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Socioeconomic status and health among older adults in Thailand: an examination using multiple indicators

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  • Zimmer, Zachary
  • Amornsirisomboon, Pattama

Abstract

A survey of 14,000 Thais, 50 and older, is utilized to test hypotheses about the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health previously derived through observation of Western populations. Central among hypotheses is the notion that an inverse association can be uniformly detected across a matrix of SES indicators and health outcomes. Indicators of SES in this study include the traditional education, occupation and income measures, and a measure of household possessions. This later indicator may be particularly useful in a non-Western setting such as Thailand. Health outcomes were derived in order to represent a subjective, a social, and a medical conceptualization of health and included measures for self-assessed health, functional disorders and chronic health conditions. All health indicators were dichotomously coded as existence or non-existence. Also tested are associations throughout ordered categories of SES. Results generally support hypotheses. Unadjusted for other SES covariates, all four indicators of status strongly related to two of the three health measures, when controlling for other important covariates. When adjusted for each other, a number of the associations remained strong. There were also several notable exceptions. Little association existed between SES and chronic health disorders. The results may serve to highlight the distinct social environment acting upon the association.

Suggested Citation

  • Zimmer, Zachary & Amornsirisomboon, Pattama, 2001. "Socioeconomic status and health among older adults in Thailand: an examination using multiple indicators," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 52(8), pages 1297-1311, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:52:y:2001:i:8:p:1297-1311
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    Cited by:

    1. Cheng, Lingguo & Liu, Hong & Zhang, Ye & Zhao, Zhong, 2018. "The health implications of social pensions: Evidence from China's new rural pension scheme," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 53-77.
    2. Hongwei Xu & Yu Xie, 2017. "Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health in China: A Reassessment with Data from the 2010–2012 China Family Panel Studies," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 219-239, May.
    3. Barik, Debasis & Desai, Sonalde & Vanneman, Reeve, 2018. "Economic Status and Adult Mortality in India: Is the Relationship Sensitive to Choice of Indicators?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 176-187.
    4. Arokiasamy, Perianayagam & Uttamacharya, Uttamacharya & Kowal, Paul, 2013. "Socioeconomic and age gradients of health of Indian adults: an assessment of self-reported and performance-based measures of health," MPRA Paper 54912, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Feb 2014.
    5. Audrey Dorélien & Hongwei Xu, 2020. "Estimating rural–urban disparities in self-rated health in China: Impact of choice of urban definition," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(49), pages 1429-1460.
    6. Zimmer, Zachary & Prachuabmoh, Vipan, 2012. "Comparing the socioeconomic status – Health gradient among adults 50 and older across rural and urban areas of Thailand in 1994 and 2007," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(12), pages 1921-1928.
    7. Susan Vos, 2005. "Indicating Socioeconomic Status among Elderly People in Developing Societies: An Example from Brazil," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 73(1), pages 87-108, August.
    8. Zimmer, Zachary, 2008. "Poverty, wealth inequality and health among older adults in rural Cambodia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 57-71, January.
    9. Smith, Kimberly V. & Goldman, Noreen, 2007. "Socioeconomic differences in health among older adults in Mexico," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(7), pages 1372-1385, October.
    10. Elwell-Sutton, Timothy M. & Jiang, Chao Qiang & Zhang, Wei Sen & Cheng, Kar Keung & Lam, Tai Hing & Leung, Gabriel M. & Schooling, C.M., 2011. "Socioeconomic influences at different life stages on health in Guangzhou, China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(11), pages 1884-1892, June.
    11. Bakshi, Sanjeev & Pathak, Prasanta, 2010. "Social context and the burden of ill health among the older adults in India," MPRA Paper 40463, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Qingyuan Xue & Nopphol Witvorapong, 2022. "Effects of Socioeconomic Status on Aging People’s Health in China," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 476-488, September.
    13. Joko Mulyanto & Dionne S. Kringos & Anton E. Kunst, 2019. "The accuracy of self-report versus objective assessment for estimating socioeconomic inequalities in disease prevalence in Indonesia," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 64(8), pages 1233-1241, November.
    14. Social Policy and Population Section, Social Development Division, ESCAP., 2003. "Asia-Pacific Population Journal Volume 18, No. 4," Asia-Pacific Population Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 18(4), pages 1-72, November.

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