Association of life-course socioeconomic status with allostatic load in Chinese middle-aged and older adults.

AIM

To examine the association of life-course socioeconomic status (SES) and mobility with allostatic load (AL) in a large cohort of Chinese middle-aged and older adults.

METHODS

Drawing on data from 17 552 middle-aged and older adults from three waves of a longitudinal study conducted in China in 2011-2015, generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used for the overall sample and subsample to examine the association between life-course SES and AL.

RESULTS

On the whole, those who were literate had lower AL (β = -0.034, 95% CI = -0.065, -0.004), while those with a non-agricultural occupation (β = 0.093, 95% CI = 0.065, 0.120) and better financial status in childhood (β = 0.037, 95% CI = 0.012, 0.063) or adulthood (β = 0.033, 95% CI = 0.009, 0.058) had higher AL. In terms of SES mobility, a stable high education was associated with lower AL (β = -0.041, 95% CI = -0.078, -0.004). Upward (β = 0.090, 95% CI = 0.061, 0.120) or stable high (β = 0.075, 95% CI = 0.025, 0.125) occupation was related to higher AL. Downward (β = 0.034, 95% CI = 0.003, 0.064) or stable high (β = 0.072, 95% CI = 0.037, 0.107) financial status was associated with higher AL. Education manifested no associations with AL for the rural and men samples. Financial status showed no relationship with AL for the urban sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate the importance of applying life-course models for gaining an understanding of SES and AL. Efforts to lower AL among Chinese middle-aged and older adults should consider childhood and current SES status, as well as different subgroups. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 425-432.