Measuring social economic status in the over 50’s

Research overview

Evidence shows that SES is a key determinant of health, influencing access to resources, opportunities for social mobility and overall wellbeing. In order to understand and address health inequity, it is important to know how to measure SES and appreciate how different measurement tools may lead to different conclusions about pathways between SES and health outcomes.

Many public health interventions such as screening are directed at older adults and studies of illness management typically involve older adult populations. However, measuring SES in research involving older adults presents unique challenges. Traditional indicators, such as current occupation or income, often lose relevance after retirement or changes in financial stability. Similarly, social roles and priorities may shift significantly in later life, meaning measures designed for younger populations may not capture the realities of older cohorts. This can lead to inconsistent reporting and misinterpretation of socioeconomic influences on health.

SES is multi-faceted and each facet may also be measured in various ways. This project brings together all of these measures to examine the dimensional structure and relationship to health behaviour.