Do social inequalities in self-reported health increase in early old age?
The health divide between the most affluent and the worst off in society increases in later life, finds a study published on bmj.com today. This has important implications for government policies to tackle health inequalities. Researchers looked at over 10,000 British civil servants aged between 35 and 55, who were taking part in the Whitehall II study. The employees worked in 20 different departments and were from all occupational grades. They were surveyed five times between 1985 and 2004 on their physical, psychological and social functioning. Occupational grade was measured each time and participants were asked to classify their employment status (employed or retired). The results show that physical health declines with age in all groups, while mental health tends to improve with age. However, physical health declined more rapidly with age in the lower occupational grades, resulting in a widening of health inequalities with age. For example, the average physical health of a 70 year
