Socioeconomic status and the prevalence of health problems among married couples in late midlife.

OBJECTIVES This study analyzed the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and the prevalence of mutually occurring health problems among married couples in late midlife. METHODS Data consisted of 4746 married couples aged 51 to 61 years from the 1992 US Health and Retirement Study. Two health measures were used: (1) self-assessed health status and (2) an index of functional limitations and activity restrictions. SES indicators were household income, education, and insurance coverage. RESULTS In general, after adjustment for age cohort, a strong association was found between the health of a married individual and the health of his or her spouse. SES was highly associated with the joint occurrence of health problems among marriage partners. CONCLUSIONS Public health policy should pay particular attention to the interaction between health, SES, and interpersonal relationships.