Socioeconomic Status and Health among Older Adults in Vietnam, 2001-2011

The study examines how health outcomes at older ages are associated with socioeconomic status (SES) in rural and urban Vietnam and how such patterns of health inequality have changed over the last 10 years (2001-2011). Vietnam has witnessed rapid economic development, a significant increase in income inequality, and major health-sector reforms. These factors may have implications for older adults’ health. Research related to the wellbeing of older adults is becoming more important as Vietnam begins a period of rapid population aging. The share of Vietnam’s population age 60 and older is estimated to grow from 8% in 2010 to 31% in 2050 and by then, the number of Vietnamese older adults will increase by 335%. Analyzing nationally representative data from the 2011 Vietnam National Aging Survey (the country’s first national survey of older persons) in conjunction with the 2001 Vietnam National Health Survey (the country’s most comprehensive health survey), this study addresses three specific research questions including: Are there socioeconomic gradients of self-rated health among older persons in rural and urban Vietnam in 2001 and 2011? Did inequality pattern that existed in 2001 remain consistent or altered across the two time periods? Were consistencies or alterations uniform across rural and urban locations?