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Updated: Feb 3, 2026
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A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
Published on: July 30, 2017
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Relationship of socioeconomic status to olfactory function
Marco Aurélio Fornazieri1, Richard L Doty2, Thiago Freire Pinto Bezerra3
1Department of Surgery, Londrina State University and Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Brazil.
Physiology & Behavior
|October 19, 2018
Summary
Socioeconomic status significantly impacts odor identification. Higher education and income levels correlate with better smell identification abilities, suggesting a strong link between socioeconomic factors and olfactory function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Socioeconomic status (SES) is a known determinant of health outcomes.
- The influence of SES on the chemical sense of olfaction remains unclear, particularly in diverse populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between education, income, and odor identification.
- To examine these influences in Brazil, a country with significant socioeconomic disparities.
Main Methods:
- Administered the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) to 1572 healthy Brazilian adults.
- Collected detailed socioeconomic and educational data.
- Employed univariate and multivariate statistical models to analyze the data, controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, and smoking behavior.
Main Results:
- Income and educational level were independently and positively associated with UPSIT scores (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively).
- Both linear and quadratic relationships were observed between SES, education, and olfactory test performance.
- Individuals with lower SES performed significantly worse on 20 out of 40 odor identification items.
Conclusions:
- Socioeconomic status is significantly associated with the ability to identify odors.
- The findings highlight the need for further research into factors like environmental exposures, cultural differences, and cognitive development that may mediate this relationship.
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