Key result
Lower individual socioeconomic status was associated with a higher likelihood of health risk behaviors in both sexes, while higher regional per capita income was associated with increased risk behaviors in women.
Cross-Sectional (n=41,106)
Individual lower socioeconomic status is a substantial predictor of health risk behaviors in Japanese adults, with marked regional influences observed particularly in women.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May inform SES-targeted prevention; leaves open causal role of regional income in women's behaviors.
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the socioeconomic differences in health-related behaviours in Japan. The present study was performed to elucidate the effects of individual and regional socioeconomic factors on selected health risk behaviours among Japanese adults, with a particular focus on regional variations. METHODS: In a nationally representative sample aged 25 to 59 years old (20,030 men and 21,076 women), the relationships between six risk behaviours (i.e., current smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor dietary habits, physical inactivity, stress and non-attendance of health check-ups), individual characteristics (i.e., age, marital status, occupation and household income) and regional (N = 60) indicators (per capita income and unemployment rate) were examined by multilevel analysis. RESULTS: Divorce, employment in women, lower occupational class and lower household income were generally associated with a higher likelihood of risk behaviour. The degrees of regional variation in risk behaviour and the influence of regional indicators were greater in women than in men: higher per capita income was significantly associated with current smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, stress and non-attendance of health check-ups in women. CONCLUSION: Individual lower socioeconomic status was a substantial predictor of risk behaviour in both sexes, while a marked regional influence was observed only in women. The accumulation of risk behaviours in individuals with lower socioeconomic status and in women in areas with higher income, reflecting an urban context, may contribute to their higher mortality rates.
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Fukuda et al. (2005) conducted a cross-sectional in Health risk behaviours (n=41,106). Lower socioeconomic status and regional socioeconomic indicators vs. Higher socioeconomic status and lower regional socioeconomic indicators was evaluated on Health risk behaviours (current smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor dietary habits, physical inactivity, stress, non-attendance of health check-ups). Lower individual socioeconomic status was associated with a higher likelihood of health risk behaviors in both sexes, while higher regional per capita income was associated with increased risk behaviors in women.
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