Abstract
This study aims to contribute to understanding how social networks serve as an intervening pathway leading to socioeconomic health inequality among older adults in Norway. Longitudinal survey data from the second and the third waves of the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing, and Generation Study (NorLAG) are used in this paper. The Older adults aged 55 and above who completed all the third waves (N= 2856) were used for the analysis. The mediating effect of the contact frequency and the support potential of friends on the impact of social-economic position (SEP) at wave two on physical health outcomes at wave three is estimated using Hayes PROCESS macro. The total indirect effect of income on physical health was observed as 0.04, meaning that those with a higher contact frequency with friends and higher support potential of friends, on average, report 0.04 units higher on the physical health score than those with lower contact frequency with friends and lower support potential of friends. The total indirect effect of the highest attained education level on physical health score is observed as 0.12, meaning that those with a higher contact frequency with friends and higher support potential of friends report on average 0.12 units higher on their physical health scores than those with lower contact frequency with friends and lower support potential of friends. The results show a social-economic gradient in health among older adults in Norway where the social network is a crucial pathway via which SEP influences peoples’ health.
Presenters
Nabaraj AdhikariStudent, Master in International Community Health, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Older adults, Network structure, Social support, Health inequality, Achieved roles
