TY - JOUR T1 - Abstracts JF - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health JO - J Epidemiol Community Health SP - A1 LP - A44 VL - 61 IS - suppl 1 A2 - , Y1 - 2007/10/01 UR - http://jech.bmj.com/content/61/suppl_1/A1.abstract N2 - Population health I 001 WEALTH AND HEALTH IN EUROPE AND THE USA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS M. Avendano1, M. M. Glymour2, J. P. Mackenbach1.1Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; 2Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Background and Objectives: There are enormous variations across countries in wealth and wealth inequality, but it is not known whether these translate into variations in the distribution of health. This study examines the association between wealth and health across Europe and the USA. Data and Methods: Data comprised nationally representative samples of men and women aged 50–74 who participated in the 2004 cross-sectional Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (n = 21 569), the English Longitudinal study of Ageing (n = 8680), and the United States Health and Retirement survey (n = 13 667). Measures of health, wealth and demographics were directly comparable across countries. Outcomes comprised prevalence rates of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, lung disease and functional limitations with instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), adjusted for health behaviour risk factors and depression. Analyses were conducted using logistic regression, entering interaction terms to allow estimates of the effect of wealth to differ according to country or region, and adjusting for confounders and potential mediators. Results: Despite their lower wealth, European adults had better health than their US counterparts, particularly at the bottom of the wealth distribution. The health gap between the upper and bottom wealth tertiles was generally smaller in Continental Europe than in the English or US population. Odds ratios (OR) for cardiovascular disease were 1.49 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.68) in Continental Europe, 1.95 (95% CI 1.63 to 2.34) in England and 1.96 (95% CI 1.72 to 2.25) in the USA. Corresponding ORs for reporting >1 IADL limitations were 1.98 (95% CI 1.72 to 2.28) in Continental Europe, … ER -