisation exhibited a strong linear trend for individual prevalent coronary heart disease (p ≤ 0.001), comparable to traditional occupation-based social class measures.
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