Abstract

Scholars consistently find that renters have poorer health outcomes when compared with homeowners. Health disparities between renters and homeowners likely widen over the life course, yet few studies have examined this link among older adults, and the connection is not fully understood. Homeowners’ relative socio-economic advantage may explain their better health; renters also more commonly experience adverse housing conditions and financial challenges, both of which can harm health. In this paper, we analyse the extent to which socio-economic advantage, housing conditions, and financial strain explain the relationship between homeownership and health among adults over age 50, using Health and Retirement Study 2010/2012 data to assess cardiometabolic risk (CMR) levels using biomarkers for inflammation, cardiovascular health, and metabolic function. We find that people living with poor housing conditions and financial strain have higher CMR levels, even taking socio-economic advantage into account. This analysis sheds light on the housing-related health challenges of older adults, especially older renters.

 抽象的

学者们一致发现，与房主相比，租房者的健康状况较差。租房者和房主之间的健康差异可能会在整个生命过程中扩大，但很少有研究探讨老年人之间的这种联系，而且这种联系尚未得到充分理解。房主的相对社会经济优势可以解释他们的健康状况如何；租房者也更常遇到不利的住房条件和财务挑战，这两者都会损害健康。在本文中，我们使用 2010/2012 年健康与退休研究数据来评估心脏代谢风险 (CMR)，分析了社会经济优势、住房条件和财务压力在多大程度上解释了 50 岁以上成年人的住房所有权与健康之间的关系。使用炎症、心血管健康和代谢功能的生物标志物来确定水平。我们发现，即使考虑到社会经济优势，住房条件较差且经济紧张的人的 CMR 水平也较高。该分析揭示了老年人（尤其是老年租房者）与住房相关的健康挑战。