In a paper published in the Journal of Public Health, researchers from Surrey analysed recent data from over 3,000 adults aged 50-90, from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), and found that while nearly 70% of older adults reported engaging in some form of physical activity, there were stark differences based on wealth.

Older adults in the highest wealth quintile were, in fact, nearly twice as likely to be physically active compared to those in the lowest wealth quintile. Similar disparities were found in fruit and vegetable consumption, with those in the highest wealth bracket reporting over 70% adherence to the ‘5-a-day’ dietary guidelines, compared to just over 40% in the lowest bracket. Not meeting government guidelines for physical activity and diet has important health consequences, and the study also found a clear link to depression risk.

Dr Simon Evans, lead author of the study from the University of Surrey, said:

“There is a silent emergency brewing in our country — for older people, being in a lower wealth bracket might be a bigger barrier to good health than your age. Our research shows that poorer older adults are nearly three times more likely to experience depression and far less likely to meet government health guidelines than their wealthier peers. There is an urgent need for action to address these disparities before it’s too late.”

The research found that just under 19% of participants showed significant symptoms of depression, with the highest risk among women, people living alone, smokers, and those in lower-income groups — rates of depression were around 3 times higher in the lowest wealth quintile (32.6%) compared to the highest (11.1%). Regular exercise was linked to much lower depression rates, with 30% of inactive individuals experiencing depression compared to just 13.7% of those who were active. Interestingly, eating five or more portions of fruit and vegetables daily was also associated with a lower risk of depression, with rates of 23.4% among those who didn’t meet the ‘5-a-day’ guidelines versus 15.7% among those who did.