Class divisions and health chances in Brazil

This article analyzes the association between class divisions and health chances in the Brazilian population. It uses data from the health supplement of the 2008 National Household Survey. Multiple logistic regression models are estimated to determine the relation between social class and self-rated health status. This empirical investigation of health inequalities combines two modalities for social class comparison, thus benefiting from the potential utility of each. On the one hand, socioeconomic inequalities in health are analyzed with reference to the combination of two main assets, capital and expert knowledge, which generate material and health advantages in Brazil. The results demonstrate that social class measurements for Brazil capture a source of variation in health chances among social groups that is independent of education and family income. On the other hand, the use of theoretically univocal categories for exploring diversified class contrasts offers some explanatory starting points for health inequalities in the Brazilian population.