Intergenerational transmission of health inequalities: effects of work conditions on parent resources and child health

Funded Activity Summary

The connection between socioeconomic inequalities and health is well documented in nations such as Australia. Research also shows that health inequalities persist from generation to generation. This project extends understanding of health inequalities by investigating whether work conditions contribute to health transmission from parents to children. Work conditions vary by class and occupation and have changed markedly over the last decade. They exert a direct effect on parents' health, and influence resources like income, time, energy and attention that parents can invest in their children, thereby influencing children's health and well-being. In this study, we expand models of parent work and child health to include 1) working conditions (rather than employment versus unemployment); 2) collection of data on father's as well as mother's employment; and 3) investigation of the link between working conditions and parental resources as a route by which health inequalities can be transmitted across generations. Findings will contribute to the basis for interventions to improve children's health and development.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2003

End Date: 01-01-2005

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $482,385.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Ophthalmology and optometry not elsewhere classified

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

biomarkers of social disadvantage | child health | childhood risk and antecedent factors | employment | employment conditions and health | health inequalities | multidisciplinary | social determinants of health

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