Sense of Coherence as a Modifier of Income Inequalities in Self-Rated Oral and General Health: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether a stronger Sense of Coherence (SOC) modifies the association between low household income and poor self-rated dental and general health measures (SRDH and SRGH, respectively).

METHODS

Cross-sectional analyses were performed using data from the Dental Care and Oral Health Study (DCOHS, 2015-2016) in South Australia (n = 3664). In multivariate Poisson regression models, the main effects, interactions and effect modifications of SOC in the association between income and SRDH and SRGH were estimated using prevalence ratios (PRs) for poor self-rated health.

RESULTS

In the low-income group, among those with stronger SOC, the prevalence of poor SRDH (16.0%) and SRGH (8.1%) was lower than that of those with weaker SOC (25.0% and 18.9%). Lower coherence (weak SOC) was associated with poor SRGH (PR = 4.8, 95% CI [1.8-13.1]). The interaction between lower coherence and low- and middle-income strata was not associated with the prevalence of poor SRDH and SRGH.

CONCLUSIONS

Although interactions between SOC and income were not statistically significant, findings suggest a potential modifying role of strong SOC on the association between low income and poor health. These results should be interpreted with caution, as they are exploratory.