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Health inequalities in the South African elderly: The importance of the measure of social-economic status

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  • Riumallo-Herl, Carlos
  • Canning, David
  • Kabudula, Chodziwadziwa

Abstract

A common approach when studying inequalities in health is to use a wealth index based on household durable goods as a proxy for socio-economic status. We test this approach for elderly health using data from an aging survey in a rural area of South Africa and find much steeper gradients for health with consumption adjusted for household size than with the wealth index. These results highlight the importance of the measure of socioeconomic status used when measuring health gradients, and the need for direct measures of household consumption or income in ageing studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Riumallo-Herl, Carlos & Canning, David & Kabudula, Chodziwadziwa, 2019. "Health inequalities in the South African elderly: The importance of the measure of social-economic status," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 14(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joecag:v:14:y:2019:i:c:s2212828x18300768
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeoa.2019.01.005
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    Cited by:

    1. Muna Shifa & David Gordon & Murray Leibbrandt & Mary Zhang, 2022. "Socioeconomic-Related Inequalities in COVID-19 Vulnerability in South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-20, August.
    2. Riumallo Herl, Carlos & Kabudula, Chodziwadziwa & Kahn, Kathleen & Tollman, Stephen & Canning, David, 2022. "Pension exposure and health: Evidence from a longitudinal study in South Africa," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).

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