Socioeconomic Differences in Low Birth Weight: Revisiting Epidemiological Approaches

Abstract

Epidemiological perspectives applied to the study of socioeconomic
inequalities in health are characterized by a one-dimensional approach
to social differences, as income, occupation, and education are used as
interchangeable variables to capture social inequalities. This paper calls
into question this assumption by exploring the impact of parent’s
education and occupation on their newborns’ health status, using the
low birth weight indicator. We show that occupation and education,
although related, should not be used as interchangeable. This study
also challenges the traditional perspective in epidemiology of studying
perinatal outcomes focusing exclusively on mother’s information, as it
shows that, despite the slightly higher infl uence of the mother’s
socioeconomic information, both parents have a key role on their
newborn’s birthweight.