The role of social status at individuals' social health level: The case of Kocaeli province

Social status refers to a person's status in society and has an impact on many areas of life. Evaluating the impact of social status on the social health level of individuals is important for health management, which aims to organize and provide health services in an effective, efficient and equitable manner and is effective in increasing social welfare. The ultimate aim of the study is to evaluate the relationship between social health levels and social status of individuals and the effect of social status on social health levels. The study was conducted with 405 individuals aged 25 and over who agreed to participate in the study in Kocaeli province. Quantitative research method was used in the study and questionnaire method was used as a data collection tool. The questionnaire consists of socio-demographic information form, Social Health Scale adapted into Turkish by Erkoç (2021), MacArthur Social Status Scale developed by Adler et al. (2020). Descriptive statistics, reliability and validity analyses, independent sample t-test, one-way variance (ANOVA) analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis were used to analyze the data obtained. According to the findings of the study, individuals' subjective social status and objective social status are above average. Their social health is at a medium level; with the highest mean for the family sub-dimension and the lowest mean for the community sub-dimension. There was a significant, positive and low correlation between individuals' subjective social status and social health levels, while there was no significant correlation between their objective social status and social health levels. The study concludes that individuals' subjective social status affects their social health levels. Accordingly, in order for both policy makers and individuals to make better sense of subjective social status and its effects, it is recommended to examine the factors that individuals consider when evaluating their subjective social status and to develop policies that will reduce inequalities in health and increase social participation.