The Educational Differences in Systolic/Diastolic Blood Pressure Trajectories Over the Life Course and Across Birth Cohorts in Transitional China

Jinjing Wu , Asian Demographic Research Institute

Background: The study examines the evolution of educational inequalities in cardiovascular function over age and across birth cohorts in China. Methods: A longitudinal data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey and hierarchical growth-curve models are used to track the association between education and levels of systolic/diastolic blood pressure (BP) over age. Analyses were stratified by cohort, region, and sex. Results: Except for the 1931-1940 cohort, the direction of the association between education and BP levels has reversed from positive to negative across age among younger cohorts. The negative effects of education on the intercepts (BP levels at 44.5 years) and slopes of age (rates for BP) are stronger for younger versus older cohorts, and in the south versus the north. Conclusions: Generally, the educational inequalities in cardiovascular function has emerged across age. And the socioeconomic patterning was strengthened across generations and more pronounced in the south than the north.

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 Presented in Session 11. Health & Mortality 2