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Partner's and own education: does who you live with matter for self-assessed health, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption?

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  • Monden, Christiaan W. S.
  • van Lenthe, Frank
  • De Graaf, Nan Dirk
  • Kraaykamp, Gerbert

Abstract

This study analyses the importance of partner status and partner's education, adjusted for own education, on self-assessed health, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. The relationship between socio-economic factors and health-related outcomes is traditionally studied from an individual perspective. Recently, applying social-ecological models that include socio-economic factors on various social levels is becoming popular. We argue that partners are an important influence on individual health and health-related behaviour at the household level. Therefore, we include partners in the analysis of educational health inequalities. Using data of almost 40,000 individuals (with almost 15,000 Dutch cohabiting couples), aged 25-74 years, who participated in the Netherlands Health Interview Survey between 1989 and 1996, we test hypotheses on the importance of own and partner's education. We apply advanced logistic regression models that are especially suitable for studying the relative influence of partners' education. Controlled for own education, partner's education is significantly associated with self-assessed health and smoking, for men and women. Accounting for both partners' education the social gradient in self-assessed health and smoking is steeper than based on own or partner's education alone. The social gradient in health is underestimated by not considering partner's education, especially for women.

Suggested Citation

  • Monden, Christiaan W. S. & van Lenthe, Frank & De Graaf, Nan Dirk & Kraaykamp, Gerbert, 2003. "Partner's and own education: does who you live with matter for self-assessed health, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(10), pages 1901-1912, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:57:y:2003:i:10:p:1901-1912
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    Cited by:

    1. Sara Pinillos-Franco & Carmen García-Prieto, 2017. "The gender gap in self-rated health and education in Spain. A multilevel analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(12), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Shuai Chen & Jan C. Ours, 2018. "Subjective Well-being and Partnership Dynamics: Are Same-Sex Relationships Different?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(6), pages 2299-2320, December.
    3. Jaffe, Dena H. & Eisenbach, Zvi & Neumark, Yehuda D. & Manor, Orly, 2006. "Effects of husbands' and wives' education on each other's mortality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(8), pages 2014-2023, April.
    4. Fultz, Nancy H. & Rahrig Jenkins, Kristi & Østbye, Truls & Taylor, Donald Jr. & Kabeto, Mohammed U. & Langa, Kenneth M., 2005. "The impact of own and spouse's urinary incontinence on depressive symptoms," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(11), pages 2537-2548, June.
    5. Claussen, Bjorgulf & Smits, Jeroen & Naess, Oyvind & Davey Smith, George, 2005. "Intragenerational mobility and mortality in Oslo: Social selection versus social causation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(12), pages 2513-2520, December.
    6. De Neve, Jan-Walter & Kawachi, Ichiro, 2017. "Spillovers between siblings and from offspring to parents are understudied: A review and future directions for research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 56-61.
    7. Zang, Emma & Zheng, Hui, 2018. "Does the sex ratio at sexual maturity affect men's later-life mortality risks? Evidence from historical China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 61-69.
    8. Nystedt, Paul, 2006. "Marital life course events and smoking behaviour in Sweden 1980-2000," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(6), pages 1427-1442, March.
    9. Jenny Torssander, 2013. "From Child to Parent? The Significance of Children’s Education for Their Parents’ Longevity," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(2), pages 637-659, April.
    10. Bongoh Kye & Erika Arenas & Graciela Teruel & Luis Rubalcava, 2014. "Education, Elderly Health, and Differential Population Aging in South Korea: A Demographic Approach," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(26), pages 753-794.
    11. Dustin Brown & Robert Hummer & Mark Hayward, 2014. "The Importance of Spousal Education for the Self-Rated Health of Married Adults in the United States," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 33(1), pages 127-151, February.
    12. Lamu, Admassu N. & Chen, Gang & Olsen, Jan Abel, 2023. "Amplified disparities: The association between spousal education and own health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    13. Susan L. Averett & Cynthia Bansak & Julie K. Smith, 2021. "Behind Every High Earning Man is a Conscientious Woman: The Impact of Spousal Personality on Earnings and Marriage," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 29-46, March.
    14. Adjiwanou, Vissého & Bougma, Moussa & LeGrand, Thomas, 2018. "The effect of partners' education on women's reproductive and maternal health in developing countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 104-115.
    15. Lei Jin & Felix Elwert & Jeremy Freese & Nicholas Christakis, 2010. "Preliminary evidence regarding the hypothesis that the sex ratio at sexual maturity may affect longevity in men," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 47(3), pages 579-586, August.
    16. Elisabetta Lazzaro & Carlofilippo Frateschi, 2008. "Attendance to cultural events and spousal influences: the Italian case," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0084, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    17. Jordi Gumà & Jeroen Spijker, 2020. "Until Death Do Us Part. The Influence of Own and Partner’s Socioeconomic Status on the Health of Spanish Middle-Aged Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-11, June.
    18. Chen, Shuai, 2019. "Marriage, minorities, and mass movements," Other publications TiSEM 9cb1b11d-12e6-46a8-adca-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    19. Kravdal, Øystein, 2008. "A broader perspective on education and mortality: Are we influenced by other people's education?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 620-636, February.
    20. Torssander, Jenny, 2014. "Adult children's socioeconomic positions and their parents' mortality: A comparison of education, occupational class, and income," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 148-156.
    21. Hong Zou & Qianqian Xiong & Hongwei Xu, 2020. "Does Subjective Social Status Predict Self-Rated Health in Chinese Adults and Why?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 152(2), pages 443-471, November.
    22. Chen, Gang & Olsen, Jan Abel & Lamu, Admassu N., 2024. "The influence of parents' and partner's education on own health behaviours," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 343(C).
    23. Liu, Meiya & Yang, Ying & Lyu, Xinyi & Zhang, Jieying & Liu, Youhong & Xu, Die & Wu, Hanbin & Lei, Jueming & Deng, Yuzhi & Zhao, Chuanyu & Hu, Xuan & Xie, Wenlu & Huang, Jiaxin & Wu, Siyu & Zhang, Ya , 2023. "Declined prevalence, improved awareness and control of hypertension are associated with spousal educational attainment: A mega-data study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    24. Denise Muschik & Jelena Jaunzeme & Siegfried Geyer, 2015. "Are spouses’ socio-economic classifications interchangeable? Examining the consequences of a commonly used practice in studies on social inequalities in health," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 60(8), pages 953-960, December.

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