Ten year trends in health inequalities among older people, 1993-2003

SIR—In most western societies, socioeconomic position operates as a powerful discriminator of health status and risk of premature mortality [ 1 ]. This pattern is visible throughout the life course from young people to the oldest old [ 2–9 ]. Self-rated health (SRH) has often been used in studies on health inequalities [ 1 , 10 ], and it is recommended as a health measure by the WHO [ 11 ]. Associations of poor SRH with morbidity and mortality are well established among people with different ages. The associations have been shown to be maintained even when other health measures such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, cancer and functional capacity are controlled [ 12–14 ]. Although studies of SRH among older people have gained prominence in recent years, the results lack coherence [ 9 , 15–18 ]. Studies concerning cohort changes in SRH have found both improved and deteriorated levels among older people [ 19 ]. A recent study from the US suggested a stable or a slightly improved level of SRH among older people from the early 1990s onwards [ 20 ]. Results from Sweden indicated stable figures of SRH among older people [ 9 ].