Income and functional limitations among the aged in Europe: a trend analysis in 16 countries

Knesebeck, Olaf von dem; Vonneilich, Nico; Lüdecke, Daniel

doi:10.1136/jech-2016-208369

Cited by 20 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The findings of the present study are consistent with a growing body of studies from high-income countries showing that socioeconomic inequalities in health exist not only in middle age, but also in later phases of adulthood [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 ]. With regard to the dynamics of health inequalities with age, our results support previous findings from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies indicating that health inequalities continue to exist at older ages [ 18 , 19 , 27 , 31 ], but may be partially smaller than at middle age [ 18 , 25 , 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Although less attention has been paid to later life compared to other life phases, there has been increasing research activity into health inequalities in older populations in the last years. Studies from high-income countries show that socioeconomic differences in health, morbidity, healthcare, and mortality also exist in older age groups to the detriment of lower socioeconomic groups [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Concerning the extent of health inequalities and their dynamics over the later life course, three contradictory hypotheses are discussed in the literature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health and Perceived Unmet Needs for Healthcare among the Elderly in Germany

Hoebel

Rommel

Schröder

et al. 2017

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Research into health inequalities in the elderly population of Germany is relatively scarce. This study examines socioeconomic inequalities in health and perceived unmet needs for healthcare and explores the dynamics of health inequalities with age among elderly people in Germany. Data were derived from the Robert Koch Institute’s cross-sectional German Health Update study. The sample was restricted to participants aged 50–85 years (n = 11,811). Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured based on education, (former) occupation, and income. Odds ratios and prevalence differences were estimated using logistic regression and linear probability models, respectively. Our results show that self-reported health problems were more prevalent among men and women with lower SES. The extent of SES-related health inequalities decreased at older ages, predominantly among men. Although the prevalence of perceived unmet needs for healthcare was low overall, low SES was associated with higher perceptions of unmet needs in both sexes and for several kinds of health services. In conclusion, socioeconomic inequalities in health exist in a late working age and early retirement but may narrow at older ages, particularly among men. Socially disadvantaged elderly people perceive greater barriers to accessing healthcare services than those who are better off.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health and Perceived Unmet Needs for Healthcare among the Elderly in Germany

Hoebel

Rommel

Schröder

et al. 2017

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A large study based on pooled data from 17 European countries showed that between 1990 and 2010, absolute inequalities in self-rated general health were mostly constant whereas relative inequalities increased [ 13 ]. Another analysis of large European data sets revealed that absolute and relative inequalities in functional limitations among older people increased between 2002 and 2014 [ 44 ]. Inequalities in single widespread diseases, such as diabetes [ 15 ], myocardial infarction or stroke [ 16 , 45 , 46 ], have been found to have remained relatively constant in recent decades.…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-millennial trends of socioeconomic inequalities in chronic illness among adults in Germany

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectiveTime trends in health inequalities have scarcely been studied in Germany as only few national data have been available. In this paper, we explore trends in socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of chronic illness using Germany-wide data from four cross-sectional health surveys conducted between 2003 and 2012 (n = 54,197; ages 25–69 years). We thereby expand a prior analysis on post-millennial inequality trends in behavioural risk factors by turning the focus to chronic illness as the outcome measure. The regression-based slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated to estimate the extent of absolute and relative socioeconomic inequalities in chronic illness, respectively.ResultsThe results for men revealed a significant increase in the extent of socioeconomic inequalities in chronic illness between 2003 and 2012 on both the absolute and relative scales (SII2003 = 0.06, SII2012 = 0.17, p-trend = 0.013; RII2003 = 1.18, RII2012 = 1.57, p-trend = 0.013). In women, similar increases in socioeconomic inequalities in chronic illness were found (SII2003 = 0.05, SII2012 = 0.14, p-trend = 0.022; RII2003 = 1.14, RII2012 = 1.40, p-trend = 0.021). Whereas in men this trend was driven by an increasing prevalence of chronic illness in the low socioeconomic group, the trend in women was predominantly the result of a declining prevalence in the high socioeconomic group.

show abstract

“…Nor, for that matter, can studies pointing towards increasing inequities in health. Even evidence that the better-off segments of the older population show a compression of morbidity or increased survivorship in later life while others show an expansion or little overall change in morbidity and mortality cannot in and of itself demonstrate growing total health inequalities (Solé-Auró et al , 2015; Bor et al , 2017; von dem Knesebeck et al , 2017). The implicit assumption that over the last three decades there has been an overall ‘compression of morbidity’ in the developed economies of the world might imply less rather than more variability within the population of over 65 year olds, but the USA may prove to be an exception ( cf .…”

Section: Increasing Vulnerability: As Indexed By Health Inequalitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precarity and the assumption of rising insecurity in later life: a critique

Gilleard¹,

Higgs²

2019

Ageing and Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, several authors have drawn attention to signs of growing inequalities in the ageing populations of the developed economies. Such formulations have employed the concept of precariousness to suggest that a ‘new’ precarity has emerged in old age. Questioning this position and drawing on data reported over the last two decades on income and health inequalities between and within retired and working-age households, the present paper argues that evidence of this ‘precarity’ is speculative at most and relates more to imagined futures than to empirically observed trends in the present. The ageing of ageing societies – that is the growing agedness of the older population – might imply an increase in precarity or vulnerability at older ages, but this is not a result of changes in the underlying economic and social relations of society. Instead, we would contend that it is the corporeal consequences of living longer. By conflating the various meanings of ‘precarity’ there is a corresponding danger that the very real changes brought about by population ageing will be underplayed, which may be to the detriment of the most vulnerable. The idea of a new precarity in later life may thus not serve the ends to which it is intended.

show abstract

Income and functional limitations among the aged in Europe: a trend analysis in 16 countries

Abstract: High-income groups are more in favour of the observed overall decline in functional limitations than deprived groups. Results point to potential income-related inequalities in compression of morbidity in the recent past in Europe.

Cited by 20 publications

References 31 publications

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health and Perceived Unmet Needs for Healthcare among the Elderly in Germany

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health and Perceived Unmet Needs for Healthcare among the Elderly in Germany

Post-millennial trends of socioeconomic inequalities in chronic illness among adults in Germany

Precarity and the assumption of rising insecurity in later life: a critique

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About