How To Quantify Socioeconomic Status In Child Development Research?

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a widely studied construct in the social sciences, with various ways of measuring it proposed. Most measures include quantification of family income, parental education, and occupational status. Research shows that SES is associated with a wide array of health, cognitive, and socioemotional outcomes in children, with effects beginning prior to birth and continuing into adulthood. Income and household composition are preferable to the official poverty line in classifying economic standing, and housing tenure is a simple and powerful measure of economic consumption.

In describing the social and economic environment of a child while keeping the burden of data collection within bounds, it is important to focus on income. Income is more difficult to measure fully and accurately than occupation. Detailed occupational codes may be mapped into standard socioeconomic scales, and this study aims to recommend and test a conceptual model for SES and variables to measure it available to researchers.

This chapter guides readers through the theoretical perspectives and empirical studies linking family SES to children’s development and summarizes the various ways of measuring SES. SES is typically indexed via family income, parent educational attainment, and parent occupational status. Income is more difficult to measure fully and accurately than occupation.

Several ways of measuring SES have been employed, but most include some quantification of family income, parental education, and occupational status. Research shows that SES is associated with a wide array of health, cognitive, and socioemotional outcomes in children, with effects beginning prior to birth and continuing into adulthood.

What are the three indicators of socioeconomic status?

Northwell Health, a healthcare site, collected data on the health equity indicator, housing insecurity, to assess its impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD). Housing insecurity encompasses various aspects of housing problems, including affordability, safety, quality, instability, and loss of housing. It can lead to delayed medical care, poorer healthcare access, adverse mental health outcomes, and higher substance use prevalence.

Northwell Health used the housing instability measure to assess housing insecurity, which includes periods of homelessness, paying over 50% of income on housing costs, difficulty paying rent, mortgage, or utility bills, and difficulty finding safe, adequate, and affordable housing.

The study aimed to understand the relationship between housing insecurity and cardiovascular risk and mortality, as well as the challenges and facilitators faced during the Health Equity Indicators for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Pilot Study conducted between January and April 2022.

What are socioeconomic status indicators?

Northwell Health, a healthcare site, collected data on the health equity indicator, housing insecurity, which encompasses various aspects of housing problems such as affordability, safety, quality, instability, and loss of housing. Housing-insecure adults are more likely to delay medical care, use emergency care, have poorer healthcare access, experience adverse mental health outcomes, and have a higher prevalence of substance use compared to those with stable housing.

Housing insecurity can be linked to cardiovascular risk and mortality due to psychological distress and competing stressors. Northwell Health used the housing instability measure to assess housing insecurity, which includes periods of homelessness, paying more than 50% of income on housing costs, difficulty paying rent, mortgage, or utility bills, and difficulty finding safe, adequate, and affordable housing.

The Health Equity Indicators for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Pilot Study conducted between January and April 2022 provided insights into Northwell Health’s data analysis methods, data sources, challenges, and facilitators.

What are the scales for measuring socioeconomic status?

Scholars and experts have attempted to create a universal measure of socioeconomic status (SES) for rural, urban, and semi-urban areas. Popular scales include the Rahudkar scale, BG Prasad scale, Udai Pareek scale, Jalota scale, Kulshrestha scale, Kuppuswamy scale, and Bharadwaj scale. The Kuppuswamy and BG Prasad scales are living measures used to assess socioeconomic conditions and are regularly revised based on the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW).

The present study aims to revise the income range of the Kuppuswamy and BG Prasad SES scales as per the CPI-IW for January 2021. The revised income range is calculated using an online calculator exclusively dedicated for this purpose.

The Kuppuswamy scale, prepared in 1976, includes three broad domains of SES: occupation, total family income, and education. The BG Prasad scale includes income aspects that need regular revision. The Udai Pareek scale, a well-accepted measure of SES, includes nine domains: caste, occupation, house, land, education, social participation, farm power, material possessions, and family member. The scale exempts the income criteria.

What is socioeconomic status in child development?

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a complex concept that encompasses income, education, occupational prestige, and subjective perceptions of social status and class. It is a reliable predictor of various outcomes across the life span, including physical and psychological health. Poverty is a multifaceted factor characterized by multiple physical and psychosocial stressors. SES affects society by affecting overall human functioning, including physical and mental health.

Low SES and its correlates, such as lower educational achievement, poverty, and poor health, contribute to increasing inequities in health distribution, resource distribution, and quality of life. Society benefits from a focus on the foundations of socioeconomic inequities and efforts to reduce deep gaps in SES. Research indicates that SES is a key factor influencing the quality of life for children, youth, and families (CYF).

What scale of measurement is socioeconomic status?

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a crucial measure that correlates well-being and social status, determining an individual’s quality of life, health, social position, and class. The Kuppuswamy scale, BG Prasad scale, and Udai Pareekh scale are widely accepted SES scales. The income range is revised using an online tool, and the scale is based on the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW). However, all three scales have limitations and are not applicable to both rural and urban areas simultaneously.

SES is essential for maintaining health, health-seeking behavior, social class, and participation in socio-political and socio-cultural organizations. In the academic field of social science and humanities, SES has played a crucial role in correlating the relationship between SES with other associated phenomena, such as individual or family income, educational level, quality of life, and other related aspects.

How to ask about socioeconomic status on a survey?

The survey asks five questions to determine a person’s socio-economic status. The questions include household size, assets owned, annual income, government assistance received, homeowner status, occupation, number of children, and primary mode of transportation. The survey aims to provide valuable insights for policy shaping, business strategy development, and social change. The respondents are asked to provide their age, education level, and the highest level of education they have completed, ranging from high school diplomas to bachelor’s degrees. The data collected can be used to shape policies and drive social change.

What are the socioeconomic factors that affect child development?

Socioeconomic status has a profound impact on early development, including the formation of a child’s worldview, dietary habits, educational pursuits, health outcomes, and the way they are perceived by others. Furthermore, it affects the likelihood of success or failure in later life, as well as the type of education and overall health of the child.

What are 3 examples of socioeconomic status?

Socioeconomic status is divided into three levels: high, middle, and low, based on income, education, and occupation. Higher socioeconomic families prioritize education, both within the household and the community, while poorer areas prioritize food, shelter, and safety. Youth in poorer households are at higher risk for health and social problems, such as unwanted pregnancies, addiction, drug abuse, diabetes, and obesity. Low income and education are strong predictors of physical and mental health problems, such as meningitis, respiratory viruses, arthritis, coronary disease, and psychosis, schizophrenia.

These problems may result from environmental conditions at home or workplaces, or from the social causation model, where disability or mental illness may be a precursor to a person’s social status, including freedoms and liberties.

How do you measure socioeconomic status in research?

The Stop Skipping Class campaign aims to provide best practices for measuring socioeconomic status (SES) and subjective social status (SSS). The approach to measure SES and SSS depends on the level at which it is assessed – the societal level, the community or neighborhood level, or the individual level. For example, researchers may examine the number of people living below federal poverty thresholds before and after a new policy takes effect, the median income of individuals living in a particular neighborhood, or the impact of SES or SSS on an individual’s mental health.

Education can be measured using continuous variables (e. g., highest year of school completed) or categorical variables (e. g., 1-6 scale indicating the highest grade completed). Higher levels of education are often associated with better economic outcomes and the expansion of social resources (APA, 2007).

What are five socioeconomic indicators?

The EJScreen is a screening tool that uses socioeconomic factors as general indicators to assess a community’s potential susceptibility to environmental factors. It is designed in the context of the EPA’s Environmental Justice (EJ) policies, including the Final Guidance on Considering Environmental Justice During the Development of an Action. The Demographic Index and Supplemental Demographic Index are based on the average of two socioeconomic indicators, low-income and people of color, and five other indicators.

What are the measures of socioeconomic development?

The following factors were taken into consideration: annual income, educational attainment, parental job prestige, residential neighborhood income, and home values.