Life Course Socioeconomic Conditions and Frailty at Older Ages.
- Van der Linden BWA Swiss NCCR "LIVES - Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives"Arve, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Cheval B Swiss NCCR "LIVES - Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives"Arve, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Sieber S Swiss NCCR "LIVES - Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives"Arve, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Orsholits D Swiss NCCR "LIVES - Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives"Arve, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Guessous I Unit of Population Epidemiology, Department of Community Medicine, Primary Care and Emergency Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
- Stringhini S Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland.
- Gabriel R Swiss NCCR "LIVES - Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives"Arve, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Aartsen M NOVA - Norwegian Social Research, Center for Welfare and Labor Research, Oslo, Norway.
- Blane D International Centre for Life Course Studies in Society and Health, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK.
- Courvoisier D Swiss NCCR "LIVES - Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives"Arve, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Burton-Jeangros C Swiss NCCR "LIVES - Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives"Arve, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Kliegel M Swiss NCCR "LIVES - Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives"Arve, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Cullati S Swiss NCCR "LIVES - Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives"Arve, Geneva, Switzerland.
- 2019-02-13
Published in:
- The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences. - 2020
English
OBJECTIVES
This article aimed to assess associations of childhood socioeconomic conditions (CSC) with the risk of frailty in old age and whether adulthood socioeconomic conditions (ASC) influence this association.
METHODS
Data from 21,185 individuals aged 50 years and older included in the longitudinal Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe were used. Frailty was operationalized as a sum of presenting weakness, shrinking, exhaustion, slowness, or low activity. Confounder-adjusted multilevel logistic regression models were used to analyze associations of CSC and ASC with frailty.
RESULTS
While disadvantaged CSC was associated with higher odds of (pre-)frailty in women and men (odds ratio [OR] = 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34, 2.24; OR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.27, 2.66, respectively), this association was mediated by ASC. Personal factors and demographics, such as birth cohort, chronic conditions, and difficulties with activities of daily living, increased the odds of being (pre-)frail.
DISCUSSION
Findings suggest that CSC are associated with frailty at old age. However, when taking into account ASC, this association no longer persists. The results show the importance of improving socioeconomic conditions over the whole life course in order to reduce health inequalities in old age.
This article aimed to assess associations of childhood socioeconomic conditions (CSC) with the risk of frailty in old age and whether adulthood socioeconomic conditions (ASC) influence this association.
METHODS
Data from 21,185 individuals aged 50 years and older included in the longitudinal Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe were used. Frailty was operationalized as a sum of presenting weakness, shrinking, exhaustion, slowness, or low activity. Confounder-adjusted multilevel logistic regression models were used to analyze associations of CSC and ASC with frailty.
RESULTS
While disadvantaged CSC was associated with higher odds of (pre-)frailty in women and men (odds ratio [OR] = 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34, 2.24; OR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.27, 2.66, respectively), this association was mediated by ASC. Personal factors and demographics, such as birth cohort, chronic conditions, and difficulties with activities of daily living, increased the odds of being (pre-)frail.
DISCUSSION
Findings suggest that CSC are associated with frailty at old age. However, when taking into account ASC, this association no longer persists. The results show the importance of improving socioeconomic conditions over the whole life course in order to reduce health inequalities in old age.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- hybrid
- Identifiers
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- DOI 10.1093/geronb/gbz018
- PMID 30753721
- Persistent URL
- https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/182454
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