Their hypothesis has been tested in subsequent studies, mostly on high-income countries, with varying results depending on the country, SES, and the health outcome measures that have been used. Based on findings from Scotland, West proposed the equalization in health hypothesis, suggesting that the school environment, peers, and youth culture can substantially attenuate the relationship between SES and health measures and can even lead to relative health equality among adolescents, especially for health outcomes related to physical and mental symptoms. The existing literature shows that the influence of SES on adolescent health varies considerably between and within countries, with some studies showing no significant difference in specific health outcomes among adolescents. Low material well-being also proved important, and, for further research, we hypothesized an association via decreased peer social status and compromised popularity. Refuting the equalization hypothesis, our results indicate that low SEP might be strongly related to adolescent health in middle-income countries such as Armenia. The presence of both risk factors had a synergistic effect on having low psychosocial well-being ( P-interaction = 0.031). Low levels of material well-being were associated with a higher likelihood of reporting less than good health (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.06–1.65) or low psychosocial well-being (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.04–1.54). In a nationally representative sample of 3679 students, adolescents with a low family socioeconomic position (SEP) had greater odds of reporting less than good health (odds ratio (OR) = 2.81, 95% CI = 2.25–3.51), low psychosocial well-being (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.44–2.61), or psychosomatic symptoms (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.07–1.56).

Multiple logistic regression analyses were used.

Classes corresponding to the ages 11, 13, and 15 were selected using a clustered sampling design. We aimed to study the hypothesis of socioeconomic equalization in health among Armenian adolescents participating in the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children 2013/14 survey.

Sepm 14.3