Is there an association between social determinants and care dependency risk?

Background

Despite a growing body of knowledge about the morbidities and functional impairment which frequently lead to care dependency, the role of social determinants is not yet well understood. The purpose of this study was 1) to examine the effect of social determinants on care dependency onset and progression, and 2) to analyse the effect of social determinants on various levels of care dependency.

Methods

We used data from the Berlin Initiative Study (BIS), a prospective, longitudinal, population-based cohort study including 2069 older participants (≥70 years of age) with visits in 2009, 2011 and 2013. Care dependency was assessed if participants require substantial assistance in at least two activities of daily living for 90 minutes daily (level 1) or three hours+ daily (level 2). Social determinants were defined as partnership status, education, income, age and gender. Data were analysed with multi-state time to event regression modeling which simultaneously model several competing events, as well as not only first but also second or third event in one model.

Results

During the study period, 556 participants (27.5%) changed their status of care dependency. Persons who reported having no partner at baseline were care-dependent more often than participants with a partner (43.7% ’no partner’ / 27.1% ’with partner’). In the multiple model having no partner compared to having a partner was associated with a higher risk of transition from no care dependency to level 1 (HR: 1.25, 95%CI: 0.97-1.64), however failed significance. The significant association between care dependency and income and between care dependency and education ceased as well after adjustment for co-morbidities.

Conclusions

Results indicate that older people without a partner tend to be on a higher risk of care dependency onset but not on a higher risk of care dependency progression. Inequality between education and income groups can be explained in terms of morbidity.

Key messages

The significant association between care dependency and income and between care dependency and education can be explained in terms of morbidity. Results indicate that older people without a partner tend to be on a higher risk of care dependency onset but not on a higher risk of care dependency progression.

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