BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION OF SES DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH

描述：(改编自申请者=S摘要)：建议项目将 研究假设为基础的生物学机制 老年人健康结果的社会经济差异。虽然事实是 贫穷和受教育程度较低的人有更高的死亡率，疾病和 残疾已经被广泛地记录下来，这个问题是什么生物学的 造成这些社会经济差异的机制在很大程度上仍然存在 未指明。拟议的分析将使用广泛的生物学数据 参数来分别和累积地检查它们在 解释了四种主要健康后果的社会经济差异：死亡， 心肌梗死、身体功能改变和认知改变 功能。该项目将使用麦克阿瑟研究成功的数据 老龄化：一项对1189名70-79岁社会经济潜水员的纵向研究 在基线工作的三年，他们在1988年至1996年期间接受了三次面谈 句号。在每次采访时，样本成员都提供了信息 关于目前的健康状况，并接受了一系列性能测试 测量他们身体和认知功能的各个方面。调查信息： 健康结果将用来自联邦医疗保险记录和 国家死亡指数。生物机制的指标源自 在面谈时进行的标准医学测试以及血液和尿液的分析 样品由样品成员提供。社会经济的多样性和范围 这一数据集中可用的生物信息使其成为 建议的项目。了解生物风险概况在以下方面的作用 根据社会经济地位产生不同的健康结果将提供 有助于确定医疗保健和教育目标的重要信息 减少健康差异的资源。

DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from the Applicant=s Abstract): The proposed project will investigate the biological mechanisms that are hypothesized to underlie socioeconomic differences in health outcomes among older people. While the fact that poorer and less educated people have higher rates of death, disease, and disability has been widely documented, the question of what biological mechanisms give rise to these socioeconomic differences remain largely unspecified. The proposed analyses will use data on a wide range of biological parameters to examine their role, both individually and cumulatively, in explaining socioeconomic differences in four major health outcomes: death, myocardial infarction, change in physical functioning, and change in cognitive function. The project will use data from the MacArthur Study of Successful Aging, a longitudinal study of 1189 socioeconomically-divers persons aged 70-79 years at baseline, who were interviewed three times during the 1988 to 1996 period. At the time of each interview, sample members provided information about current health conditions and were given a series of performance tests to measure aspects of their physical and cognitive function. Survey information on health outcomes will be augmented with information from Medicare records and the National death Index. Indicators of biological mechanisms are derived from standard medical tests performed at interview and assays of blood and urine samples provided by sample members. The socioeconomic diversity and the range of biological information available in this data set make it ideal for the proposed project. Knowledge of the role of biological risk profiles in producing differential health outcomes by socioeconomic status will provide important information to assist in targeting health care and education resources to reduce health differentials.