What SES may explain about work-related health limitations: A temporal-ordered model

While health's relationship to SES is well established by research, relevant studies in the literature display little uniformity in their conceptualization of SES. The present study sought a temporal-ordered model reflecting longitudinal data and explaining work-related health limitations (health conditions that limit the amount or type of work an individual can perform) in the period 2008-2015. The data came from the 1997 cohort of the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, a panel study originating in the United States. From it we developed a longitudinal record for each of 5,487 respondents, yielding 23,951 person-waves in the final sample. Specifically, we examined how SES impacts work-related health limitations among working young adults as they transition to midlife. Our analyses employed generalized estimating equations (GEE). Our results linked higher likelihood of work-related health limitations to self-employment, to being a laborer (versus a professional/manager), and to working in entertainment/accommodation/food services, educational/health/social services, professional and related services, and other industry (versus construction/agriculture/manufacturing). Overall, our longitudinal study indicated that SES measured relatively early in the lifecourse helps explain work-related health limitations among working young adults, net of lifestyle, and health-care-use variables.