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Socioeconomic inequalities show remarkably poor association with health and disease in Southern Croatia

International Journal of Public Health volume 60, pages 417–426 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed at investigating the association of socioeconomic status and health outcomes in populations of the two remote Croatian islands and one coastal city.

Methods

Medical history and survey information were used to create 33 variables that were analysed using logistic regression. The population from the island of Vis was followed up and mortality data were used to calculate hazard ratios using Cox regression.

Results

Socioeconomic inequalities were poorly associated with health and disease indices. In the matrix of 33 outcome variables and 13 socioeconomic predictor classes, only 10 associations were significant at the level of P < 0.001. None of the associations was replicated across samples. We did not detect the association of any socioeconomic estimate with mortality data for the island of Vis.

Conclusions

Homogenous island populations were expected to have greater levels of social homogeneity and consequently less expressed inequalities in health. The lack of stronger association in the urban population of Split is likely the result of the mechanisms that persisted from the former communist regime and high level of retained formal and informal social support.

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Acknowledgments

The 10,001 Dalmatians resource is supported by the grants from the Medical Research Council UK and the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia (MZOŠ 216-1080315-0302). Funding bodies had no influence on the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Health Studies, University of Split, Split, Croatia

    Ana Stipčić & Frane Mihanović

  2. Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia

    Tanja Ćorić & Marijan Erceg

  3. Department of Public Health, Medical School, University of Split, Soltanska 2, 21220, Split, Croatia

    Ivana Kolčić & Ozren Polašek

  4. Centre for Global Health, Medical School, University of Split, Soltanska 2, 21220, Split, Croatia

    Ivana Kolčić & Ozren Polašek

Authors
  1. Ana Stipčić
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  2. Tanja Ćorić
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  3. Marijan Erceg
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  4. Frane Mihanović
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  5. Ivana Kolčić
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  6. Ozren Polašek
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ana Stipčić.

Additional information

A. Stipčić and T. Ćorić have contributed equally.

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Stipčić, A., Ćorić, T., Erceg, M. et al. Socioeconomic inequalities show remarkably poor association with health and disease in Southern Croatia. Int J Public Health 60, 417–426 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-015-0667-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-015-0667-x

Keywords

  • Socioeconomic factors
  • Health
  • Risk factor
  • Croatia