Are neighbourhood inequalities in adult health explained by socio-economic and psychosocial determinants in adolescence and the subsequent life course in northern Sweden? A decomposition analysis. (July 2018) - Jonsson, Frida
Abstract: This study explains neighbourhood deprivation inequalities in adult health for a northern Swedish cohort by examining the contribution of socio-economic and psychosocial determinants from adolescence (age 16), young adulthood (age 21) and midlife (age 42) to the disparity. Self-reported information from 873 participants was drawn from questionnaires, with complementary neighbourhood register data. The concentration index was used to estimate the inequality while decomposition analyses were run to attribute the disparity to its underlying determinants. The results suggest that socio-economic and psychosocial factors in midlife explain a substantial part, but also that the inequality can originate from conditions in adolescence and young adulthood. Highlights: Poor health tend to be more common in socio-economically deprived neighbourhoods. Previous research have explained this inequality, albeit mostly cross-sectionally. Adult neighbourhood inequalities in health are attributed to factors from mid-life. They can also be rooted in experiences from adolescence and young adulthood.