A Life Course Approach to Mortality in Mexico

Joseph Saenz, University of Texas at Galveston
Rebeca Wong, University of Texas at Galveston

Research on early life socioeconomic status (SES), education and mortality is less established in developing than developed countries. This analysis aims to determine how life course SES, and education are patterned across the life course and associated with mortality in Mexico. Data come from 2001-preliminary 2012 Mexican Health & Aging Study (Mexican adults age 50+, n=11,275). Cox proportional hazard models are used to predict mortality using baseline covariates. Lower early life SES was associated with less education but lower education was only associated with mortality among those born after 1940. Education was associated with access to health care and late life SES but only the latter predicted mortality. While early life SES was associated with education, the relationship between education and mortality differed across cohorts in Mexico. Selective survival and differential returns to education may explain these differences. The full paper will validate mortality and use official release data.