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The role of social support and integration for understanding socioeconomic disparities in self-rated health and hypertension

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  • Gorman, Bridget K.
  • Sivaganesan, Ahilan

Abstract

This paper examines socioeconomic (socioeconomic status, SES) disparities in self-rated health and hypertension among 29,816 US adults aged 25 and older using data from the 2001 wave of the National Health Interview Survey. Our purpose is to examine how influential measures of social support and social integration are for each health outcome, and whether support and integration operate by mediating, or buffering, the effects of SES on health. Multivariate regression models show no significant influence of emotional support, but do indicate that many aspects of social integration are directly associated with self-rated health and hypertension, although these measures do not mediate the relationship between SES and health. However, interaction tests show substantial evidence that measures of social integration buffer some of the negative effects of low SES, particularly the negative influence of not working on self-rated health. In addition, findings indicate potential evidence of help-seeking behavior among adults who did not finish high school or who report financial barriers to medical care. Overall, our findings suggest that social programs designed to foster social integration (e.g., free or low-cost bus fare to promote visits with friends and family) may improve health among persons with low levels of education, who are not working, or who have problems accessing medical care because of financial problems.

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  • Gorman, Bridget K. & Sivaganesan, Ahilan, 2007. "The role of social support and integration for understanding socioeconomic disparities in self-rated health and hypertension," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(5), pages 958-975, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:65:y:2007:i:5:p:958-975
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    2. Gang Li & Huanhuan Hu & Zhong Dong & Takashi Arao, 2013. "Development of the Chinese Family Support Scale in a Sample of Chinese Patients with Hypertension," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(12), pages 1-1, December.
    3. Jens Klein & Nico Vonneilich & Sebastian Baumeister & Thomas Kohlmann & Olaf Knesebeck, 2012. "Do social relations explain health inequalities? Evidence from a longitudinal survey in a changing eastern German region," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 57(3), pages 619-627, June.
    4. Johnston, David W. & Lordan, Grace, 2012. "Discrimination makes me sick! An examination of the discrimination–health relationship," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 99-111.
    5. Zhang, Wei & Ta, Van M., 2009. "Social connections, immigration-related factors, and self-rated physical and mental health among Asian Americans," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(12), pages 2104-2112, June.
    6. Ming Wen & Danan Gu, 2011. "The Effects of Childhood, Adult, and Community Socioeconomic Conditions on Health and Mortality among Older Adults in China," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(1), pages 153-181, February.
    7. Vonneilich, Nico & Lüdecke, Daniel & von dem Knesebeck, Olaf, 2020. "Educational inequalities in self-rated health and social relationships – analyses based on the European Social Survey 2002-2016," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    8. Vincens, Natalia & Emmelin, Maria & Stafström, Martin, 2018. "Social capital, income inequality and the social gradient in self-rated health in Latin America: A fixed effects analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 115-122.
    9. Bridget Gorman & Justin Denney & Hilary Dowdy & Rose Medeiros, 2015. "A New Piece of the Puzzle: Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Physical Health Status," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(4), pages 1357-1382, August.
    10. Zhengtao Li & Henk Folmer & Jianhong Xue, 2016. "Perception of Air Pollution in the Jinchuan Mining Area, China: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-18, July.
    11. Bridget Gorman & Jeremy Porter, 2011. "Social Networks and Support, Gender, and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Hypertension Among Older Adults," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 30(6), pages 885-911, December.

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