The Socioeconomic Gradient in Daily Colds and Influenza, Headaches, and Pain The Socioeconomic Gradient in Colds and Flu

Stone AA, Krueger AB, Steptoe A, et al. — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

That markers of socioeconomic status (SES) such as household income and educational attainment are associated with major health outcomes is a compelling finding, although the cause(s) of the association are unknown. The SES gradient in serious health problems is well established in the United States and other countries. It is less clear if SES is related to health on a day-to-day basis, that is, to respiratory symptoms, headaches, and pain from all causes. Everyday symptoms are important components of health that significantly affect productivity and peoples' well-being. Compared with other outcomes that have previously been related to SES, everyday symptoms may be associated with different pathological processes that are more short lived (eg, time-limited alteration in immune function) than chronic conditions. An opportunity to explore the associations between 4 everyday symptoms and SES in a large-scale, representative US population sample was possible through the use of a new Gallup-Healthways survey. We examined associations between education and household income (SES markers) and self-reported cold, influenza, headache, and pain reported for the previous day. Although self-reports are subject to various distortions, the brief recall interval reduces the likelihood of recall errors.

JAMA Internal Medicine: Headache Topic Collection

The Socioeconomic Gradient in Daily Colds and Influenza, Headaches, and Pain The Socioeconomic Gradient in Colds and Flu