Extent of aging across education and income subgroups in Thailand: Application of a characteristic-based age approach

Aim This study aimed to identify differences in physical performance across various socioeconomic groups within an older population and to convert those differences into a common metric to facilitate comparisons of aging speed across socioeconomic subgroups. Methods We employed data from the 2009 National Health Examination Survey of Thailand. Physical performance was assessed using three health characteristics: grip strength, as a measure of upper body strength; walking speed, as a measure of lower body strength; and a combined measure of grip strength and walking speed, to capture the strength of the whole body. Education level and income were used to distinguish socioeconomic subpopulations. We followed a characteristic-based age approach to transform these population characteristics, which were measured in different units, into a common and comparable aging metric, referred to as alpha - age. Results Physical aging trajectories varied by sex and socioeconomic status. Some education, particularly secondary or higher education levels, was significantly associated with greater physical strength in older age for both men and women, whereas higher income was significantly associated with physical strength only for men. Across the three health characteristics, having a primary education slowed age-related declines by up to 6.3 years among men and 2.8 years among women, whereas being in a higher income group slowed age-related declines by 8.2 years among men and up to 4.9 years among women. Conclusions This study adds new evidence from a developing Asian country regarding the difference in aging speeds across subpopulations associated with different levels of education and income.