INEQUALITIES IN MORTALITY BY SOCIAL-CLASS MEASURED AT 3 STAGES OF THELIFECOURSE

Objectives. This study examined how social class, measured at 3 stages of life, contributes to mortality risk. Methods. A cohort of employed Scottish men (n = 5567) provided their fathers' occupation and their own first and current occupations, from which social class in childhoo d, at labor-market entry, and at screening (1970 to 1973) was determin ed. Relative rates of mortality and relative indices of inequality wer e calculated from 21 years of follow-up. Results. Mortality risk was s imilar at each stage of life, with men in the higher social classes ha ving the lowest risk. Social class at screening produced the greatest relative indices of inequality. Conclusions. The widening of inequalit ies in mortality in adulthood suggests the importance of the accumulat ion of poor socioeconomic circumstances throughout life.