Role of respondents’ education as a mediator and moderator in the association between childhood socio-economic status and later health and wellbeing

Table 2 The proportion of healthy respondents in the study sample, and within each exposure and mediator category

	% of healthy^arespondents
		Exposures (indicators of CSES)						Mediator
Measures of subjective health and wellbeing	Total (n = 12,984)	Childhood financial conditions (n = 12,027)		Mothers’ education (n = 11,729)		Fathers’ education (n = 11,580)		Respondents’ education (n = 12,798)
		Low n = 3317 (27.6%)	High n = 8710 (72.4%)	Low n = 9233 (78.7%)	High n = 2496 (21.3%)	Low n = 7435 (64.2%)	High n = 4145 (35.8%)	Non-university education n = 7962 (62.2%)	University education n = 4836 (37.8%)
Composite EQ-5D	44.6	34.6	48.4	42.2	54.1	41.6	50.4	38.1	54.8
EQ-5D health dimensions
- Mobility	87.6	82.5	89.6	86.8	91.8	86.5	90.3	84.4	92.7
- Self-care	97.6	96.2	98.2	97.5	98.5	97.4	98.1	96.9	98.7
- Usual activities	85.1	78.6	87.5	84.2	89.5	83.9	87.7	81.8	90.4
- Pain/discomfort	49.7	40.6	53.2	47.1	60.5	46.5	56.2	42.9	60.9
Anxiety/depression	82.3	75.8	84.8	81.9	85.1	82.0	83.7	80.6	85.3
Self-rated health	65.8	55.2	70.7	64.3	76.8	63.0	74.1	59.2	77.2
Age-comparative self-rated health	30.3	28.6	31.4	29.2	36.2	28.9	34.0	25.6	37.9
Subjective wellbeing	36.4	25.9	40.3	35.3	40.3	35.5	38.0	33.8	39.9

^aHealth for EQ-5D was measured in three levels: level one ‘no problems’, level two ‘some problems’ level three ‘unable’ or having ‘extreme problems’. Healthy for composite EQ-5D and for all EQ-5D health dimensions included all respondents ticking level one for all five dimensions, or the single health dimension, respectively. Self-rated health was measured by the question “How do you in general consider your own health to be?”: very good, good, neither good nor bad, bad, and very bad. Healthy included those ticking very good or good. Age-comparative self-rated health was measured with the question “How do you consider your health compared to that of others your age?”: much better, somewhat better, about the same, a little worse, and much worse. Relatively healthy included those ticking the first two levels. Subjective wellbeing was measured by the first three items from the satisfaction with life scale measured on a 7-point scale. High wellbeing included those who reported 6 or 7 for all three items. CSES: childhood socioeconomic status.

ISSN: 1471-2458