Why are middle class older people so much more healthier than their poorer counterparts?

[Gorzf]

Sorry, if this is obvious to people but I can't help but notice all the well off people I meet in their 50s/ 60s / 70s, they're just healthy, their skin is glowing, they're fit and mobile.

I am a child of immigrants who came with nothing. We were quite poor growing up, the only kid in my friendship group on free school meals. Even as an adult I'm not particularly well off, just getting by. Growing up, most older people in my poor area / community just declined. It was almost a thing I thought was just normal, that's what happens.

It wasn't as I grew older and started meeting people from different socioeconomic status that I realised that wasn't the case.

It can't just be about having more money, surely. What is it that they're doing that the poor folk around me didn't do.

Fewer children in the family, physical resources, time, attention, not stretched so far. Not the only criteria, but an important one.

Lol. It's like Beveridge with a lobotomy.

People who lived through the war and rationing were often very healthy and hardy, despite the stress and enforced poverty. But the diet was healthy, even though it was frugal.

Lots of people are middle class but don’t have the money for therapists, personal trainers etc. but they pay attention to diet and nutrition of food, even if it is cheap. And are more exposed to discussion and awareness raising about what is healthy, and as they are confident with ‘cultural capital’ they are open to different foodstuffs, healthier cuisines etc.

My family are half and half. Half would absolutely have been shoving chips through the railings in response to Jamie’s school dinners, and drink fizzy cans with every meal. half are embracing chick peas and kale and drink water and herbal tea. Both have similar incomes: struggling!

You seem very knowledgeable about poor people @LNY1986 . Do you like spending time with those dreadful, dirty, dirty types?

People think that, but having less control over your life is far more stressful than a management job

Plus

Less likely to do hard physical work

Better diet - more money, the ability to pay for healthy eating shortcuts, cultural norms, more avenues to pleasure means it’s easier to resist fattening food

More likely to exercise. The money to pay trainers, gyms and physio (all get more important as you get older). Exercise when older prevents falls as well as keeping you healthy.

More likely to be able to get good treatment out of the NHS, and afford private care when needed.

Fewer mental health issues and able to pay for help when needed.

More likely to be able to afford good heating and damp free homes, and to live in unpolluted areas.

Less worry - about money, health, safety, your kids’ futures

More likely to be able to work PT for longer, and fund active retirements which both keep you young an active

Higher education and more opportunities for stimulation in later life (brain stretching hobbies, active social life, learning new skills) - both of which protect against dementia

More access to the countryside which is good for mental and physical health

It’s not surprising really…

I don't think it's entirely down to wealth or lack of. It's down to attitudes which are often passed down from generation to generation.
We all have the same access to health care. We can all find ways to exercise for free. Good home cooked food is still cheaper and better for us than convenience food. Education is available for all. We are not living in the Victorian era.
It's our parents attitudes that shape and mould us from infancy. If you get a good start in life, you're likely to continue to thrive. It's a basic fact.
Sure, there can be all sorts of hurdles in life but with the right attitude you can overcome them, seek help etc.

@LNY1986

How bigoted you are. Poverty decreases life chances and health.

Lots of little things add up.

Better nutrition. Better housing (less mould, cold etc). Less likely to be in manual jobs. More likely to be able to retire earlier. More likely to access better health care, better education.

Even all those things are just a little better all the bits accumulate up.

Reading @LNY1986 's posts must also knock a fair bit off your span. Should have a bloody health warning. Throwing milky bars at buggies indeed.

Peer pressure to 'fit in' and 'not let the side down' is definitely part of it, along with all the socioeconomic factors already mentioned.

Middle-class older folk seem more healthy than some working-class folk of the same age because they can afford to live healthily -better housing, better healthcare., access to snsible food and a lot less junk food, time for regular exercise - all of which needs a reasonable substantial income to do properly.

Increasingly, the key differentiating factor between poor people and the middle classes is dental health. With NHS dentists becoming as rare as hens' teeth, this will only get worse.

You already see it in the US, where people with bad teeth are instantly identifiable as being poor. Unless we get a government that actually cares about poor people and invests in dental care, the same will happen here

Sadly it is about having more money - that brings the freedom of choice, the ability to pay for a healthy diet, an early retirement, a lower-stress way of life. Having the ability to choose.

All of my family retired in their 50s and all are having a jolly old time - in super health, because they’ve had a lifetime of education about nutrition, exercise & general well-being, which, sadly isn’t available to everyone.

There’s also a wider conversation here about free university places but better pensions but it is what it is!

Check your grammar before you start shouting at everyone else.

What you’re talking about, extremely savagely, is the cycle of deprivation: those that find themselves born in a position of poverty will often die there. But the question- surely, is what we could be doing to prevent this? Rather than posting extreme diatribes online

Or at the very least, invest more in the dental health of children and under 18's. Give them half a chance at healthy, pain-free teeth and the confidence they bring.

Heartbreaking

This is a massive document, but check out the "Inequalities in life expectancy" for a starter:

https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/what-are-health-inequalities

I know very different people to you op- most older people I know, although mc, have cancer, heart problems, are on walking frames and sticks. I lost a few more well off people (and too young) in the last few years to stress related illnesses. Life is luck in the end

@LNY1986 you need to put down the daily mail…

We all have the same access to health care.

I don’t think that’s true, there’s often a postcode lottery & not everyone has access to private healthcare.

This very clearly demonstrates a harsh and unfair reality. Was there discussion on programs and solutions to the disparities?

Where I live, the closest two places to buy food are takeaways, then there is a small convenience shop where fruit and veg is three times what it is in Lidl, but there are promotions for crisps, chocolate, sweets, doughnuts. If I have a pound to buy a meal, how am I going to buy anything healthy? Tinned tomatoes can be cheap but in this shop they're £1.58. Rice is £2. Pasta is cheap, but not nutritious. There isn't a choice.
If someone doesn't drive (so can't get to Lidl or Aldi) or doesn't have enough in their bank account for the minimum spend at Tesco or Sainsburys, then how do they buy healthy food?
To get to my nearest Lidl, I have to pass a fake Nando's, kfc, subway, chippie, three kebab shops and two Chinese takeaways. Those places set up in poorer areas.

It's really interesting and sad to look at the difference in stock between the same supermarket in different areas. I regularly go to Aldi. The one in the middle class area has a bigger fruit and vegetables section and more Mediterranean type foods. The one in the poorer area has far more crisps and sweets. It seems that it must be demand-led. Why that demand is so polarised must be really complicated.

We all have the same access to health care

Do we though?
The current GP practice of phoning between 8.00 and 9.30 for a same day appointment is a bit of a nightmare.

If you have a desk job starting at 8, you can get away with phone sitting on redial. The same if the GP is going to call you back at any point that day.

If your trying to get kids to school, or work on a building site, or any customer facing role, it's just not so easy.

There is also the issue of people who are hourly paid are less likely to be paid for the hour it takes to see the GP.
Also if the GP is the sort who's first contact is a call back, that again doesn't work for people who can't answer calls during the day.