Health and social standing of young men viewed in light of information on their childhood and adolescence.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship of social status in early childhood and adolescence with present health and well-being and to identify factors predicting good health and social status. The study is part of a health survey of young Northern Finnish men and uses longitudinal questionnaire data. The results indicated that background variables in adolescence predicted health and the social index in adulthood as far as physical exercise and school performance were concerned. Good school performance was associated with a good health index and a good social index. Regular physical exercise in adolescence is extremely important when considering the state of health in adulthood. The family background predicted the development of health. The mother's high educational level was associated with good health and social indices. The results also showed that living in a farming family and having mothers working at home seemed to be protective factors for good health. The binary regression model was applied to the factors predicting the health index and the social index in adulthood. A major concern in future research is how to explore factors which affect the abilities of individuals to reach sensible decisions regarding their own health and lives overall, and how families can promote this process.