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Background: The lack of validated and accepted area-level indices of socioeconomic disadvantage at national or regional level in Cyprus poses a barrier to ‘‘spatial thinking’’ among Public Health policy-makers and researchers. Methods: A composite index of socioeconomic disadvantage was constructed by exploring the factor structure of 28 commonly used census indicators at city quarter (N = 38, median population 3894, IQR 2570-6169) and postcode level (N = 124, median 1320, IQR 798-2014). Predictive validity was explored in mixed random-effect regression models in term of associations with SF-36 health-related quality of life among a stratified random sample aged 45-64 (N = 450, 45 neighbourhoods). Results: There was wide variability across communities in all indicators, for instance, 0.4%-25.9% unemployment, 41.1%- 90.7% at most secondary level education, 3.6%-95.9% residences built prior to 1980. Two factors were identified: ‘‘socioeconomic disadvantage’’ (SED), with the same set of 11- 12 indicators at the two levels of geographical aggregation, and ‘‘built environment’’, reflecting proximity to the city centre, with nevertheless no meaningful associations with the outcome of interest. The SED index captured a stepwise decrease in physical (-1.39 95%CI -2.06, -0.72) and mental health (-1.26 95% -1.98, -0.54) scores across quartiles of postcodes with increasing disadvantage, of similar clinically significant effect size by gender. Associations attenuated slightly but remained significant after adjusting for person-based indicators of social position, with some weak evidence of cross-level interactions for physical, but not mental, health. Conclusions: The composite index, tapping on educational, economic, material, occupational and social disadvantage, allowed the exploration of socioeconomic disadvantage patterning at a small-area level in the city of Limassol and documented the social gradient in health-related quality of life among a late working-life sample of residents. Key messages: • First-time depiction of the geographical patterning of socioeconomic disadvantage across the small geographical level of postcodes in the city of Limassol, Cyprus. • Social gradient in physical and mental health in men and women across the continuum of socioeconomic disadvantage over and above person-based indicators of social position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social inequalities in health threaten social cohesion and their investigation is an important research field. Monitoring the health of the population is necessary to identify health needs, design programs focused in people's needs and to evaluate the effectiveness of health policies., Methods: A cross-sectional survey using primary data was applied. The study investigated the size and the extent of social inequalities in quality of life and health behaviours in Limassol, Cyprus. Data collection was done door-to-door in the form of survey interviews. The sample consisted of 450 residents aged 45-64 across 45 randomly selected neighbourhoods, that met the selection criteria. The tools used were: Demographic questionnaire, SF 36 Questionnaire, IPAQ- International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form., Results: The social gradient appears in all social indicators. Physical dimension of health has a strong relationship between health-related quality of life with the education index. Specifically, the range is 12 points for males and 14 points for females (p for interaction = 0.16). Profession systematically appears to have a stronger relationship with men than with women, and is present in both physical and mental dimensions. The range is 13 points for men and 10 points for women (p for interaction = 0.31)., Conclusions: It seems that young highly educated males, employed full time, earning high income and engaging in mild physical activity, have significantly higher level of health-related life quality, compared to other middle age adult groups, living in Limassol. This finding is in agreement with other studies that show correlations between gender and the patterns of risk factors.