Item – Theses Canada

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OCLC number
46506360
Author
Cairney, John,1968-
Title
Health, aging and class : structural influences on self-reported morbidity among the aged in Canada.
Degree
M.A. -- Queen's University at Kingston, 1995
Publisher
Ottawa : National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1996.
Description
2 microfiches.
Notes
Includes bibliographical references.
Abstract
Despite the vast amount of literature on the relationship between social class and health, little work has been done on post-retirement populations. Using the 1991 General Social Survey, a sample of respondents (N = 1943) aged 65 to 99 was selected for analysis. Three social class variables, income adequacy, education and occupation were used along with several lifestyle variables, and demographic controls to predict six different measures of health status. The findings supported a disease-specific approach to the study of class differences in morbidity, as not all of the dependent variables were predicted with the same measures. Of the three class indicators used in this study, income adequacy was the most consistent predictor of the health measures in this population. A theoretical framework for explaining class differentials in health, the Social Structure and Personality model, was tested. Since the results failed to indicate any straightforward correlation between social class and lifestyle variables, this model was less well supported than the relative material deprivation hypothesis. Finally, the five equations which showed significant class effects were used to estimate the effect of altered income adequacy on specific morbid conditions. These results were discussed in terms of possible policy interventions.
Subject
Older people Health and hygiene Canada Mathematical models.
Poor older people Health and hygiene Canada Mathematical models.
Social classes Canada Mathematical models.
Personnes âgées Santé et hygiène Canada Modèles mathématiques.
Personnes âgées pauvres Santé et hygiène Canada Modèles mathématiques.
Classes sociales Canada Modèles mathématiques.
ISBN
0612046680
9780612046689