Socioeconomic status and change in sports activity among middle-aged and older men and women: evidence from the German Ageing Survey

BACKGROUND: Sports activity (SA) behavior is unequally distributed across socioeconomic status (SES) groups. However, little is known about the impact of SES on change in SA over time. METHODS: Based on data from the German Ageing Survey, we examined the role of objective (education, occupational prestige, household equivalent income, composite SES-index) and subjective (self-rated standard of living) SES indicators on negative and positive changes in SA during a follow-up of 6 years among adults aged 40+ years using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Among active individuals at baseline, 32.1% of males and 24.8% of females experienced a negative change in SA. Among inactive individuals, 25.8 and 29.9% experienced a positive change. In the multivariate analysis, males and females with low SES were about twice as likely to experience a negative change and half as likely to experience a positive change. These patterns were observed regardless which SES indicator was examined. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides comprehensive evidence for socioeconomic inequalities in negative and positive changes in SA behavior among middle-aged and older adults in Germany. To reduce socioeconomic inequalities, future SA interventions should address the mechanisms leading to differential probabilities of change in SA behavior by SES.