Embodied inequalities: The role of multiple measures of socioeconomic position for adolescent health behaviour

The existing evidence on the association between social inequality and health risk behaviour in adolescence is inconsistent and contradictory. The objective of the study was to explore socioeconomic differences in health risk behavior among 11-to 15-years-olds using a multidimensional model. The data were derived from the German "Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)" study in 2001/02 (n = 5650). The results show that family-based measures of socioeconomic position (parental occupation and family affluence) were only weakly associated with tobacco use and repeated drunkenness, whereas personal socioeconomic position (type of school and academic achievement) showed strong associations with these outcomes. In contrast, all four socioeconomic indicators were strongly linked to breakfast consumption and television use. In respect to these aspects of health behaviour, family-based indicators of socioeconomic position are at least equally important as the personal school-based measures. The findings underline the importance of using multiple indicators of socioeconomic position to identify health inequalities in adolescence.