Socioeconomic Factors and Multimorbidity in Older Adults
Author Information
Author(s): Tucker-Seeley Reginald D, Li Yi, Sorensen Glorian, Subramanian SV
Primary Institution: Harvard School of Public Health
Hypothesis
How do childhood financial hardship and lifetime earnings affect multimorbidity among older adults?
Conclusion
Childhood financial hardship and lifetime earnings are associated with multimorbidity, with lifetime earnings modifying the impact of childhood hardship.
Supporting Evidence
- Childhood financial hardship was associated with an 8% higher number of chronic conditions.
- Lifetime earnings were associated with a 5% lower number of chronic conditions.
- 30% of respondents reported no chronic conditions.
Takeaway
If you had a tough childhood with money, you might have more health problems when you're older, but making more money as an adult can help reduce those problems.
Methodology
Cross-sectional analysis using zero-inflated Poisson regression on data from the Health and Retirement Study.
Potential Biases
Sample selection bias may exist as only individuals who consented to link their Social Security records were included.
Limitations
The study relies on self-reported childhood financial hardship, which may be subject to recall bias, and is cross-sectional, limiting causal inferences.
Participant Demographics
Participants were aged 50 and older, with 19% reporting childhood financial hardship.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.05
Confidence Interval
(1.02, 1.14)
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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