AUTHOR=MacGuire Frances A. S. 

TITLE=Reducing Health Inequalities in Aging Through Policy Frameworks and Interventions

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00315

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2020.00315

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Lifepath, a European Commission Horizon 2020 programme of research, adopted a life course
17 approach to understanding the impacts of socioeconomic differences on healthy ageing and
18 considered the relative importance of lifetime effects by comparing studies on childhood and
19 adult risks. A key component of the programme was the identification of policy relevant results
20 and messages.
21 Longitudinal European cohorts of over 1.7 million individuals from 48 independent cohort
22 studies were harmonised and followed for the key outcomes of mortality and functional
23 decline. Biological markers, allostatic load and DNA methylation were also examined.

26 It is well recognised that socioeconomic position affects behaviours such as smoking, high
27 alcohol consumption, low physical activity, diabetes or a diet low in fruit and vegetables.
28 Lifepath indicated that socioeconomic status is an independent risk factor for death and disease
29 and that it also helps drive the uptake of these well recognised risk behaviours.
30 The evidence from Lifepath points to a suite of possible policies, some universal, some
31 targeted but it was not possible to assess specific interventions, other than conditional cash
32 transfers.
33
34 Nevertheless it was clear that the timing of interventions is important as the consequences of
35 early interventions may span the whole life course. This has important implications for
36 policy making, since appropriate policies can reverse the embodiment of socioeconomic
37 disadvantage resulting in healthier ageing. Applying principles of proportional universalism
38 should be considered.