Understanding inequalities and inequities in health and wellness among older Canadians

Achieving health equity (i.e., eliminating unfair health inequalities) is an important health policy goal in many jurisdictions, including Canada. Attaining health equity among older Canadians is a barometer for successful aging of the Canadian population. As the aging of the Canadian population accelerates, it is important to understand heterogeneity in various aspects of health and wellness that are considered to be constituent of successful aging and to respond to those inequalities that are judged to be ethically unacceptable. Using a new, national flagship study, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), the proposed project aims to understand variation in health and wellness of older Canadians and to advance empirical methods for measuring health inequities among older Canadians.

Grip strength does not exhibit clear, consistent associations with either socioeconomic or health behaviour variables, as typically shown with general health status measures. Grip strength is not a better, objective alternative to self-rated health in analyses of social inequality in health; and the application of the method proposed by van Doorslaer and Jones (Inequalities in self-reported health: validation of a new approach to measurement, 2003) asks for caution and reconsideration.