Research project GesBiEx

Project title: Development of subjective health against the background of the increase in higher school qualifications - a gender- and age-group-differentiated analysis of structural, psychosocial and behavioral influencing factors

 

General information

Funding reference: SP 1591/4-1

Funding body: German Research Foundation

Funding amount:256.444 €

Project duration:2024-2026

Project management:PD Dr. Stefanie Sperlich

Project staff: Johannes Beller, Batoul Safieddine

 

Brief description

In view of the demographic ageing of the population and the associated increase in chronic degenerative diseases, an increasing need for health care is predicted. On the other hand, against the background of the increase in higher school qualifications, it can be postulated that the proportion of people with health-promoting working and living conditions and behaviors is also steadily increasing. To date, however, there have only been a few empirical studies that have analyzed the health effects of these developments.

The planned medical sociology research project starts here and examines the effects of the increase in higher school education on the temporal development of subjective health and health-related quality of life in Germany. The data basis is primarily the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) for the years 1994 to 2022, supplemented by representative data from the Robert Koch Institute (GSTEL03 or GEDA) for the years 2003 to 2019. The three medical sociological explanatory approaches for the development of socially caused health inequalities, which focus on structural, psychosocial and behavioral influencing factors, form the framework of the study.

Based on a gender- and age cohort-specific research approach, which focuses on the three age groups 30-49, 50-64 and 65-79 years, the project examines the following research questions:

  1. What impact does the trend towards higher education have on the development of subjective health?
  2. Do education-related health inequalities decrease or increase over time?
  3. How does health inequality between the sexes develop?

 

Beyond the description, the planned project aims to contribute to the explanation of health trends by investigating the significance of higher school qualifications and the associated changes in structural, psychosocial and behavioral factors. Gender- and age cohort-specific analyses are intended to contribute to the development of health promotion and prevention measures that are relevant to people's lives. The scope of the project is visualized in Figure 1.