Ten year trends in health inequalities among older people, 1993–2003

摘要

SIR—In most western societies, socioeconomic positionnoperates as a powerful discriminator of health status and risknof premature mortality [1]. This pattern is visible throughoutnthe life course from young people to the oldest old [2–9].nSelf-rated health (SRH) has often been used in studies onnhealth inequalities [1, 10], and it is recommended as a healthnmeasure by the WHO [11]. Associations of poor SRH withnmorbidity and mortality are well established among peoplenwith different ages. The associations have been shown to benmaintained even when other health measures such as cardiovascularndisease (CVD), diabetes, cancer and functionalncapacity are controlled [12–14].