Association between political ideology and health in Europe

S. V. Subramanian*, Tim Huijts, Jessica M. Perkins

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Studies have largely examined the association between political ideology and health at the aggregate/ecological level. Using individual-level data from 29 European countries, we investigated whether self-reports of political ideology and health are associated. In adjusted models, we found an inverse association between political ideology and self-rated poor health; for a unit increase in the political ideology scale (towards right) the odds ratio (OR) for reporting poor health decreased (OR 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.94-0.96). Although political ideology per se is unlikely to have a causal link to health, it could be a marker for health-promoting latent attitudes, values and beliefs.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)455-457
Number of pages3
JournalEuropean Journal of Public Health
Volume19
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Europe
  • political ideology
  • self-rated health
  • socioeconomic status
  • MORTALITY
  • SUICIDE
  • WALES

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