Social determinants of health and health related behaviour. Coronel Municipality. Bío Bío Region, Chile

Abstract

BACKGROUND: An annual preventive health examination is offered to the population of age 20 - 64 years who are beneficiaries of the Chilean National health care public system. OBJECTIVE: To find out, among beneficiaries living in the Municipality of Coronel, a) the level and distribution of certain socioeconomic characteristics; b) the main health related lifestyle patterns, and c) the association between variables a) and b). METHOD: Questionnaires on both groups of variables were applied in a representative sample of the population that underwent the preventive examination during the year 2007. RESULTS: The lifestyle variables were positively correlated with family income, school level attained and the clinic attended. The scores were higher among women. The combined effect of these three variables explained 17% of the total variation of lifestyle scores. CONCLUSION: In Coronel Municipality several social determinants of health appear to have some influence on various kinds of behaviour that are known to be related to the health status of the population. The results should be of use to the health promotion strategy in this region of Chile.