Tracing causes of inequalities in health and wellbeing

Project owner(s): UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Department of Community Medicine
Project's time span: 2017 - 2022

The project aimed to deepen understanding of how childhood circumstances, health behaviours, and socioeconomic conditions affect adult health and well-being, including resilience after health shocks. The project involved successful collaborations with three international partner institutions; University of Southern Denmark, University of York, England and Monash University, Australia. Analyses were based on data from the Tromsø Study, Norwegian and Danish registries, and supplemented by small-scale online surveys in Norway, Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US.   

Outcomes 

• Three PhD candidates completed their theses, with another submission underway.
• More than 10 articles have been published in international peer-reviewed journals.
• The project confirmed a social health gradient in Norway across three primary socioeconomic indicators.
• Childhood financial circumstances were found to have lasting impacts on adult health, well-being, and labour market participation.
• The project developed a composite measure of socioeconomic position, combining educational attainment and household income.
• Resilience was linked to higher likelihood of returning to work post-health shock, especially among those with tertiary education.
• Parental wealth and health were more influential on health variations than education.

Link to the webpage.

Publications:

• Health and wellbeing in Norway: Population norms and the social gradient. Soc Sci Med. 2020. Link to publication.

Total budget 20,9 MNOK.10.7 MNOK from the Research Council of Norway, 2 Fellowships grants and strategic grants from UIT. Share allocated to research group. 14,6 MNOK.