Lower Socioeconomic Status Correlates with Faster Age-Related Decline

This study demonstrates that lower SES (defined by wealth) is related to accelerated decline over 6 to 8 years in 16 outcomes from physical, sensory, physiological, cognitive, emotional, and social domains, independently of diagnosed health conditions, self-rated health, education, and other factors. It provides evidence for the pervasive role of social circumstances on core aging processes and suggests that less affluent sectors of society age more rapidly than more privileged groups. Aging involves decline in a range of functional abilities and phenotypes, many of which are also associated with socioeconomic status (SES). Here we assessed whether lower SES is a determinant of the rate of decline over 8 years in six domains - physical capability, sensory function, physiological function, cognitive performance, emotional well-being, and social function - in a sample of 5,018 men and women aged 64.44 (standard deviation 8.49) years on average at baseline. Wealth was used as the marker of SES, and all analyses controlled for age, gender, ethnicity, educational attainment, and long-term health conditions. Lower SES was associated with greater adverse changes in physical capability (grip strength, gait speed, and physical activity), sensory function (sight impairment), physiological function (plasma fibrinogen concentration and lung function), cognitive performance (memory, executive function, and processing speed), emotional well-being (enjoyment of life and depres...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs