Table 3.
Weighted characteristics by subjective social status score for adults in Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health Study (2008)
| Subjective Social Status Scorea | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <5 | 5 | >5 | ||
| Characteristic | n = 1,796 | n = 1,313 | n = 1,738 | p-value |
| Age, years | 28.4 (28.1–28.6) | 28.3 (28.0–28.5) | 28.5 (28.2–28.7) | .11 |
| Female | 47.2 (44.6–49.8) | 51.3 (48.5–54.1) | 45.5 (42.2–48.8) | .02 |
| Household income at Wave I | <.0001 | |||
| ≤$22,000 | 47.2 (43.7–50.7) | 27.1 (24.9–29.4) | 25.7 (22.6–28.7) | |
| $22,001–$40,000 | 40.8 (37.5–44.1) | 29.4 (26.4–32.3) | 29.8 (26.9–32.8) | |
| $40,001–$60,000 | 34.1 (30.9–37.2) | 26.6 (23.8–29.3) | 39.4 (35.9–42.8) | |
| ≤$60,000 | 25.1 (21.4–28.8) | 24.1 (20.7–27.5) | 50.8 (46.0–55.5) | |
| Household income | <.0001 | |||
| ≤$39,999 | 50.7 (48.0–53.5) | 31.9 (28.7–35.2) | 20.7 (17.4–24.1) | |
| $40,000–$74,999 | 35.2 (33.0–37.3) | 40.3 (36.8–43.8) | 32.8 (29.8–35.8) | |
| ≥$75,000 | 14.1 (12.1–16.1) | 27.8 (24.7–30.8) | 46.5 (43.2–49.8) | |
| Maternal educational attainment | <.0001 | |||
| Less than high school diploma/GED | 19.1 (16.4–21.7) | 15.8 (12.5–19.2) | 9.1 (6.9–11.2) | |
| High school diploma/GED | 48.6 (45.7–51.5) | 46.6 (43.2–50.0) | 39.5 (35.3–43.7) | |
| Some college | 12.0 (10.4–13.6) | 12.3 (10.1–14.5) | 14.5 (12.7–16.4) | |
| College graduate or higher | 20.3 (17.7–22.9) | 25.3 (21.6–28.9) | 36.9 (32.3–41.5) | |
| Educational attainment | <.0001 | |||
| Vocational/technical training or less | 49.2 (45.6–52.7) | 37.3 (33.5–41.2) | 23.5 (19.7–27.4) | |
| Some college | 36.1 (33.3–38.8) | 36.2 (33.3–39.0) | 26.6 (23.8–29.5) | |
| College graduate or higher | 14.8 (12.3–17.3) | 26.5 (23.2–29.8) | 49.8 (44.7–55.0) | |
| Race/ethnicity | <.0001 | |||
| Non-Hispanic White | 65.4 (59.4–71.5) | 66.4 (59.6–73.1) | 72.2 (66.1–78.2) | |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 17.8 13.0–22.7) | 15.6 (10.9–20.4) | 12.6 (8.2–17.0) | |
| Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.5 (0.7–2.3) | 1.9 (0.8–2.9) | 3.5 (1.8–5.1) | |
| Hispanic | 11.0 (7.5–14.5) | 13.3 (8.7–18.0) | 9.6 (6.3–13.0) | |
| Non-Hispanic Multiracial | 4.2 (3.1–5.3) | 2.8 (1.8–3.8) | 2.1 (1.4–2.8) | |
| Ever diagnosed with depression | 49.0 (45.4–52.6) | 25.9 (22.7–29.0) | 25.2 (21.5–28.9) | <.0001 |
| Perceived discriminationb | <.0001 | |||
| Never | 23.8 (21.7–26.0) | 29.8 (26.8–32.8) | 38.6 (35.8–41.5) | |
| Rarely | 42.6 (40.0–45.2) | 47.2 (44.1–50.3) | 44.5 (41.3–47.6) | |
| Sometimes/often | 33.6 (31.0–36.2) | 23.0 (20.4–25.6) | 16.9 (14.7–19.1) | |
| Waist circumference, cm | 101 (99.7–102) | 98.6 (97.5–99.7) | 96.2 (95.2–97.2) | <.0001 |
| Body mass index category | <.0001 | |||
| Underweight (<18.5 9 kg/m2) | 1.6 (0.9–2.3) | 1.9 (0.8–3.0) | 1.2 (0.6–1.8) | |
| Normal (18.5–24.9 kg/m2) | 29.2 (26.6–31.7) | 27.9 (25.1–30.7) | 35.4 (31.7–39.1) | |
| Overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2) | 27.9 (25.7–30.0) | 32.1 (29.2–35.0) | 31.9 (28.5–35.3) | |
| Obesity (≥30 kg/m2) | 41.4 (38.6–44.1) | 38.1 (34.8–41.4) | 31.5 (28.7–34.6) | |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 127 (126–128) | 125 (124–126) | 124 (124–125) | .04 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 80.5 (79.9–81.2) | 79.8 (79.1–80.4) | 79.0 (78.5–79.6) | .0004 |
| Triglyceride decilec | 5.7 (5.5–5.9) | 5.5 (5.3–5.7) | 5.4 (5.2–5.5) | .01 |
| Total cholesterol decilec | 5.5 (5.3–5.7) | 5.5 (5.3–5.7) | 5.4 (5.3–5.6) | .79 |
| High-density lipoprotein cholesterol decilec | 5.3 (5.2–5.5) | 5.5 (5.3–5.7) | 5.4 (5.2–5.6) | .52 |
| Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decilec | 5.4 (5.3–5.6) | 5.5 (5.3–5.6) | 5.5 (5.3–5.6) | .94 |
| Total cholesterol–HDL-C ratio decilec | 5.7 (5.5–5.8) | 5.5 (5.3–5.7) | 5.5 (5.3–5.7) | .22 |
| Glucose, mg/dL | 109 (107–111) | 107 (106–109) | 107 (105–108) | .15 |
| Glycated hemoglobin, % | 5.6 (5.6–5.7) | 5.6 (5.5–5.6) | 5.5 (5.5–5.6) | .0002 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/L | 5.4 (4.9–5.9) | 4.5 (4.0–5.0) | 3.9 (3.5–4.3) | <.0001 |
Data shown as (mean [95% CI] or % [95% CI]). CI confidence interval; HDL-C high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
aSubjective social status scores were categorized based on the weighted median score (4.5) for the sample.
bResponse to the question, “In your day-to-day life, how often do you feel you have been treated with less respect or courtesy than other people?”
cValues were rank ordered and categorized into deciles. Higher deciles represent higher values (range: 1–10).