Introduction:
While health inequalities among young people are well described, the underlying mechanisms
have been explored far less. Compositional and contextual characteristics of institutional
contexts (e.g. kindergartens, schools) are likely to shape health inequalities among
young people and may have an impact above and beyond individual-level determinants.
The general research objectives of the research unit are to empirically study if characteristics
of different institutional contexts are associated with the emergence of individual-level
inequalities in health and c) to integrate findings from different life stages into
a comprehensive theoretical model about the key mechanisms at individual and contextual
levels.
Methods and analysis:
Building upon reviews of the existing evidence, each of the five subprojects of the
research unit will analyse secondary data (cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys).
The subprojects will focus on institutional contexts that serve as major socialization
agents in society, such as the family, kindergarten, school, tertiary education/work,
as well as the health care system. Linear or logistic multilevel modelling will be
applied in order to examine the role of institutional characteristics for young people's
health and health inequalities at the individual level.
Ethics and dissemination:
The dissemination activities include the publication of results in peer-reviewed journals,
at international and national scientific conferences, as well as press releases in
written and broadcast media to inform relevant stakeholders and the lay public. In
the first funding stage, the research unit only uses secondary data of existing datasets.
Therefore, ethical approval is not required.
