Evidence map›Paper›PMID 18024483›Full record

ArticleBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2007

Child wellbeing and income inequality in rich societies: ecological cross sectional study.

Kate E Pickett, Richard G Wilkinson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

39 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Do institutions matter for citizens' health status? Empirical evidence from Italy.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2025
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  9. Neighbourhood Income Inequality and General Psychopathology at 3-Years of Age.Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry = Journal de l'Academie canadienne de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent · 2022
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Inequalities in the Universal Right to Health.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
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  12. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Kate E PickettDepartment of Health Sciences, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD.
Richard G Wilkinson

Funding

Department of Health CSA/03/07/014
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo examine associations between child wellbeing and material living standards (average income), the scale of differentiation in social status (income inequality), and social exclusion (children in relative poverty) in rich developed societies.

designEcological, cross sectional studies.

settingCross national comparisons of 23 rich countries; cross state comparisons within the United States. POPULATION: Children and young people.

main outcome measuresThe Unicef index of child wellbeing and its components for rich countries; eight comparable measures for the US states and District of Columbia (teenage births, juvenile homicides, infant mortality, low birth weight, educational performance, dropping out of high school, overweight, mental health problems).

resultsThe overall index of child wellbeing was negatively correlated with income inequality (r=-0.64, P=0.001) and percentage of children in relative poverty (r=-0.67, P=0.001) but not with average income (r=0.15, P=0.50). Many more indicators of child wellbeing were associated with income inequality or children in relative poverty, or both, than with average incomes. Among the US states and District of Columbia all indicators were significantly worse in more unequal states. Only teenage birth rates and the proportion of children dropping out of high school were lower in richer states.

conclusionsImprovements in child wellbeing in rich societies may depend more on reductions in inequality than on further economic growth.

Indexed as

Child WelfareDeveloped CountriesChildCross-Sectional StudiesEducational StatusHealth BehaviorHealth StatusHumansIncomePovertyRisk FactorsUnited KingdomUnited States

Identifiers

PMID18024483
PMCPMC2094139

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.