Individual social class, area-based deprivation, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and mortality: the Renfrew and Paisley study

摘要

Conclusions-Individually assigned and area-based socioeconomic indicators make independent contributions to sev- eral important health outcomes. The degree of inequalities in health that exist will not be demonstrated in studies using only one category of indicatory. Similarly, adjustment for confounding by socioeco- nomic position in aetiological epidemio- logical studies will be inadequate if only one level of indicator is used. Policies aimed at reducing socioeconomic differ- entials in health should pay attention to the characteristics of the areas in which people live as well as the characteristics of the people who live in thee areas.