Self-reported health and socioeconomic status: results from a population-based study in Tehran, Iran

To investigate the relation between social class and self-reported health among the general population in Tehran. Material &

Using a multi-stage cluster sampling method in all, 4163 healthy individuals aged 15 years and over were interviewed. Social class was measured using two indicators: Area of residence and years of formal education. Health status was measured using Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36).

The mean age of the respondents was 35.1 (sd: 16) years. 52% were female, mostly married (58%) and the mean years of formal education for whole population was I O (SD: 4.5). Overall, women reported poorer health (P<0/001). The results showed that there was a significant difference between educational level, area of residence and self-reported health. In other words: those with higher education rated their health better than those with lower education (P<0/00 I) and living in different areas affect the people perception of health (p<0/00 I).

The study findings suggest that perception of health is highly associated with people socioeconomic background.