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The socio-economic determinants of older people's health in Brazil: the importance of marital status and income
- Authors:
- BOS Antonio, BOS Angelo J.
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 27(3), May 2007, pp.385-405.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Studies in various countries have reported that older people who are married have better health than older widows. This paper reports a replication of these analyses with Brazilian data. The main objective was to explore the relationships between marital status, individual and household income, and the health of men and women using ordered logistic regression with self-assessed health as the dependent variable. The explanatory variables of interest were gender, marital status, and individual and family income. The data are from a survey of 7,920 non-institutionalised older people resident in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul in 1995. The survey used a structured, multi-disciplinary questionnaire, which collected information on demographic attributes, household composition, social relations, occupation, income and health status. The results show that widows were 20 per cent more likely to report better health than married women. The women without individual income had worse health than those who did, even after controlling for family income. For men, there were no significant differences in health by marital status. The main recommendation is that the health status and economic circumstances of married elderly women should be given more attention in both research and policy, certainly in Brazil and probably in other Latin American countries. Programmes of income support to the poorest households should include specific transfers to these elderly women. Brazil's Family Health and Older People's Health public programmes should place more emphasis on the health of elderly home-makers.
Socio-economic position and quality of life among older people in 10 European countries: results of the SHARE study
- Authors:
- VON DEM KNESEBECK Olaf, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 27(2), March 2007, pp.269-284.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study examines associations between quality of life and multiple indicators of socio-economic position among people aged 50 or more years in 10 European countries, and analyses whether the relative importance of the socio-economic measures vary by age. The countries studied were Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The data are from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in 2004. 15,080 cases were analysed. Quality of life was measured by a short version of the CASP-19 questionnaire, which represents quality of life as comprising four conceptual domains of individual needs that are particularly relevant in later life: control, autonomy, self-realisation and pleasure. The short version has 12 items (three for each domain). Five indicators of socio-economic position were used: income, education, home ownership, net worth, and car ownership. A multiple logistic regression showed that quality of life was associated with socio-economic position, but that the associations varied by country. Relatively small socio-economic differences in quality of life were observed for Switzerland, but comparatively large differences in Germany. Education, income, net worth, and car ownership consistently related to quality of life, but the association of home ownership was less consistent. There was no indication that the socio-economic differences in quality of life diminished after retirement (i.e. from 65+ years). Conventional measures of socio-economic position (education and income), as well as alternative indicators (car ownership and household net worth), usefully identified the differential risks of poor quality of life among older people before and after the conventional retirement age.
Identifying frailty risk profiles of home-dwelling older people: focus on sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics
- Authors:
- DURY Sarah, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 21(10), 2017, pp.1031-1039.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: This paper investigates risk profiles of frailty among older people, as these are essential for detecting those individuals at risk for adverse outcomes and to undertake specific preventive actions. Frailty is not only a physical problem, but also refers to emotional, social, and environmental hazards. Methods: Using data generated from the Belgian Ageing Studies, a cross-sectional study (n = 28,049), we tested a multivariate regression model that included sociodemographic and socioeconomic indicators as well as four dimensions of frailty, for men and women separately. Results: The findings indicated that for both men and women, increased age, having no partner, having moved house in the previous 10 years, having a lower educational level and having a lower household income are risk characteristics for frailty. Moreover, when looking at the different frailty domains, different risk profiles arose, and gender-specific risk characteristics were detected. Discussion: This paper elaborates on practical implications, and formulates a number of future research recommendations to tackle frailty in an ageing society. The conclusion demonstrates the necessity for a thorough knowledge of risk profiles of frailty, as this will save both time and money and permit preventive actions to be more individually tailored. (Edited publisher abstract)
Understanding socio-economic inequalities affecting older people
- Author:
- McGILL Paul
- Publisher:
- Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 74
- Place of publication:
- Belfast
This report explores socio-economic inequalities and investigates whether there are inequalities that affect older people as a group compared with younger people, or inequalities that exist within the older population. It also examines how these inequalities change over time and whether they have a detrimental impact on older people or on a substantial number of them. Finally, it considers how harmful socio-economic inequalities can be reduced or eliminated and what the implications for policy-making are. Socio-economic inequalities are examined in three contexts. Chapter 1 examines evidence in Ireland, North and South, contained in research reports funded by the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI). Chapter 2 carries out an analysis of spatial deprivation, specifically the proportion of older people in small areas of Northern Ireland with low incomes. Chapter 3 examines the earnings and incomes of older people in Ireland, North and South, including the impact of the first few years of the recession. Chapter 4 then sets out some of the general policy background to inequalities and outlines policy developments in Ireland, North and South. Finally, Chapter 5 discusses the policy implications with reference to the preceding chapters. (Edited publisher abstract)
Lifecourse determinants and incomes in retirement: Belgium and the United Kingdom compared
- Author:
- DEWILDE Caroline
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 32(4), May 2012, pp.587-615.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This paper considers how social inequality in old age might be structured by previous lifecourse experiences. Specifically, it analyses the impact of ‘life-time’ family and labour market experiences on household incomes of older people in Belgium and the United Kingdom. Prospective panel data and retrospective life-history information from the Panel Study of Belgian Households (1992-2002) and the British Household Panel Survey (1991-2005) were combined. The analysis sample comprised 481 Belgium men, 602 Belgium women, 577 British men, and 803 British women aged 60 years and over. The results show that old-age income is indeed influenced by previous lifecourse experiences, and that differences between Belgium and the UK can be explained in terms of welfare regime arrangements. Family experiences have a larger impact on old-age incomes in ‘male-breadwinner’ Belgium, while in Britain labour market events are more important. As social transfers in Britain are more aimed at poverty prevention and less at income replacement, a ‘scarring effect’ of unemployment persists even into old age. Also, the more of one's career is spent in blue-collar work, self-employment or farming, the lower the income in old age. This effect was found to be significantly stronger in Belgium than in the UK, despite the high level of ‘de-commodification’ achieved by the Belgian welfare state.
A comparative appraisal of the relationship of education, income and housing tenure with less than good health among the elderly in Europe
- Authors:
- DALSTRA J. A. A., KUNST A. E., MACKENBACH J. P.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 62(8), April 2006, pp.2046-2060.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The objective of this study was to determine the strength of various socio-economic indicators for predicting less than good health among elderly people aged 60–79 years. Data were obtained from national health surveys from 10 European countries. Education, income and housing tenure were examined in relation to less than good health using standardised prevalence rates and (multiple) logistic regression analyses. The results illustrated that there are substantial health differences among the elderly according to education and income in each country. Both education and income (with men) showed a strong independent relationship with health status. Health differences according to housing tenure were generally somewhat smaller. However, in Great Britain and the Netherlands housing tenure demonstrated large health differences, even after adjustment for education and income. It is recommended that more refined socio-economic measures are developed and that in the meantime both education and income are used when studying socio-economic health differences among the elderly. In some countries, like Great Britain and the Netherlands, however, housing tenure has an additional value.
Income mobility in old age in Britain and Germany
- Authors:
- ZAIDI Asghar, FRICK Joachim R., BUCHEL Felix
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 25(4), July 2005, pp.543-565.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Examines the income mobility experienced by older people living in Britain and Germany during the 1990s, and identifies the influential personal attributes and lifecourse events. The analysis uses British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) panel data. The comparative perspective yields insights about the different income experiences of older people in the two markedly different welfare regimes. It is found that old-age income mobility has been more pronounced in Britain than in Germany, and that in both countries its occurrence was strongly associated with changes in living arrangements, with the employment status of co-residents, and with widowhood among women. Unemployment during working life associated significantly with negative late-life income mobility. Among those on low incomes, a high share of income from an earnings-related pension had a significant and positive effect in both countries.
Social inequalities in later life: the socio-economic position of older people from ethnic minority groups in Britain
- Author:
- EVANDROU Maria
- Journal article citation:
- Population Trends, 101, Autumn 2000, pp.11-18.
- Publisher:
- Office for National Statistics
This article uses data from the General Household Survey (1991-96) to investigate the household living arrangements, lifestyle, socio-economic status, economic resources and experience of multiple deprivation in later life amongst older people from ethnic minority groups in Britain. The findings indicate that there are significant differences both between and within ethnic minority groups, which need to be taken into account by policy makers and planners.
Socioeconomic factors and the risk of cognitive decline among the elderly population in Japan
- Author:
- OKAMOTO Shohei
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 34(2), 2019, pp.265-271.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Aim: In Japan, with the largest percentage of population aged 65 years or over, a dementia strategy is needed not only from a medical perspective, but also from a social policy viewpoint. This study aimed to verify the association between socioeconomic factors and cognitive decline among Japanese elderly people. Methods: Cognitive decline was assessed over a 15‐year follow‐up period using memory tests or through identifying missing/proxy responses to survey questions due to cognitive dysfunction. The author analysed 1886 men and 2102 women in Japan, using competing risk models for cognitive decline, to consider survival effects. Survival effects have not been considered so far although those who live longer may be more likely to experience cognitive decline. Results: Men with higher income had a lower risk of cognitive decline (sub‐hazard ratio [SHR]: 0.997, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.995‐0.999). Women with higher education had a lower risk of cognitive decline: 8 to 9 years (SHR: 0.646, 95% CI: 0.457‐0.914) and ≥12 years (SHR: 0.360, 95% CI: 0.164‐0.794) than women with 0 to 7 years of education. Conclusion: This study suggests that cognitive decline among the elderly Japanese population is associated with socioeconomic factors, such as income and education, even after taking survival effects into account. (Edited publisher abstract)
The experience of the transition to retirement: rapid evidence review
- Authors:
- HYDE Martin, et al
- Publisher:
- Centre for Ageing Better
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 90
- Place of publication:
- London
A synthesis of research evidence on how people experiences the move from paid employment to retirement. The review considered people’s attitudes towards their upcoming retirement, the factors that determine any variation in attitude, and people’s experiences of the period post-retirement. It adopts a narrative synthesis approach, to combine the findings of qualitative and quantitative studies. Based on the review the literature, the report discusses the factors that impact on the experience of retirement across themes: gender; socioeconomic position; ethnic and cultural factors; family situation; health; attitudes to ageing; work and occupation; and preparedness and control. Key conclusions identified include, that: control over the retirement process leads to more positive adjustment to retirement; those in less advantaged social positions tend to have more negative experiences of retirement; positive attitudes toward the future predict high levels of planning among men; and negative expectations about the consequences of retirement predict difficulties in adjusting both for the person retiring and for their partner. The review concludes that organisations can have an important impact on expectations around retirement by supporting their older workers’ career development. It also argues that policy makers and practitioners must improve the resources that can help people increase their levels of control to enable them to make the decisions around work and retirement in later life. (Edited publisher abstract)