Socioeconomic Status and Preventive Health Behaviour

Hypotheses explaining the link between SES and preventive health care were tested; and a preliminary predictive model for preventive health behaviour was developed. Variables relating to childhood socialization, social participation, work self-direction, work constraints, powerlessness-planfulness, and health knowledge were included as were several demographic variables. Separately, none of the explanatory variables greatly accounted for the influence of SES. Combined, however, they accounted for about half of the variance of SES. Together, education, age, income, and social participation (in that order) were found to provide the most parsimonious set for predicting general preventive health behaviour.