Do socioeconomic effects on health diminish with age? A Singapore case study

This paper examines the effects of socioeconomic characteristics on older adult health and investigates whether these socioeconomic effects carry through from the young-old to the oldest-old ages among Singaporean adults. Previous research shows little consensus over whether the impact of socioeconomic factors on health diminish with age. The variation in these results may be due to different definitions of socio-economic status, or the use of different health indicators. We use a comprehensive set of socioeconomic indicators (income, education level, homeownership, asset possession, and perceived income adequacy) to predict three health outcomes; poor self-assessed health, the presence of chronic illness, and functional disability. We find that while socioeconomic differentials in health status exist, the associations are not as consistent, nor as strong, as those reported for Western settings. Health inequalities related with socioeconomic status decline slightly but do not disappear with old age in Singapore.