ReviewGeroScience2026
Socio-economic position and healthy ageing across the life course: a systematic review of longitudinal studies.
Review in GeroScience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Intergenerational educational mobility and intrinsic capacity in later life: a harmonised analysis of individuals from five countries.Journal of global health · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Increasing health inequalities among older adults globally illustrate the urgent need for effective interventions. Socio-economic position (SEP), which reflects an individual's social and economic standing, may affect healthy ageing through various life course mechanisms. However, longitudinal associations between life course SEP and healthy ageing as a multidimensional construct remain unclear. We conducted a comprehensive systematic review of longitudinal studies investigating the associations between life course SEP indicators (including education, income, occupation, wealth) and multidimensional healthy ageing outcomes. A systematic literature search was conducted across four databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) from inception to April 2025. Due to the heterogeneity in the operationalisation of SEP and healthy ageing, a narrative synthesis was performed (Prospero CRD42023418728). 47 articles were included in the review. Across multiple SEP indicators and life stages, higher educational levels (39/43 studies) and higher income/wealth (31/36 studies) were positively associated with better healthy ageing outcomes. Occupation showed inconsistent evidence. Life-course evidence showed childhood SEP disadvantage predicted poorer later-life outcomes (13/17 studies), with cumulative multi-stage disadvantage showing additive effects (5 studies) and upward mobility conferring benefits (3 studies). These patterns manifested in three age-related inequality trajectories: widening (18/23 studies), convergence, and persistence, with education-cognitive disparities showing strongest widening effects. Cross-national evidence revealed regional specificities. Studies also identified sex/gender moderation effects (5 studies) and examined mediating pathways (6 studies). Higher education showed the most consistent protective effects, while income/wealth effects were complex. Health inequalities widened with age, highlighting lasting childhood impacts. Targeted interventions addressing early educational investment and life stage-specific strategies are needed for reducing healthy ageing inequalities.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.