Early-Life Socioeconomic Conditions, Height, and Functional Health Status in Later Life: Evidence from South Korea

Abstract

© 2017 Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health. The article contributes to the literature on health inequalities by examining the associations between early-life socioeconomic status (SES), height, and functional limitations in later life among Korean men and women. The findings were based on 1562 men and 1801 women aged 50 to 79 years who participated in the 2005 Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS). Among men, 17.8% reported having functional limitations, compared to 31.8% among women. The ordered logistic regression analyses showed that for Korean men, the relative contribution of early-life SES to functional health was less important than that of adult SES. For Korean women, childhood SES was a significant predictor of functional limitations after controlling for attained SES. Short stature was associated with poorer functional health only among men and the relationship was explained by adult characteristics. The results imply that long-term effect of childhood deprivation on health may be stronger among women in Korean society.