Socio-Economic Status Gradient in Health: Micro Evidence from Turkey

Year 2018, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 53 - 77, 30.03.2018

Burcu Düzgün Öncel

https://doi.org/10.25229/beta.397967

Abstract

Numerous studies have shown a strong relationship between health and socio-economic status (SES). However determining which aspect of SES affects health and how much more rapidly health declines for some individuals than others over life cycle are keys to policy debate. In this respect, by using TURKSTAT’s 2010 Survey of Income and Living Conditions (SILC), the contribution of this study to the literature is depicting SES gradient in health over life course by using different aspects of SES for Turkey. Results show that the bottom of SES hierarchy are in much worse health than those at the top and average health among men is better than women. The health gradient exists in all indicators of SES. We observe relatively wide SES gradient in health in middleages and narrowing of it in old ages implying some mixture of cumulative advantage
hypothesis and age-as-leveler hypothesis operates through life cycle.

Keywords

socio-economic status, health gradient, life-cycle

References

• Beckett, M. (2000) Converging Health Inequalities in Later Life: An Artificant of Mortality Selections. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 41(1), 106-119.
• Case, A. & Deaton, A. (2005) Broken Down by Work and Sex: How Our Health Declines. David A. Wise (ed.), Analyses in the Economics of Aging, Chicago, Chicago University Press, for NBER.
• Cutler, D. M., Lleras-Muney, A. & Vogl, T. (2008) Socioeconomic Status and Health: Dimensions and Mechanisms. NBER Working Paper, No.14333.
• Deaton, A. (2007) Income, Aging, Health and Wellbeing Around the World: Evidence from the Gallup World Poll. NBER Working Paper, No.W13317.
• Deaton, A.S. & Paxson, C.H. (1998) Aging and Inequality in Income and Health. American Economic Review, 88(2), 248-263.
• Grossman, M. (1972) On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health. Journal of Political Economy, 80(2), 223-255.
• Herd, P. (2006) Do Functional Health Inequalities Decrease in Old Age. Research on Aging, 28(3), 375-392.
• Idler, E.L. & Benyamini, Y. (1997) Self Rated Health and Mortality: A Review of Twenty-Seven Community Studies. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 38(1), 21-37.
• Kerkhofs M. & Lindeboom, M. (1995) Subjective Health Measures and State Dependent Reporting Errors. Health Economics, 4(3), 221-235.
• Lynch, S. M. (2003) Cohort and Life Course Patterns in the Relationship Between Education and Health: A Hierarchical Approach. Demography, 40(2), 309-331.
• Kunst, A. E. & Mackenbach, J.P. (1994) Mortality Differences Associated with Educational Level in Nine Industrialized Countries. American Journal of Public Health, 84(6), 932-937.
• Mackenbach, J.P., Bakker, M.J., Kunst, A.E. & Diderichsen, F. (2002) Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health in Europe: An overview. In: J.P. Mackenback and M.J. Bakker (eds.) Reducing Inequalities in Health: A European Perspective. London and New York: Routledge.
• Ross, C.E. & Wu, C.L. (1996) Education, Age and Cumulative Advantage in Health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 31(1), 104-120.
• Smith, J.P. 2004. Unraveling The SES-Health Connection. Population and Development Review, 30, 108-132.
• Smith, J. P. (2007) The Impact of SES on Health Over the Life Course. Journal of Human Resources, 42(4), 739-764.
• Van Doorslaer, E., Van Kippersluis, H., O’Donell, O. & Van Ourti, T. (2008) Socioeconomic Differences in Health Over the Life Cycle:Evidence and Explanations. NETSPAR Panel Paper, No.12.
• Van Kipperluis, H., Van Ourti, T., O’Donnel, O. & Van Doorslaer, E. (2009a) Health and income across the life cycle and generations in Europe. Journal of Health Economics, 28(4), 818-830.
• Van Kipperluis, H., Van Ourti, T., O’Donnel, O. & Van Doorslaer, E. (2009b) Socioeconomic Differences in Health Over the Life Cycle in an Egalitarian Country. Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper, No.006/3.
• Willson, A., Shuey, K. & Elder, G. (2007) Cumulative Advantage Processes As Mechanisms of Inequality in Life Course Health. American Journal of Sociology, 112(6), 1886-1924.