Association between political ideology and health in Europe

In: Subramanian , S V , Huijts , T & Perkins , J M 2009 , ' Association between political ideology and health in Europe ' , European Journal of Public Health , vol. 19 , no. 5 , pp. 455-457 . https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckp077 ; ISSN:1101-1262

Abstract

Studies have largely examined the association between political ideology and health at the aggregate/ ecological level. Using individual-level data from 29 European countries, we investigated whether self-reports of political ideology and health are associated. In adjusted models, we found an inverse association between political ideology and self-rated poor health; for a unit increase in the political ideology scale (towards right) the odds ratio (OR) for reporting poor health decreased (OR 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.94–0.96). Although political ideology per se is unlikely to have a causal link to health, it could be a marker for health-promoting latent attitudes, values and beliefs.