The wealth gap impacts health and depression among older adults

The wealth gap impacts health and depression among older adults

There is a “silent emergency” brewing under our noses as University of Surrey research finds there is a clear wealth gap between adults over 50 meeting physical activity and dietary guidelines. The research also found that poorer adults are almost three times more likely to be depressed than their wealthier counterparts.

In an article published in the Journal of Public Health, Surrey researchers analyzed recent data from over 3,000 adults aged 50 to 90 from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) and found that nearly 70% of older adults reported engaging in some physical activity, and differences were based on wealth.

In fact, older adults in the highest wealth quintile were almost twice as likely to be physically active than those in the lowest wealth quintile. Similar differences were found in fruit and vegetable consumption, with those in the highest wealth bracket meeting the 5-day dietary guidelines above 70%, compared to just over 40% in the lowest bracket. Failure to adhere to government guidelines for physical activity and nutrition has important health consequences, and the study also found a clear link to depression risk.

There's a silent emergency brew in our country - for older people, it may be a bigger obstacle to good health than your age. Our research shows that poorer older adults are almost three times more likely to have depression and are far less likely to meet government health guidelines than their wealthier counterparts. Urgent action is needed to address these disparities before it is too late. “

Dr. Simon Evans, lead author of the study, University of Surrey

The research found that just under 19% of participants showed significant symptoms of depression, with women, people who lived alone and people in lower-income groups at highest risk - about three times higher (11.1%) in the lowest wealth quintile (32.6%) compared to the highest (11.1%). Regular exercise was associated with much lower rates of depression, with 30% of inactive people having depression compared to just 13.7% of active people. Interestingly, eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily was also associated with a lower risk of depression, with 15.7% among those who did not meet the 5-day guidelines versus 15.7% among those who did.

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