Denise Muschik1, Jelena Jaunzeme2, Siegfried Geyer3. 1. Medical Sociology Unit, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany. muschik.denise@mh-hannover.de. 2. Medical Sociology Unit, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany. jaunzeme.jelena@mh-hannover.de. 3. Medical Sociology Unit, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany. geyer.siegfried@mh-hannover.de.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Indicators of socio-economic position are not always available for all subjects. To avoid losses of large parts of study populations, missing data are replaced by spouses' information. Despite this commonly practiced solution, systematic analyses of the consequences on substantive results of studies are rare. We examined the consequences of assigning the educational position of subjects to their partners. METHODS: German statutory health insurance data from 2005 (N = 1,801,744) and 2011 (N = 1,987,707) were used. Diagnoses of type 2 diabetes were used as outcome. Effects were examined in terms of differences in diabetes prevalence and by the reproduction of social gradients in women and men as compared to their partners. RESULTS: Social gradients were reproduced for subjects and for their partners, but diabetes prevalences were higher in partners. CONCLUSIONS: From a pragmatic point of view the practice of replacing missing information by spouses' information turned out as viable. However, the usefulness of this solution has to be examined in every case anew, because it may not be suitable for every health-related outcome.
OBJECTIVES: Indicators of socio-economic position are not always available for all subjects. To avoid losses of large parts of study populations, missing data are replaced by spouses' information. Despite this commonly practiced solution, systematic analyses of the consequences on substantive results of studies are rare. We examined the consequences of assigning the educational position of subjects to their partners. METHODS: German statutory health insurance data from 2005 (N = 1,801,744) and 2011 (N = 1,987,707) were used. Diagnoses of type 2 diabetes were used as outcome. Effects were examined in terms of differences in diabetes prevalence and by the reproduction of social gradients in women and men as compared to their partners. RESULTS: Social gradients were reproduced for subjects and for their partners, but diabetes prevalences were higher in partners. CONCLUSIONS: From a pragmatic point of view the practice of replacing missing information by spouses' information turned out as viable. However, the usefulness of this solution has to be examined in every case anew, because it may not be suitable for every health-related outcome.
Entities:
Keywords:
Education; Health inequalities; Socio-economic position; Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Paula A Braveman; Catherine Cubbin; Susan Egerter; Sekai Chideya; Kristen S Marchi; Marilyn Metzler; Samuel Posner Journal: JAMA Date: 2005-12-14 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Augusto Di Castelnuovo; Gianni Quacquaruccio; Maria Benedetta Donati; Giovanni de Gaetano; Licia Iacoviello Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2008-10-08 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Augusto Di Castelnuovo; Gianni Quacquaruccio; Jozef Arnout; Francesco Paolo Cappuccio; Michel de Lorgeril; Carla Dirckx; Maria Benedetta Donati; Vittorio Krogh; Alfonso Siani; Marten C J M van Dongen; Francesco Zito; Giovanni de Gaetano; Licia Iacoviello Journal: Thromb Haemost Date: 2007-09 Impact factor: 5.249
Authors: Siegfried Geyer; Sveja Eberhard; Bernhard Magnus W Schmidt; Jelena Epping; Juliane Tetzlaff Journal: PLoS One Date: 2018-08-23 Impact factor: 3.240