Seat belt use and social inequality in Belgium

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Abstract

Background: To search for and quantify the importance of socio-economic inequality in seat belt use in young Belgians (15-24 years old). Methods: Using the data of the National Health Survey of Belgium (1997), socio-economic indicators were constructed combining characteristics of the individual and the household to which s/he 'belongs' (equivalent household income, employment, poverty, subjective poverty, and socio-economic insecurity) and the corresponding concentration curves and indices were calculated. Results: Significant differences were found in seat belt use related to young people's socio-economic status. The failure to buckle up was concentrated most heavily in the least favoured socio-economic groups. Such inequality was a constant finding, although its magnitude varied according to the socio-economic indicator used, going from -0.142 for the variable 'occupational category of the household' to -0.028 for the variable 'poverty'. Conclusions: This finding of true socio-economic inequality in the use of seat belts by 15-24 year olds should prompt special vigilance in health promotion approaches aimed at changing behaviour. It also underlines the importance of being attentive to the socio-economic indicators that are chosen to quantify such inequality in intra- and inter-country comparisons.

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APA

Leveque, A., Humblet, P., & Lagasse, R. (2004). Seat belt use and social inequality in Belgium. European Journal of Public Health, 14(1), 27–31. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/14.1.27

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