Equalisation of alcohol participation among socioeconomic groups over time: an analysis based on the total differential approach and longitudinal data from Sweden

International Journal for Equity in Health

Research

Johan Jarl¹  Ulf-Göran Gerdtham²  Jean-Baptiste Combes³ 

[1] Health Economics & Management, Institute of Economic Research, Lund University, P.O. Box 117, SE-221 00, Lund, Sweden;Center for Primary Health Care Research, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University/Region Skåne, SE-205 02, Malmö, Sweden;Health Economics & Management, Institute of Economic Research, Lund University, P.O. Box 117, SE-221 00, Lund, Sweden;Center for Primary Health Care Research, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University/Region Skåne, SE-205 02, Malmö, Sweden;Economics Department, Lund University, P.O. Box 117, SE-221 00, Lund, Sweden;Health Economics Research Unit (HERU), University of Aberdeen, Polwarth Building, Foresterhill, AB25 2ZD, Aberdeen, UK;National School for Statistics and Information Analysis (ENSAI), Campus de Ker-Lann, Rue Blaise Pascal, BP 37203, 35172, Bruz Cedex, France;

关键词: Alcohol Consumption;    Health Inequality;    Concentration Index;    Generalise Little Square;    Individual Heterogeneity;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1475-9276-10-10

 received in 2010-08-02, accepted in 2011-02-10,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundHealth inequality and its social determinants are well-studied, but the determinants of inequality of alcohol consumption are less well-investigated.MethodsThe total differential approach of decomposition of changes in the concentration index of the probability of participation in alcohol consumption was applied to 8-year longitudinal data for Swedish women aged 28-76 in 1988/89.ResultsAlcohol consumption showed a pro-rich inequality, with income being a strong contributor. Overall participation remained fairly constant, but the inequality decreased over time as abstinence became less common among the poor and more common among the rich. This was mainly due to changes in the relative weights of certain population groups, such as a decrease in the proportional size of the oldest cohorts.ConclusionsInequality in participation in alcohol consumption is pro-rich in Sweden. This inequality has tended to decrease over time, due to changes in population composition rather than to policy intervention.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Combes et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011