Inequalities in health in later life.

Older age groups are usually omitted from studies of inequalities in health on account of the widespread assumption that later life is a time of universal ill health which will obscure the differences apparent at earlier ages. Data from the 1980 General Household Survey reveal significant social class and sex differences among elderly people in the prevalence of chronic illness and in perceived health status. These findings show that the experience of health in later life is related to social circumstances.