Research Findings
The Twenty-07 Study covers 7 main research themes and the data collected so far has produced findings for each. Under each theme you will find a summary of the findings, a brief outline of each research paper and link to the full publication.
Social class
Factors associated with socioeconomic advantage or disadvantage such as social class, car or home ownership, education, employment status, and income, and a person’s own perceptions of these are thought to impact on health. We explore which aspects are better or worse for health, and how these relationships develop over time.
Research on this theme can be grouped into five areas:
- Social patterning of health
- Effect of people’s material circumstances on health
- Biological and psychological processes linking social position and health
- Social patterning of health behaviours over time
- Role of IQ in the relationship between social position and health
Findings...
Where people live
It is widely reported that differences exist in people’s health in different geographical areas. It is often questioned whether these differences are due to the characteristics of the people who live there or is it some aspect of the social and physical environment of that area (for example, housing, transport, shopping and recreational facilities) that might affect their health. We explore which aspects of the area in which people live may play an important role in generating social differences in people’s health.
Our findings in this area can be grouped into six sub-themes:
- Impact of where people live on their health
- Effect of housing conditions on health
- Impact of where you live on what you eat
- Effect of belonging to social groups on health
- Perceptions of neighbourhood and health
- Descriptions of the Twenty-07 area
Findings...
Gender
It is often believed that women experience more ill health than men, but men die younger. A core theme in the Twenty-07 Study is to investigate whether this is true and to develop an understanding of why there are sex differences in health.
In the Twenty-07 Study our research on gender and health can be grouped into two themes:
- Sex differences in health and explanations for them
- Effects of masculinity and femininity on health
Findings...
Age - Youth
Our research of age has focused on young people. Experiences in youth may influence health in later life. We explored socioeconomic circumstances and patterns of behaviour among young people born in the 1970s to find out what factors have influenced health into adulthood.
Our research on young people’s health in the Twenty-07 Study has focused on six broad areas:
- Social patterning of health
- Role of family life on health and health behaviours
- Employment and health
- Role of leisure activities on health
- Mental health among young people
- Sexual behaviour among young people
Findings...
Marital status, family structure and health
Being married has been shown to be good for people’s health. Other aspects of family life are also important for health. The effect of family life on the life-chances, lifestyles and well-being of children and young people is an issue receiving considerable attention by public health researchers and policy makers. We wanted to find out whether being brought up in non-intact families, level of conflict within the home, time spent with family, and geographic area where people live, had an effect on life-chances such as education and employment, and health risk behaviours, particularly among teenagers.
We also looked at whether having a family history of heart disease influenced health behaviour, and the effects of being a family carer on carers’ own health.
Research on the theme of family background in the Twenty-07 Study has explored three areas:
- Role of marital status on health
- Family structure and health
- Effects of being a family carer on carer’s own health
Findings...
Ethnic background
The West of Scotland has long had a pattern of Irish migration, where migrants were poorer and discriminated against more than the local population. We wanted to find out how people’s migration history affects their life chances over time and how these in turn affect their health.
The other main ethnic group in the West of Scotland in the late 80s were South Asian. The Twenty-07 Study was used as a comparison group for an investigation of the health of South Asians, examining why they appear to have poorer health than the other groups.
Our two main study areas relating to this theme are:
- Irish Catholic health
- South Asian health
Findings...
Understanding health
As well as 6 themes outlined above, the Twenty-07 Study has been employed over the last 20 years to explore different aspects of people’s health and how they relate to each other. The Twenty-07 Study has very rich information on people’s health over time enabling us to develop our understanding of health.
Our findings about people’s health to date can be grouped into four broad areas:
- Descriptions of health and changes in health over time
- Understanding of people’s use of health services
- People’s own understandings of ill health and its causes
- The relationship between different dimensions of health
Findings...