Educational Differences in Health Risks and Illness over the Life Course: A Test of Cumulative Disadvantage Theory

Dupre, Matthew Egan. (2008). Educational Differences in Health Risks and Illness over the Life Course: A Test of Cumulative Disadvantage Theory. Social Science Research, 37(4), 1253-66.

Reference Type:
Journal Article

Secondary Title:

Series Title:

Author(s):
Dupre, Matthew Egan

Editor(s):

Series Author(s):

Year Published:
2008

Date Published:

Journal Name:
Social Science Research

Volume Number:
37

Issue Number:
4

Start Page Number:
1253-66

End Page Number:

Edition:

Series Volume:

Publisher:

City of Publication:

ISSN/ISBN:

DOI:
10.1016/j.ssresearch.2008.05.007

PMCID:

NIHMSID:

Reference ID:
4110

Miscellaneous:

Abstract:

This study tests the cumulative disadvantage hypothesis by examining the age-varying relationships between education, health risks, and disease onset and survival duration. Results based on 20 years of longitudinal data suggest that education is related to both the individual and accumulated number of behavioral, social, and economic health-risks, which in turn, are related to increasing educational differences in rates of disease incidence and survival. For hypertension, behavioral risks fully account for education’s negative effect on disease onset whereas educational differences in survival are best explained by the accumulation of social and economic risks. For heart attack, a combination of behavioral, social, and economic risks mediate the association between education and incidence, but neither the individual nor accumulated health-risks could account for education’s positive effect on surviving after a heart attack. Similar findings for diabetes and stroke are also discussed.

Keyword(s):
Life Course Perspectives

URL:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2008.05.007

Notes:

RIS Export File:
Octet Stream icon

4110.ris — Octet Stream, 1 kB (1,391 bytes)

Citation:

Dupre, Matthew Egan. (2008). Educational Differences in Health Risks and Illness over the Life Course: A Test of Cumulative Disadvantage Theory. Social Science Research, 37(4), 1253-66.