Jithin Sam Varghese, Rachel Waford Hall, Linda S Adair, Shivani A Patel, Reynaldo Martorell, Delia E. Belleza, Maria F Kroker-Lobos, Nanette R. Lee, Lukhanyo H. Nyati, Manuel Ramirez-Zea, Linda M Richter, Aryeh D. Stein
Background: Subjective social status (SSS, perception of social position relative to a frame of reference) has been associated with physical, mental and socio-emotional wellbeing. However, these associations may be susceptible to unmeasured confounding by life course objective socio-economic position (SEP; such as wealth, education and employment) and life satisfaction. Purpose: To estimate the association of position on ladders of perceived community respect and perceived economic status with weight, distress and wellbeing, independent of objective SEP in cohorts from three low and middle-income countries. Methods: We used data from birth cohorts in Guatemala (n = 1258), Philippines (n = 1323) and South Africa (n = 1393). We estimated the association of perceived community respect and perceived economic status with body mass index (kg/m2), the World Health Organization's Self-Reported Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) for psychological distress, and Lyubomirsky's Subjective Happiness Scale. We estimated these associations using robust linear regression models adjusting for indicators of life course objective SEP, early life characteristics, adult covariates, and life satisfaction. Results: Participants in South Africa (age 27-28y) rated themselves higher on average for both the respect (7 vs 5 in Guatemala and 6 in Philippines) and economic (5 vs 3 in Guatemala and 4 in Philippines) ladder measures. Position on neither community respect nor economic ladders were associated with BMI or psychological distress. Higher position on community respect (Guatemala: 0.03, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.04; Philippines: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.05; South Africa: 0.07, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.09) and economic (Guatemala: 0.02, 95%CI: 0, 0.04; Philippines: 0.04, 95%CI: 0.02, 0.07; South Africa: 0.07, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.10) ladders were associated with greater happiness. Conclusions: Subjective social status showed small but consistent associations with happiness in birth cohorts independent of life-course SEP. © 2022 The Author(s)
Nutrition and Health Sciences Program, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States; Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States; Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Department of Psychology, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines; INCAP Research Center for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (CIIPEC), Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP), Guatemala City, Guatemala; USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines; SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
