Social status is an important predictor of poor health.
Most studies of this issue have focused on the lower echelons of society. Adjustment for birth year, sex, and ethnicity yielded similar results, as did adjustments for birth country, possible name change, age at release of first film, and total films in career. The association of high status with increased longevity that prevails in the public also extends to celebrities, contributes to a large survival advantage, and is partially explained by factors related to success. Ann Intern Med. Author and Article Information From University of Toronto, the Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research Program, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.