Socioeconomic Status and Subjective Social Status Are Associated with Physical and Pulmonary Function in Late Life

Sarinnapha Vasunilashorn, Princeton University

It is well documented that socioeconomic inequalities have a substantial impact on health outcomes, including functional disability. Although a handful of studies have reported on the functional consequences of socioeconomic status (SES), few have examined both self-reported and performance-based measures of functioning. This study uses the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study to investigate the relationships among objective SES and subjective social status with self-reported and performance-based measures of physical and pulmonary function in Taiwanese older adults. I find that objective and subjective measures of SES are associated with self-reported and performance-based lower limb function, as well as pulmonary function. This underscores the importance of both subjective social status and objective measures of SES in determining perceptions of and observed ability to complete mobility tasks and lung function performance.