Socio-Economic Status Measurement Scale: Thirst Area With Changing Concept For Socio-Economic Status

Background: socioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant of health and it also influences actual utilization of various available health facilities. Society is not static social classes change over the time with changing concepts of SES. 

Objectives: To develop and test a new Scale to measure SES

Methodology: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out in the year 2012 on 1155 families identified by stratified random technique. The proposed SES scale is having 7 items scoring each one from ‘0’ to ‘7’. Applicability and reliability were tested 60 (5% of sampled population) families. Proposed SES scale was compared with VAS score scale for SES in 1155 families. Data collected were analysed and inferred with chi-square and correlation test.

Result: The proposed SES scale includes education, occupation, income per capita, expenditure, housing Condition, living status and debt to assets ratio. Applicability (96.67%), Reliability (r=0. 93) and validity (r=0. 97) of the proposed SES was found very high in the present study. Proposed SES scale determines SES classes almost in a similar way as with the VAS score with a little difference (P=0. 431) in Class III and Class IV.

Conclusion: The proposed SES scale includes the majority of the determinants of social class in a composite subjective manner. Applicability, Reliability and validity of the proposed SES was found very high. Proposed SES scale is able to discriminate families between different socioeconomic statuses. So this proposed scale is fit to use in community based study.