Low social status increases health risks

Men and women with lower income and education levels are more likely to develop medical conditions associated with alcohol abuse compared to similar individuals of higher socio-economic status. Alexis Edwards of Virginia Commonwealth University and colleagues report these findings in a new study published March 19.^th in open access journals PLOS medicine.

The World Health Organization estimates that harmful alcohol use accounts for 5.1% of the global burden of disease and injury worldwide, resulting in 3 million deaths each year. Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to financial losses. Although previous research has identified an association between a person's socio-economic status and alcohol use, it is currently unclear whether an individual's social class affects their future risk of developing alcohol-related conditions such as alcoholic liver disease. It is unclear what impact this will have on

In the new study, the researchers used a model that followed people over time and used two indicators of socioeconomic status: income and education level to estimate the risk of developing conditions from alcohol abuse. Researchers analyzed personal data on more than 2.3 million people in a Swedish database and showed that both men and women with lower incomes and lower education levels were more likely to develop these symptoms. This association held true even when researchers controlled for other relevant factors, such as marital status, history of mental illness, and genetic predisposition to alcohol abuse.

This new finding is important for understanding which populations are most likely to suffer from conditions associated with alcohol abuse and contributes to the growing literature on health disparities due to socio-economic factors. The researchers recommended that people with lower incomes and education levels may require additional screening by clinicians to assess alcohol intake and identify associated symptoms.

The authors go on to say, “Among people with alcohol use disorders, those with lower levels of education and income are at higher risk of developing alcohol-related conditions such as liver cirrhosis and alcoholic cardiomyopathy.” Additional screening and prevention efforts may be warranted to reduce disparities.”

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For interviews, please use this URL to access the article, which is available for free. PLOS medicine: http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004359

QuoteIn: Edwards AC, Larsson Lönn S, Chartier KG, Lanoy S, Sundquist J, Kendler KS, et al. (2024) Socioeconomic status indicators and risk of alcohol-related medical conditions: a Swedish national cohort study. PLoS Med 21(3): e1004359. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004359

author's country: America, Sweden

Funding: This project was supported by grant AA023534 from the National Institutes of Health to KK and KS, grant (2020-01175) from the Swedish Research Council to JS, and ALF funding from the Skåne Region awarded to KS. I did. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.