Social and Cultural Determinants of Ageing

The experience of ageing is determined by so much more than chronological age. In this chapter, we will look at how social and cultural factors affect how people age. What is clear is that social determinants such as education, income, and other (good and bad) life circumstances affect how people age [1]. It is also clear that these effects commence in utero, throughout childhood and early life. These foundations set the shape of a person’s health and other circumstances throughout life and as they age. While it is never too late to make positive changes throughout life, the early years will always exert some effect on our later lives.