An assessment of biological age of males in Poland.
BACKGROUND
Studies carried out in Poland have shown that some important indices of growth and maturation in children, of the biological well-being during adulthood and the rates of premature mortality depend strongly upon the individual's position on the social scale.


OBJECTIVE
The study considers whether adult males of higher educational status differ from their chronological age-matches of lower educational status in biological age.


METHODS
The data of 2800 occupationally active men, aged 25-65 from the 1994/1995 Polish Health Surveys were used. Twenty-two different measures were used. Biological age was assessed by the method of Borkan and Norris (Journal of Gerontology, 35, 177-184, 1980).


RESULTS
A comparison of biological age profiles of two groups of males based on their educational status showed that in 13 of the 22 characteristics. better-educated men were biologically younger than their poorer educated peers (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Better education is associated with the slowing down of the process of ageing, probably because it produces a healthier life-style.
Szklarska
A
A
Institute of Anthropology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw.
Rogucka
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland