The social patterning of mortality in a cohort of elderly Swedes
Keywords:
social classes, mortality, aged, SwedenAbstract
Social class differences in mortality among the elderly have received only limited interest. In this paper we analyze the impact of social class on mortality from mid-life onwards. In 1968 1,860 persons born between 1892 and 1915 were interviewed and followed in the national cause of death registry for the period 1968-1991. In addition. 537 of the 563 survivors were fe-interviewed in 1992. We employ proportional hazard regressions to analyze the impact of social class on death risks over time. There are fairly small class differences in the probability of reaching old age. However, it appears that mortality differentials were steeper before retirement age than after. Still, the size of class differences in mortality seem smaller than expected on the basis of other studies. At the same time steep class gradients in illness and functional abilities exist among survivors. Some possible explanations for these somewhat contradictory findings are discussed.
