Abstract

Background and Objectives

Consumer credit has shown increasing relevance to the health of older adults; however, studies have not been able to assess the extent to which creditworthiness influences future health or health influences future creditworthiness. We assessed the relationships between 4-year pre and postmorbid consumer credit history and self-rated physical and mental health outcomes among older adults.

Research Design and Methods

Generalized estimating equations models assessed pre and postmorbid credit history (credit scores, derogatory accounts, and unpaid accounts in collections) and the onset of poor self-rated health (SF-36 score <50) among 1,740 participants aged 65+ in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly study from 2001 to 2017, linked to TransUnion consumer credit data.

Results

In any given year, up to 1/4 of participants had a major derogatory, unpaid, or collections account, and up to 13% of the sample had poor health. Each 50-point increase in credit score trended toward a 5% lower odds of poor health in the next 1 year, a 6% lower odds in the next 2 years, and a statistically significant finding of 13% lower odds by 3 years. A drop in credit score was associated with a 10% greater odds of poor health in the next year, and having a major derogatory account was associated with an 86% greater odds of poor health in the next 3 years. After poor health onset, credit scores continued to see significant losses up to the 3 years, with larger decrements over time.

Discussion and Implications

Having a major derogatory account or a sudden loss in credit may be a time to monitor older adults for changes in health. After a downturn in health, supporting older adults to manage their debt may help stabilize their credit.

Details

Title
Does Consumer Credit Precede or Follow Health Among Older Adults? An Investigation in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) Trial
Author
Dean, Lorraine T 1 ; Shang-En Chung 1 ; Gross, Alden L 1 ; Clay, Olivio J 2 ; Willis, Sherry L 3 ; McDonough, Ian M 4 ; Thomas, Kelsey R 5 ; Marsiske, Michael 6 ; Aysola, Jaya 7 ; Thorpe, Roland J, Jr 8 ; Felix, Cynthia 9 ; Berkowitz, Melissa 10 ; Coe, Norma B 10 

 Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore, Maryland , USA 
 Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama , USA 
 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington , USA 
 Department of Psychology, University of Alabama , Tuscaloosa, Alabama , USA 
 VA San Diego Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine , San Diego, California , USA 
 Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida , USA 
 Department of Medicine and Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , USA 
 Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore, Maryland , USA 
 Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , USA 
10  Department of Medical Ethics and Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , USA 
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
Oxford University Press
e-ISSN
23995300
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3168305483
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. This work is published under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.