How does socioeconomic status affect health care?

Asked by: Dr. Branson Muller PhD  |  Last update: October 7, 2023
Score: 4.2/5 (2 votes)

Low SES is an important determinant of access to health care. Persons with low incomes are more likely to be Medicaid recipients or uninsured, have poor-quality health care, and seek health care less often; when they do seek health care, it is more likely to be for an emergency.

How does socioeconomic status affect health?

Previous research have found that people with higher professional status enjoy more work autonomy, engage in less manual labor, have fewer occasions of being exposed to health risks. Similarly, higher incomes are usually associated with better nutritional status, housing conditions, medical services, etc.

What does socioeconomic status mean in healthcare?

A way of describing people based on their education, income, and type of job. Socioeconomic status is usually described as low, medium, and high. People with a lower socioeconomic status usually have less access to financial, educational, social, and health resources than those with a higher socioeconomic status.

Why is socioeconomic important in healthcare?

Individuals with low socioeconomic status tend to have less comprehensive health insurance coverage. Additionally, socioeconomic status can significantly impact health outcomes, patient satisfaction, and physician perception of the care and treatment a patient needs.

What are 3 socioeconomic factors that would affect a person's health?

The following list provides examples of the social determinants of health, which can influence health equity in positive and negative ways:
  • Income and social protection.
  • Education.
  • Unemployment and job insecurity.
  • Working life conditions.
  • Food insecurity.
  • Housing, basic amenities and the environment.

The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Health

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What are examples of social factors affecting health?

Social determinants of health such as poverty, unequal access to health care, lack of education, stigma, and racism are underlying, contributing factors of health inequities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is committed to achieving improvements in people's lives by reducing health inequities.

What are examples of socioeconomic risk factors?

Social and Economic Risk Factors
  • High concentrations of poverty.
  • Diminished economic opportunities.
  • Socially disorganized neighborhoods.
  • High levels of family disruption.
  • Low community participation.
  • Social and cultural norms that encourage violence.

Is socioeconomic status the most important predictor of health?

In fact, SES is considered by some to be the most important influence in morbidity and mortality (Adler & Snibbe, 2003). Firstly, those of lower SES have less access to health care (APA, 2007).

Why is socioeconomic impact important?

Socio-economic impact assessment (SEIA) is a useful tool to help understand the potential range of impacts of a proposed change, and the likely responses of those impacted if the change occurs.

What is an example of a socio-economic status?

Examples of things that make up a person's socioeconomic status include the amount and type of education the person has, their income, their type of occupation, and their area of residence.

How does social class affect health care?

Individuals of lower socioeconomic status in the United States experience a wide array of health problems as a result of their economic status. They are unable to use health care as often, and when they do it is of lower quality, even though they generally tend to experience a much higher rate of health issues.

On what factors is a patient's socioeconomic status based?

Socioeconomic status is the position of an individual or group on the socioeconomic scale, which is determined by a combination of social and economic factors such as income, amount and kind of education, type and prestige of occupation, place of residence, and—in some societies or parts of society—ethnic origin or ...

Do patients socioeconomic differences affect the relationship today?

Results show that patients from lower social classes receive less positive socio-emotional utterances and a more directive and less participatory consulting style, characterised by significantly less information giving, less directions and less socio-emotional and partnership building utterances from their doctor.

What are the 5 socioeconomic factors?

Socio-economic factors include occupation, education, income, wealth and where someone lives.

How does socioeconomic status affect physical and mental health?

People with lower SES have lower autonomy to work, corresponding to more pressure and negative emotions. Cristine et al. [8] believed that people with adverse SES are more likely to fall into a negative environment, have negative emotions, and suffer from potential stress, all of which have a negative effect on health.

What are the types of socioeconomic impact?

Socio-economic impacts studies include: qualitative community impacts such as project educational and quality of life benefits; project competitive impacts; and the impacts considered in EIS such as population, demographics, land use and economy.

Why does socioeconomic class matter?

It matters to sociologists because the fact that it exists reflects unequal access to rights, resources, and power in society—what we call social stratification.

Why is socioeconomic status high?

High SES is considered to provide a healthy and enriched stimulating environment in which personality may develop appropriately, whereas children of low-income groups may develop feelings of insecurity and inferiority and an unhealthy attitude toward people and objects.

What is the relationship between socioeconomic status and access to healthcare?

Low SES is an important determinant of access to health care. Persons with low incomes are more likely to be Medicaid recipients or uninsured, have poor-quality health care, and seek health care less often; when they do seek health care, it is more likely to be for an emergency.

Is socioeconomic a social determinant of health?

Social determinants of health include factors like socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood and physical environment, employment, and social support networks, as well as access to health care.

What is the most impactful social determinant of health?

Perhaps the most powerful social determinant of health is income. All of us have seen too many patients who could not afford their medications, a healthy diet, or a proper place to live—and how this affected their health status.

What are four socioeconomic issues?

Despite its natural wealth, the country nevertheless faces a number of socio-economic challenges, which include high unemployment, poverty, social inequality, and limited access to public services.

How is socioeconomic status related to health and life expectancy?

Men and women in the lowest SES group had 12 and 9 years' lower life expectancy, respectively, than those in the highest SES group of the same age. The study also found that the lower the SES, the higher odds of death, independent of age and sex.

What are some socioeconomic factors that affect an individual's health?

Socioeconomic factors —such as income, employment, housing and education—can affect a person's health. People who are disadvantaged in one or more of these areas may have difficulty accessing health care, and this may in turn impact on their overall health and wellbeing.

What are social risk factors for poor health?

There is growing recognition that social risk factors – such as poverty, minority race and/or ethnicity, social isolation, and limited community resources – play a major role in health, and significant gaps remain in health and in life expectancy based on poverty, race, ethnicity, and community environment.