Socioeconomic Status Predicts Mortality More Strongly Than Some Globally Recognized Risk Factors

The World Health Organization has targeted seven modifiable risk factors in its campaign to control noncommunicable diseases: alcohol overuse, physical inactivity, smoking, hypertension, sodium intake, diabetes, and obesity. Low socioeconomic status (SES) strongly predicts morbidity and early mortality worldwide but is not recognized internationally as a modifiable risk factor. To evaluate the contribution of SES to mortality, researchers combined patient-level data from 48 prospective cohort studies, in which 1.7 million people in seven high-income countries provided information on SES (designated as low, intermediate, or high, based on occupation), WHO risk factors, and mortality; participants were followed for a mean 13.3 years.

Overall m…