Exploring the relation between class, gender, and self rated general health using the new socioeconomic classification. A study using data from the 2001 census.

OBJECTIVE To examine the relation between class, gender, and self rated health in adults in Great Britain. DESIGN Cross sectional study using data from the 2001 national census. SETTING Great Britain. PARTICIPANTS Adults aged between 25 and 64 in Great Britain, enumerated in the 2001 census (n = 30.3 million). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Age standardised rates of self rated general health for men and women in different socioeconomic groupings as defined by the National Statistics classification (NS-SeC), rate ratios and the (modified) relative index of inequality. RESULTS There was a pronounced gradient in rates of "not good" health among people in different social positions. The rate for people in class 7 (routine occupations) was more than double that for people in class 1 (higher managerial and professional occupations): 95 per 1000 and 37 per 1000 respectively. Health inequalities were larger for men than for women-the rate ratio of class 7 to class 1 was 2.7 for men and 2.2 for women. The nature and size of the gender differences varied by socioeconomic class, with the greatest gap among people in class 1 (higher managerial and professional occupations), where the rate for women was 25% higher than for men. CONCLUSIONS The NS-SeC shows a pronounced gradient in self rated general health across the population of working age in Great Britain in 2001. It was found that the NS-SeC was a useful measure for women, although it may be better at classifying men. The size of the gender gap in "not good" health varied by NS-SeC class.