Health inequalities

Inequalities in child health outcomes

Stavros Petrou has undertaken two projects exploring socioeconomic inequalities in child health outcomes. Both studies were based upon data from the Oxford Record Linkage Study, a collection of linked, anonymised birth registrations, death certificates and statistical abstracts of NHS hospital inpatient and day case admissions for part of southern England. The studies revealed significant social class inequalities in a wide range of adverse child health outcomes.

Publications

Petrou, S, Kupek, E, Hockley, C, and Goldacre, M (2006). Social class inequalities in childhood mortality and morbidity in an English population. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 20(1):14-23.

Petrou S, Kupek E. Socioeconomic differences in childhood hospital inpatient service utilisation and costs: prospective cohort study.

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2005; 59(7): 591-597.

Inequalities in maternal outcomes

This study explored socioeconomic inequalities in maternal outcomes using data from the Millennium Cohort Study. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between income inequalities and self-reported health among mothers of the 18,819 children participating in the Millennium Cohort Study. Complex survey logistic regression analysis with sampling weights was used to model the relationship between self-reported health status and equivalised household income, after controlling for socioeconomic, demographic and lifestyle confounders.

The study provides support for the existence of an income gradient for postnatal health status. We conclude that efforts to reduce income inequalities in adverse maternal health outcomes are likely to require macro and microeconomic initiatives.

Publications

Petrou, S, Kupek, E, and Gray, R (2007). Income inequalities and self-reported maternal health status: cross sectional national survey. BJOG, 114(8):1018-22.