Socioeconomic death gaps widened in the US but narrowed in China
A measure of inequality in death risk rose from 1.59 to 4.39 across US generations but fell from 9.19 to 1.17 in China.
19,383 participants
Limit: Cardiovascular mortality was examined only in the US cohort, not in China
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Researchers analyzed 19,383 US participants and 13,728 participants in China in a retrospective cohort study. They classified socioeconomic status using education, income, and occupation and compared five generations, from pre-1930s to post-1960s.
Low socioeconomic status was linked to higher mortality from all causes across generations. In the US, the inequality measure—a hazard ratio measuring relative death risk—rose from 1.59 in the pre-1930s cohort to 4.39 in the post-1960s cohort. Statistical analysis linked this widening gap primarily to lifestyle factors. US cardiovascular mortality followed the same trend. In China, the hazard ratio fell from 9.19 in the 1930s cohort to 1.17 in the post-1960s cohort. The ranges of likely values included no difference in the earliest US cohort and the youngest Chinese cohort.
Why it matters
The study addressed whether socioeconomic disadvantages in survival persist across successive birth generations. Its conclusions point to behavioral risks and access to medical care as policy targets for addressing widening US disparities.
Caveats
As an observational retrospective analysis, the study cannot establish that socioeconomic status directly caused differences in death rates. Cardiovascular mortality was examined only in the US cohort, and the findings were presented as a conference abstract.
