Social isolation, socioeconomic status, and development of functional impairments in Chinese older adults aged 70 years and over: a cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Social isolation in older people has been increasingly regarded as a public health issue in the face of rapid population ageing. It is not clear whether social isolation mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status and functional impairment.

Methods

We used data from a cohort of Chinese older people aged 70 or older living in community (n = 1590). Socioeconomic status (SES) was operationalised as highest education attainment, monthly income at baseline and longest held occupation in lifetime. Functional abilities were measured using Barthel's Index for activities of daily living (ADL) measured at 18 and 36 months of follow-up, from which impairment was defined as score ≤ 19. Social isolation was measured by six attributes, such as marital status, living

SUBMITTER: Lai ETC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9589608 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature