Life-course inequalities in intrinsic capacity and healthy ageing, China

Abstract

Objective To investigate the contribution of early-life factors on intrinsic capacity of Chinese adults older than 45 years. Methods We used data on 21 783 participants from waves 1 (2011) and 2 (2013) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), who also participated in the 2014 CHARLS Life History Survey to calculate a previously validated measure of intrinsic capacity. We considered 11 early-life factors and investigated their direct association with participants’ intrinsic capacity later in life, as well as their indirect association through four current socioeconomic factors. We used multivariable linear regression and the decomposition of the concentration index to i..