The social gradient in work and health: a cross-sectional study exploring the relationship between working conditions and health inequalities

Table 4 Social gradient in self-reported health outcomes and different white and blue-collar job characteristics and working conditions as possible explanatory factors

	Poor self-rated health		Limited physical functioning (2–4)		Long sickness absence (6+ days/year)		Strong stress feelings (4–5)		Increased burnout symptoms (16–24)
	%	aOR	%	aOR	%	aOR	%	aOR	%	aOR
Model I ^a
Social class
I (lowest)	18.7	1	17.7	1	24.0	1	14.9	1	6.1	1
II	14.1	0.78	8.3	0.51***	16.2	0.61**	14.1	0.96	5.5	0.90
III	13.0	0.70	7.9	0.48**	13.5	0.51***	13.3	0.93	4.5	0.82
IV	10.1	0.54*	3.4	0.21***	9.7	0.34***	19.3	1.43	11.0	2.04*
V (highest)	8.2	0.43*	3.0	0.19***	4.5	0.15***	19.5	1.44	9.7	1.75*
Social class*age		0.98*		1.00		1.00		0.99*		1.00
Social class*sex (female)		0.99		1.32		1.55**		1.22		1.56*
Model II ^b
Social class
I (lowest)		1		1		1		1		1
II		1.00		0.64*		0.72		1.08		1.36
III		1.03		0.74		0.75		1.10		1.82
IV		0.85		0.29**		0.50*		1.99**		6.55***
V (highest)		0.78		0.43		0.26**		2.25**		7.37***
Model III ^c
Social class
I (lowest)		1		1		1		1		1
II		0.66*		0.45***		0.57**		0.65*		0.57
III		0.61*		0.43**		0.54**		0.58*		0.47
IV		0.42**		0.17***		0.35***		0.75		1.01
V (highest)		0.26***		0.16***		0.14***		0.61		0.64
Model IV ^d
Social class
I (lowest)		1		1		1		1		1
II		0.88		0.56*		0.64*		0.69		0.72
III		0.90		0.61		0.71		0.57*		0.73
IV		0.68		0.25**		0.46*		0.83		1.92
V (highest)		0.45		0.35		0.21***		0.72		1.46
Social class*age		0.99		0.99		1.00		0.98**		1.00
Social class*sex (female)		0.98		1.13		1.34**		1.10		1.30

*p ≤ .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.
^a OR adjusted for sex and age.
^b OR additionally adjusted for blue-collar job characteristics covering mainly physical work factors.
^c OR additionally adjusted for white-collar job characteristics covering mainly psychosocial work factors.
^d OR additionally adjusted for blue AND white-collar job characteristics, i.e. for physical AND psychosocial work factors.

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