Abstract: Previous research on the health status and inequality among older adults has often focused on individual social status and relational networks, while paying less attention to the potential health risks and disparities stemming from macro-level social structures and social resource factors external to the individual. This study utilizes data from the CLDS2014 to fit a multilevel model to investigate the influence mechanism of individual socioeconomi. The research findings indicate that older adults with different socioeconomic characteristics exhibit significant disparities in health status. Community characteristics exert a holistic influence on the health status of older adults independent of individual factors and give rise to two types of regulatory mechanisms that either weaken or strengthen health inequalities among older adults. (1) The degree of community class heterogeneity will affect the health level. The community socioeconomic status will weaken the health inequality, and the class heterogeneity within the community will strengthen the health inequality.(2) Cultivating community social capital significantly enhances the health status of older adults and mitigates health inequalities. Therefore, the implementation of the Healthy China strategy should focus on the hierarchical health disparities in China, adopt health interventions at the community level, and endeavor to increase the health capital of vulnerable groups as much as possible.

Key words: community class heterogeneity, community social capital, socioeconomic status, health inequality