Socioeconomic differences in hysterectomy: the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.

Abstract

This study evaluated the relative gross and net predictive value of multiple socioeconomic status indicators for the likelihood of undergoing hysterectomy. Data from a sample of Wisconsin Longitudinal Study women respondents (n = 3326) followed for 35 years were analyzed by means of multivariate logistic regression. Women's own higher occupational status and greater family net worth were significant net predictors of a lower likelihood of hysterectomy. Women's own education was a significant bivariate predictor. Mental ability did not account for the education effect. Higher education's association with a lower rate of hysterectomy is not due to ability, but to the opportunities that more-educated women have for higher-status employment and its health-related benefits. Measures of women's own occupational status should be included in future health surveys.