Mental ability age 11 years and health status age 77 years

Objectives: to measure the effects of childhood mental ability on health in old age. Design: longitudinal cohort study. Setting: community-based. Participants: survivors of the 1932 Scottish Mental Survey cohort randomly selected from the Community Health Index in North East Scotland. Measurements: (i) presence of disease by diagnostic category; (ii) cardiova scular, respiratory, anthropomorphic, sensory and locomotor physiological v ariables; (iii) Barthel index of functional independence; (iv) socio-demogr aphic and socio-economic variables as health status predictors; and (v) sco re on the Moray House Test in 1932. Results: There was no significant difference in Moray House Test score in 1 932 between those with (mean 39.7, S.D. 13.8) and without (mean 40.1, S.D. 12.1) current disease (F = 0.04, P = 0.84). Physiological health status was predicted by demi-span (F = 6.87, P < 0.001), sex F = 3.69, P = 0.001), de privation category (F = 1.45, P = 0.05) and the interaction between sex and deprivation category (F = 2.01, P = 0.002). Moray House Test score in 1932 correlated significantly and positively with Barthel score (r = 0.24, P < 0.001). No additional general linear models added any other significant soc io-economic variable once Moray House Test Score in 1932 was entered. Moray House Test score in 1932 remained significant (beta = 0.16, P = 0.024) aft er Mini Mental State Examination score was entered and found to be signific ant (beta = 0.21, P = 0.003). Conclusion: socio-economic and socio-environmental factors are important de terminants of some aspects of inequalities in health in old age in this coh ort. Pre-morbid mental ability was an important independent predictor of la te-life functional independence.