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Results for “Low Socioeconomic Status”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1990

Exercise as a treatment for hypertension in low-socioeconomic-status black children.

Low-socioeconomic-status (SES) Black children have a higher mean blood pressure than most other groups. The antihypertensive effects of a 12-week aerobic exercise program were examined on 11 low-SES Black children, ages 8-12, who had blood pressure above the 95th percentile. A multiple baseline across three groups of children with baseline and exercise conditions was conducted. After the introduction of the exercise program, there were significant decreases in diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Cardiovascular fitness improved concurrently. The results suggest that vigorous exercise can decrease the blood pressure of low-SES hypertensive Black children.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2003

Prolonged elevations in haemostatic and rheological responses following psychological stress in low socioeconomic status men and women.

Low socioeconomic status (SES) and psychological stress are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease, and both may influence haemostatic responses. Von Willebrand factor (vWF), Factor VIII, plasma viscosity, haematocrit, blood viscosity, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and fibrin D-dimer were measured at rest and following stressful tasks in 238 middle-aged British civil servants. SES was defined by grade of employment. Lower SES was associated with higher resting vWF, Factor VIII and plasma viscosity. Psychological stress stimulated increases in haemostatic and rheological factors. Initial stress responses did not vary with SES, but Factor VIII, plasma viscosity and blood viscosity remained more elevated 45 minutes post-stress in lower SES participants. High blood pressure stress reactivity was also associated with greater haemostatic responses. We conclude that lower SES is characterised by more prolonged elevations in procoagulant responses following psychological stress, and that these processes might contribute to increased cardiac risk.

Blood Viscosity↗

PubMed2006

Incidence of sudden cardiac arrest is higher in areas of low socioeconomic status: a prospective two year study in a large United States community.

BACKGROUND: A potential effect of socioeconomic status on occurrence of sudden cardiac arrest in the community is likely, but has not been evaluated fully. METHODS: All cases of sudden cardiac arrest in Multnomah County Oregon (population 660,486; February 2002-January 2004) were identified prospectively and categorized by census tract based on the address of residence and specific geographic location of occurrence of cardiac arrest. Each census tract was assigned to quartiles of median income, poverty level, median home value, and educational attainment. RESULTS: Of 714 cases (annual incidence 54 per 100,000), 697 (98%) had residential addresses that matched a county census tract successfully. For each socioeconomic status measure, the incidence of cardiac arrest was 30-80% higher in the lowest compared to the highest socioeconomic status census tracts. Annual incidence in census tracts in the lowest compared to the highest quartiles of median home value was 60.5 versus 35.1 per 100,000 (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.4-2.2). This gradient was exaggerated significantly for age<65 years (34.5 versus 15.1 per 100,000, RR 2.3, 95% CI 1.6-3.3). Identical trends were observed for sudden cardiac arrest based on location, with 60% of all cases and 66% of cases age<65 years occurring in the two quartiles with lowest socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: Low neighborhood socioeconomic status was associated with a significantly higher incidence of sudden cardiac arrest based on address of residence as well as location of cardiac arrest. For effective deployment of strategies for community-based prevention such as the automated external defibrillator, neighborhood socioeconomic status is likely to be an important consideration.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Lower respiratory illness in infants and low socioeconomic status.

OBJECTIVES: Infants from families of low socioeconomic status are said to suffer higher rates of lower respiratory illness, but this assertion has not been carefully examined. METHODS: We studied the frequency and determinants of lower respiratory illness in infants of different socioeconomic status (n = 393) by analyzing data from a community-based cohort study of respiratory illness during the first year of life in central North Carolina. RESULTS: The incidence of lower respiratory illness was 1.41 in the low socioeconomic group, 1.26 in the middle group, and 0.67 in the high group. The prevalence of persistent respiratory symptoms was 39% in infants in the low socioeconomic group, 24% in infants in the middle group, and 14% in infants in the high group. The odds of persistent respiratory symptoms in infants of low and middle socioeconomic status were reduced after controlling for environmental risk factors for lower respiratory illness. Enrollment in day care was associated with an increased risk of persistent symptoms among infants of high but not low socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: Infants of low socioeconomic status are at increased risk of persistent respiratory symptoms. This risk can be partly attributed to environmental exposures, most of which could be changed.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2003

Family disruption in childhood and risk of adult depression.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the risk that family disruption and low socioeconomic status in early childhood confer on the onset of major depression in adulthood. METHOD: Participants were 1,104 offspring of mothers enrolled during pregnancy in the Providence, R.I., site of the National Collaborative Perinatal Project. Measures of childhood family disruption and socioeconomic status were obtained before birth and at age 7. Structured diagnostic interviews were used to assess respondents' lifetime history of major depressive episode between the ages of 18 and 39. Survival analysis was used to identify childhood risks for depression onset. RESULTS: Parental divorce in early childhood was associated with a higher lifetime risk of depression among subjects whose mothers did not remarry as well as among subjects whose mothers remarried. These effects were more pronounced when accompanied by high levels of parental conflict. Independent of the respondents' adult socioeconomic status, low socioeconomic status in childhood predicted an elevated risk of depression. CONCLUSIONS: Family disruption and low socioeconomic status in early childhood increase the long-term risk for major depression. Reducing childhood disadvantages may be one avenue for prevention of depression. Identification of modifiable pathways linking aspects of the early childhood environment to adult mental health is needed to mitigate the long-term consequences of childhood disadvantage.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Managing the low-socioeconomic-status prostate cancer patient.

Management of patients with low socioeconomic status and/or low literacy who have prostate cancer presents a challenge to healthcare professionals. Improving treatment outcomes for these men requires specific educational programs to provide a better understanding of prostate cancer including careful posttreatment follow-up to ensure they have recovered well, that the cancer is not progressing and that complications are not proving troublesome. Practice nurses and health educators/navigators can play an important role in achieving these objectives. Education and knowledgeable advice can lead to earlier diagnosis of prostate cancer, improved patient participation in the treatment decision-making process and effective management of posttreatment complications.

Decision Making↗

PubMed2002

On being poor and feeling poor: low socioeconomic status and the moral self.

Persons of low socioeconomic status generally experience worse health and shorter lives than their better off counterparts. They also suffer a greater incidence of adverse psychosocial characteristics, such as low self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-mastery and increased cynicism and hostility. These population data suggest another category of harm to persons: diminished moral agency. Chronic socioeconomic deprivation can create environments that undermine the development of self and capacities constitutive to moral agency--i.e., the capacity for self-determination and crafting a life of one's own. The harm affects not only the choices a person makes, but the chooser herself. This moral harm is particularly salient in modern Western societies, especially in the United States, where success and failure is attributed to the individual, with little notice of the larger social and political realities that inform an individual's circumstances and choices.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Physical activity and nutritional status of children of low socioeconomic status. Two interrelated problems: undernutrition and overweight.

The aim of this study was to analyse the level of habitual physical activity (HPA) and nutritional status of children attending selected public schools in Brazil. The sample comprised 1719 participants who ranged in age from 11 to 14 yrs with 861 females (F) aged 12.7+/-1.0 yr and 858 males (M) aged 12.7+/-1.0 yr. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to measure HPA. Nutritional status was assessed using the body mass index (BMI). Statistical analyses included ANOVA followed by the post-hoc Tukey-test (P<0.05) which showed a statistically significant difference between M and F in time spent in moderate intensity physical activity. F completed more moderate intensity physical activity than M whereas time in vigorous physical activities was higher in M than F. Analyses of BMI and IPAQ categorical score using Pearson product moment correlations with subsequent Fisher Z transformation showed values of Z = 0.49 for females and Z = 0.44 for males, indicating a low relationship between these variables. HPA levels showed 93.7% of the M and 91.1% of the F were at least minimally active. According to BMI values, 7.3% of the cohort was underweight; 83.0% normal weight; 8.3% overweight and 1.3% obese. These results demand attention, particularly for children at the lower end of nutritional status and HPA levels due to the potential negative impact on their growth and development. At the other end of the nutritional spectrum, one needs to be concerned regarding the levels of excess body weight, mainly considering the poor region in which the children live.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Why do women of low socioeconomic status have poorer dietary behaviours than women of higher socioeconomic status? A qualitative exploration.

In developed countries, persons of low socioeconomic status (SES) are generally less likely to consume diets consistent with dietary guidelines. Little is known about the mechanisms that underlie SES differences in eating behaviours. Since women are often responsible for dietary choices within households, this qualitative study investigated factors that may contribute to socioeconomic inequalities in dietary behaviour among women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 high-, 19 mid- and 18 low- SES women, recruited from Melbourne, Australia, using an area-level indicator of SES. An ecological framework, in which individual, social and environmental level influences on diet were considered, was used to guide the development of interview questions and interpretation of the data. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify the main themes emerging from the data. Several key influences varied by SES. These included food-related values such as health consciousness, and a lack of time due to family commitments (more salient among higher SES women), as well as perceived high cost of healthy eating and lack of time due to work commitments (more important for low SES women). Reported availability of and access to good quality healthy foods did not differ strikingly across SES groups. Public health strategies aimed at reducing SES inequalities in diet might focus on promoting healthy diets that are low cost, as well as promoting time-efficient food preparation strategies for all women.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Cardiovascular risk reduction: a randomized trial of two health promotion strategies for lowering risk in a community with low socioeconomic status.

AIM: To compare the effects of information pamphlets with those of group counselling on cardiovascular risk among individuals from a community with low socioeconomic status. METHODS: Risk factors for coronary heart disease were assessed in 1131 men and women from a community with low socioeconomic status in suburban Melbourne. Individuals deemed to be at moderate risk, on the basis of an integrated risk score greater than 65, were asked to participate in a randomized trial comparing two simple interventions designed to reduce cardiovascular risk. One hundred and sixty-four individuals were randomly assigned to group A (n = 85) and participated in a single group counselling session lasting between 1.5 and 2.0 h. Group B (n = 79) received a specially prepared pamphlet that provided brief written information concerning risk-factor modification. Both groups were asked to attend a follow-up assessment of risk factors 3 and 6 months after entry. RESULTS: There were no significant difference in the change in risk-factor levels between those receiving information pamphlets and those attending the group counselling session after 3 or 6 months of follow-up. Small but significant decreases (P<0.05) were seen in systolic and diastolic blood pressures (-5/4 mmHg for group A, -5/3 mmHg for group B), total plasma cholesterol level (-0.30 mmol/l for groups A and B) and overall coronary risk score (-14.4 and -13.9 for groups A and B, respectively). Body weight remained unchanged during the study period in both groups. CONCLUSION: Screening together with 1.5-2h group counselling had no more influence on cardiovascular risk factors than screening together with provision of information pamphlets in a population with low socioeconomic status.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Recruitment of Montreal women of very low socioeconomic status for a randomized clinical study].

Studies show that it is difficult to recruit women of low socioeconomic status as clinical research participants. Such an objective was attained though as our results demonstrate in an evaluative study of a program implemented to lower the percentage of low birthweight in four CLSCs of the Island of Montreal between 1994 and 1996. The global recruitment strategy enabled us to reach 56.2% of our goal in 1994 and 77.4% in 1996. Two conclusions can be drawn from this result: the effectiveness of the three methods of recruitment varied according to each participating CLSC, and the global strategy, combined with the mobilization of community resources, was successful in enrolling women of low socioeconomic status.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Improving physical fitness and emotional well-being in adolescents of low socioeconomic status in Chile: results of a school-based controlled trial.

Regular physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality, and mortality due to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Among adolescents, physical activity is associated with benefits in the prevention and control of emotional distress, and improvement of self-esteem. Countries in transitional epidemiological scenarios, such as Chile, need to develop effective strategies to improve physical activity as a way to face the epidemic of chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a school-based physical activity program on physical fitness and mental health status of adolescents living in a low socioeconomic status area in Santiago, Chile. A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the effects of the program over one academic year. The study included 198 students aged 15 years old. Two ninth grade classes were randomly selected as the intervention group, with two classes of the same grade as controls. A social planning approach was used to develop the intervention. The program was designed and implemented based on student preferences, teachers' expertise and local resources. Changes in physiological and mental health status were assessed. After the intervention, maximum oxygen capacity achieved a significant increase of 8.5% in the intervention versus 1.8% in the control group (p < 0.0001). Speed and jump performance scores improved significantly more in the intervention versus the control group (p > 0.01). Anxiety score decreased 13.7% in the intervention group versus 2.8% in the control group (p < 0.01), and self-esteem score increased 2.3% in the intervention group and decreased 0.1% in the control group after the end of the program (p < 0.0001). No significant change was observed in the depressive score. Student participation and compliance with the program was > 80%. To conclude, a school-based program to improve physical activity in adolescents of low socioeconomic status, obtained a high level of participation and achieved significant benefits in terms of physical fitness and mental health status.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1982

Depressive symptoms and the diagnosis of affective disorder in a clinic population of low socioeconomic status.

The authors used the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale to measure the level of depressive symptoms in a self-referred clinic population whose socioeconomic status was low. They found that the population suffered a high degree of depression and that the diagnosis of major affective syndrome predominated. The depression scale used was found to be a good indicator of probable depression in this population. The authors suggest further investigation of the linkage between socioeconomic status and affective disorder.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Outcome after developmental intervention in the neonatal intensive care unit for mothers of preterm infants with low socioeconomic status.

The efficacy of developmental intervention in the neonatal intensive care unit for mothers of preterm infants with low socioeconomic status was evaluated. Mothers were assigned to an experimental group in which they met at least weekly with an infant-development specialist or to a control group in which they did not. During the sessions, they participated in a structured developmental and behavioral assessment of their infants, with the goal of enhancing their ability to provide appropriate interactions and environmental stimulation for their infants. When the infants were 4 and 8 months of age, follow-up home visits by a nurse who was unaware of group assignment showed that the experimental-group infants performed more optimally on the Bayley Mental scale (Bayley Scales of Infant Development) at 4 and 8 months of age and on the Bayley Motor scale at 4 months. In addition, the home environment was more developmentally appropriate at 4 months of age, and the mothers rated their babies as temperamentally less difficult at 4 and 8 months. We conclude that a mother-focused, neonatal intensive care unit-based program that utilizes the assessment process in a therapeutic way is an effective strategy in the initiation of interventions for families of low socioeconomic status whose infants were born prematurely.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Is inflammation a causal chain between low socioeconomic status and type 2 diabetes? Results from the KORA Survey 2000.

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with type 2 diabetes. Inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) are predictive of diabetes. It is unclear, whether inflammation may be a mechanism linking low SES to type 2 diabetes. In the population-based KORA Survey 2000, 766 men and 710 women aged 55 to 74 years were randomly selected in the Augsburg region (Southern Germany). An index for SES was defined using education, occupation, and income. In women but not in men, increased CRP concentrations were found with lower SES (p<0.01). This significant trend was no longer observed after adjusting for BMI and waist circumference (p=0.23). Low SES was significantly associated with the age-adjusted odds of having type 2 diabetes both in men (OR; 95%CI: 1.35; 1.14-1.60) and in women (2.01; 1.37-2.96). The risk of having diabetes associated with low SES was only slightly changed after adjusting for CRP, which was itself significantly related to diabetes. In multivariate analyses, adjusting for age, obesity, physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, and CRP, low SES yielded only a borderline statistical significance in women (p=0.07), whereas no significant association with diabetes remained in men (p=0.14). After CRP was dropped from the full model, there was no change in the OR obtained for low SES (men: 1.30; 0.92-1.83; women: 1.54; 0.97-2.45). Low SES was not related to prediabetes (IFG, IGT), whereas CRP was significantly associated with diabetes precursors. In conclusion, inflammation appears not to play a major role linking low SES and type 2 diabetes in the elderly population.

Aged↗

PubMed1999

Sex differences in cardiovascular disease: are women with low socioeconomic status at high risk?

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is still portrayed as a typical male disease, and men are more often submitted to invasive procedures or referred earlier. AIM: To explore sex differences in morbidity and referral patterns in cardiovascular disease in general practice, and the role of age and socioeconomic status. METHOD: Data were obtained from a continuous morbidity registration project in the Netherlands from 1986 to 1995 in which 12,000 patients were followed over 10 years. The effects of sex, age, and socioeconomic status on morbidity of cardiovascular disease and the referral patterns were established. RESULTS: The sex difference in morbidity becomes smaller with increasing age. Morbidity was highest in the lower socioeconomic status in general and for angina pectoris in particular. Women with angina pectoris with low socioeconomic status have a relative risk of 2.24 (CI = 1.17-3.26) compared with women with high socioeconomic status. In men, no significant difference was found between the socioeconomic status groups. For angina pectoris the sex difference in referral to the specialist was most significant: 50.6% and 26.6% (P = 0.002) for men and women respectively. CONCLUSION: For women, low socioeconomic status was associated with relatively higher morbidity of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction than for men. Women are less likely to be referred than men are, in particular for angina pectoris.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Depressive symptoms in the late postpartum among low socioeconomic status women.

BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression has been the focus of much research in the past 15 years, but little is known about factors associated with depression of longer duration or later onset. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to analyze the relationship between stressful life conditions and postnatal depression in a group of women of low socioeconomic status from the third week to the sixth month postpartum. METHODS: Nulliparas who met criteria for low socioeconomic status were recruited from the prenatal care clinics of four Montreal hospitals. Questionnaires were verbally administered in the home at 30 weeks' gestation, at 3 and 9 weeks postpartum, and at 6 months postpartum. Blockwise multiple linear regression analyses were performed by entering predictor variables that included sociodemographic characteristics, chronic stressors, life events, and social support network. RESULTS: Sixty-eight women participated in the study. At 6 months postpartum, 38.2 percent of the mothers had a Beck Depression Inventory score of 10 or more. After accounting for previous depression, analyses indicated that chronic stressors (maternal health problems, infant difficulty, lack of money for basic needs, frequent conflicts with network members) and poor social support (informational and emotional) were associated with postnatal depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Health practitioners should recognize that high depressive symptomatology frequently occurs among low socioeconomic status first-time mothers at six months postpartum. Chronic stressors and inadequate social support are the most important factors associated with this problem.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Does low socioeconomic status potentiate the effects of heightened cardiovascular responses to stress on the progression of carotid atherosclerosis?

OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether heightened cardiovascular reactivity and low socioeconomic status had synergistic effects on the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in a population of eastern Finnish men. METHODS: Data from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study were used to measure 4-year progression of intima-media thickness in 882 men according to cardiovascular reactivity and socioeconomic status. Associations were examined in relation to risk factors and were stratified by baseline levels of atherosclerosis and prevalent ischemic heart disease. RESULTS: The effect of reactivity on atherosclerotic progression depended on socioeconomic status. Men who had heightened cardiovascular responsiveness to stress and were born into poor families, received little education, or had low incomes had the greatest atherosclerotic progression. CONCLUSIONS: An understanding of associations between individual risk factors and disease should be based on etiologic hypotheses that are conceived at the population level and involve fundamental social and economic causes of disease. This study demonstrates how examining the interaction of an individual biological predisposition will low socioeconomic status over the life course is etiologically informative for understanding the progression of atherosclerotic vascular disease.

Arteriosclerosis↗