TY - JOUR
T1 - A comparison of socioeconomic differences in physical functioning and perceived health among male and female employees in Britain, Finland and Japan
AU - Martikainen, Pekka
AU - Lahelma, Eero
AU - Marmot, Michael
AU - Sekine, Michikazu
AU - Nishi, Nobuo
AU - Kagamimori, Sadanobu
N1 - Funding Information:
PM has a fellowship and a grant (70631, 48600) from the Academy of Finland. MM is supported by a United Kingdom MRC Research Professorship.
Funding Information:
The Helsinki Health Study is supported by grants from the Academy of Finland, Research Council for Health (48119, 48553 and 53245) and the Finnish Work Environment Fund (99090).
Funding Information:
The Whitehall II study has been supported by grants from the Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, Health and Safety Executive, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (HL36310), National Institute on Aging (AG13196), Agency for Health Care Policy Research (HS06516), The New England Medical Centre: Division of Health Improvement, Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, and the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation Research Networks on Successful Midlife Development and Socio-economic Status and Health.
PY - 2004/9
Y1 - 2004/9
N2 - We compared the pattern of socioeconomic inequalities in physical functioning and perceived health among male and female employees in Britain, Finland and Japan. Participants were male and female public sector employees in Britain, Finland and Japan, who were economically active and 40-60 year-olds at the time of data collection. We measured perceived health and physical functioning (SF-36 physical component summary) with standardized health questionnaires. The results obtained here reconfirm the similarity of the patterns of ill-health of those with lower socioeconomic status among non-manual men and women in Britain and Finland. These data also provide good evidence for a socioeconomic gradient in ill-health among Japanese non-manual men, although this gradient was less systematic. For Japanese men poorer health of manual workers as compared to non-manual workers was well demonstrated. However, among Japanese women socioeconomic differences in health were small and inconsistent. In conclusion, Britain, Finland and Japan - representing 'liberal', 'Nordic' and 'conservative' welfare state regimes - produce broadly similar patterns of socioeconomic differences in health among men. However, different patterns of labour force participation and welfare provision in different welfare regimes may bring about different patterns of socioeconomic differences in health for working women. This is exemplified by the lack of health inequalities among employed Japanese women.
AB - We compared the pattern of socioeconomic inequalities in physical functioning and perceived health among male and female employees in Britain, Finland and Japan. Participants were male and female public sector employees in Britain, Finland and Japan, who were economically active and 40-60 year-olds at the time of data collection. We measured perceived health and physical functioning (SF-36 physical component summary) with standardized health questionnaires. The results obtained here reconfirm the similarity of the patterns of ill-health of those with lower socioeconomic status among non-manual men and women in Britain and Finland. These data also provide good evidence for a socioeconomic gradient in ill-health among Japanese non-manual men, although this gradient was less systematic. For Japanese men poorer health of manual workers as compared to non-manual workers was well demonstrated. However, among Japanese women socioeconomic differences in health were small and inconsistent. In conclusion, Britain, Finland and Japan - representing 'liberal', 'Nordic' and 'conservative' welfare state regimes - produce broadly similar patterns of socioeconomic differences in health among men. However, different patterns of labour force participation and welfare provision in different welfare regimes may bring about different patterns of socioeconomic differences in health for working women. This is exemplified by the lack of health inequalities among employed Japanese women.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=2942604331&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.01.005
DO - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.01.005
M3 - 学術論文
C2 - 15210099
AN - SCOPUS:2942604331
SN - 0277-9536
VL - 59
SP - 1287
EP - 1295
JO - Social Science and Medicine
JF - Social Science and Medicine
IS - 6
ER -