scholarly journals Early-life Health as a Lifelong Precursor of Self-Related Views of Aging in Later Life

Author(s):  
Jacqui Smith ◽  
Marina Larkina

Abstract Objectives Age stereotypes and expectations about one’s own aging commence in childhood but most research focuses on predictive associations with midlife health behaviors, later-life chronic conditions, biomarkers, and longevity. Surprisingly little is known about the role of poor childhood health in these associations. This study aims to fill this gap. Methods Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS: N = 5,773, aged 50–98), we investigated whether diagnosed chronic illness before age 16 and self-rated childhood health predict late-life self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and proportional subjective age discrepancy (PSAD). We conducted multivariate multiple regression analysis (MMRA) to determine the joint and partial effects of the two indicators of childhood health. Models included controls for childhood family financial status as well as late-life self-rated health, chronic illnesses, memory status, and demographic covariates (age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, socioeconomic status) in 2016. Results Over and above all covariates and the covariation of the two views of one’s own aging, the MMRA models revealed that the number of childhood chronic illnesses predicted SPA but not for PSAD. Self-rated childhood health predicted both SPA and PSAD in the unadjusted models, but not in the adjusted models. Discussion This study provides new insight into potential early-life precursors of self-evaluations of aging. In particular, childhood diagnoses of chronic illness enhance negative SPA up to 50 years later. Non-normative experiences related to poor health in childhood are lifelong foundations for socioeconomic status, health, and for self-related beliefs about age and aging.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 326-326
Author(s):  
Jacqui Smith ◽  
Marina Larkina

Abstract Age stereotypes and expectations about one’s own aging commence in childhood but most research focuses on predictive associations with midlife health behaviors, later-life chronic conditions, and longevity. Surprisingly little is known about the role of poor childhood health in these associations. This study aims to fill this gap. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS: N = 5807; aged 50-98), we investigated whether diagnosed chronic illness before age 16 and self-rated childhood health predict late-life self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and subjective age discrepancy (AD). We conducted multivariate multiple regressions to determine the joint and unique effects of childhood health. Models included controls for current health (functional limitations), memory status, and demographic covariates (age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, and education). Multivariate tests (Pillai’s trace) revealed that both childhood health indicators were significant predictors. Over and above all covariates and the covariation of the two views of one’s own aging, univariate models showed that the number of childhood diagnoses was significant predictor of AD (p < .007) but not for SPA. In contrast, self-rated childhood health was a significant predictor of SPA (p < .001) but not for AD. This study provides new insight into precursors of self-evaluations of aging. Whereas childhood diagnoses of chronic illness attenuated the extent that individuals felt younger than their actual age, ratings of poor childhood health enhanced negative SPA. The non-normative experience of poor health in early life is a lifelong foundation for both late life beliefs and health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 164-164
Author(s):  
Sarah Tom ◽  
Amol Mehta ◽  
Stepanie Izard ◽  
Paul Crane ◽  
David Bennett ◽  
...  

Abstract While higher life course socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with lower Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) risk, relationships with AD-related neuropathological lesions are unclear. We hypothesize that high SES in early, mid and late life will be associated with lower frequency of AD-related pathological lesions. The Rush Memory and Aging Project is a cohort of 2025 people age ≥ 65 years from Northeastern Illinois recruited 1997 – 2018; 972 participants died. We created binary variables for Braak stage (0-II versus III-VI), NIA-Reagan score (low likelihood/no AD pathology versus high/intermediate likelihood), presence of microinfarcts and, separately, macroinfarcts, and life course SES based on median for late life (baseline income), midlife (income at age 40 years), and early life (composite of parental education and number of siblings). Logistic regression models adjusted for ages at baseline and death, sex, presence of APOE-Ɛ4 alleles, and separately, vascular factors and education. Of 761 participants with relevant data, 69% were women, and mean ages at baseline and death were 83 + 6 years and 90 + 6 years, respectively. High early life SES was related to lower frequency of AD pathology (OR= 0.69, 95% CI 0.50, 0.96) and macroinfarcts (OR= 0.69, 95% CI 0.51, 0.94). Results were similar when adjusting for vascular factors; adjustment for education modestly attenuated these associations. Mid-life and late life SES were not associated with AD-related neuropathological lesions. High early life SES was related to lower frequency of AD pathology and macroinfarct presence. Environment during early development may influence later life brain aging.


BMC Urology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saira Khan ◽  
K. Y. Wolin ◽  
R. Pakpahan ◽  
R. L. Grubb ◽  
G. A. Colditz ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Existing evidence suggests that there is an association between body size and prevalent Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)-related outcomes and nocturia. However, there is limited evidence on the association between body size throughout the life-course and incident BPH-related outcomes. Methods Our study population consisted of men without histories of prostate cancer, BPH-related outcomes, or nocturia in the intervention arm of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) (n = 4710). Associations for body size in early- (age 20), mid- (age 50) and late-life (age ≥ 55, mean age 60.7 years) and weight change with incident BPH-related outcomes (including self-reported nocturia and physician diagnosis of BPH, digital rectal examination-estimated prostate volume ≥ 30 cc, and prostate-specific antigen [PSA] concentration > 1.4 ng/mL) were examined using Poisson regression with robust variance estimation. Results Men who were obese in late-life were 25% more likely to report nocturia (Relative Risk (RR): 1.25, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.11–1.40; p-trendfor continuous BMI < 0.0001) and men who were either overweight or obese in late-life were more likely to report a prostate volume ≥ 30 cc (RRoverweight: 1.13, 95% CI 1.07–1.21; RRobese: 1.10, 95% CI 1.02–1.19; p-trendfor continuous BMI = 0.017) as compared to normal weight men. Obesity at ages 20 and 50 was similarly associated with both nocturia and prostate volume ≥ 30 cc. Considering trajectories of body size, men who were normal weight at age 20 and became overweight or obese by later-life had increased risks of nocturia (RRnormal to overweight: 1.09, 95% CI 0.98–1.22; RRnormal to obese: 1.28, 95% CI 1.10–1.47) and a prostate volume ≥ 30 cc (RRnormal to overweight: 1.12, 95% CI 1.05–1.20). Too few men were obese early in life to examine the independent effect of early-life body size. Later-life body size modified the association between physical activity and nocturia. Conclusions We found that later-life body size, independent of early-life body size, was associated with adverse BPH outcomes, suggesting that interventions to reduce body size even late in life can potentially reduce the burden of BPH-related outcomes and nocturia.


Author(s):  
Tomáš Doseděl ◽  
Tereza Menšíková ◽  
Lucie Vidovićová

The aim of the study is to present a new and efficient way of measuring the quality of life among older populations, with special attention to morale, positive outlook on life and ageing. The measure is based on the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCM), originally consisting of 22 items. The growing numbers and proportions of older people among European populations has increased the need to obtain more reliable data on their needs, values, life experiences and overall quality of life. Using data from six surveys conducted in the Czech Republic, we have formulated a three-item positive outlook on life and ageing (POLA) scale. Our analyses are divided into three steps: (1) constructing the scale and testing its internal consistency; (2) testing the scale’s external validity using mean comparisons and correlation coefficients; and (3) determining the factors affecting a positive outlook on later life, such as gender and education. We have confirmed that the three-item approach to measuring positive outlook on ageing as a part of morale is highly applicable to surveys, producing compelling results in assessing important quality-of-life sub-concepts, such as subjective health, subjective age, and loneliness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Verropoulou ◽  
Eleni Serafetinidou ◽  
Cleon Tsimbos

AbstractThe aims of the present study are twofold: first, to examine the importance of socio-economic disadvantage, adverse experiences and poor health in childhood on later-life depression by sex and, second, to discern the direct and indirect effects of childhood circumstances using a decomposition technique. Data are derived from Waves 2 and 3 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The methods involve use of logistic regression models and a decomposition approach. The findings indicate that childhood socio-economic status (SES) for both genders and cognitive function for men have only a significant direct effect, consistent with the critical period model. Childhood health for men and poor parental mental health for women are nearly fully mediated by adulthood and later-life circumstances, a fact in line with the pathway model. Poor childhood health, parental excessive alcohol consumption and cognitive function for women and adverse experiences for men have both significant direct and indirect effects, consistent with both models. Mediating factors include poor adulthood and later-life health, socio-economic adversity and stress; adulthood and later-life SES mediate early life health and adverse experiences more strongly for men, whereas stress seems to mediate early life adverse experiences to a greater extent among women. Intervening policies should address childhood adversity while considering the differential vulnerability of men and women.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Wilson ◽  
Paul A. Scherr ◽  
George Hoganson ◽  
Julia L. Bienias ◽  
Denis A. Evans ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuya Oi ◽  
Steven Haas

Socioeconomic conditions in childhood predict cognitive functioning in later life. It is unclear whether poor childhood socioeconomic status (SES) also predicts the acceleration of cognitive decline. One proposed pathway is via cardiometabolic risk, which has been linked to both childhood SES and earlier onset of cognitive impairment. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we examine the impact of childhood SES on cognitive trajectories over six years and test whether it operates through increased cardiometabolic risk and adult SES. We find that higher childhood SES leads to slower cognitive decline, partially due to lower levels of cardiometabolic risk. However, these pathways operate entirely through adult socioeconomic attainment. The results have important implications for future trends in cognitive population health within the context of growing social inequality and reduced social mobility.


Author(s):  
Steven A. Haas ◽  
Zhangjun Zhou ◽  
Katsuya Oi

Social gradients in health have been a focus of research for decades. Two important lines of social gradient research have examined (1) international variation in their magnitude and (2) their life course / developmental antecedents. The present study brings these two strands together to explore the developmental origins of educational gradients in health. We leverage data spanning 14 high-income contexts from the Health and Retirement Study and its sisters in Europe. We find that early-life health and socio-economic status consistently attenuate educational gradients in multimorbidity and functional limitation. However, the relative contribution of early-life factors to gradients varies substantially across contexts. The results suggest that research on social gradients, and population health broadly, would benefit from the unique insights available from a conceptual and empirical approach that integrates comparative and life course perspectives.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>The magnitude of educational gradients in later life health depend, in part, on childhood health and socioeconomic circumstances.</li><br /><li>The role of early life factors in educational gradients in health varies substantially across high income contexts.</li></ul>


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 778-778
Author(s):  
Anyah Prasad ◽  
Brianna Morgan ◽  
Mary Naylor

Abstract In advanced years of life comorbidity of chronic illnesses is a common phenomenon. While chronic illnesses have been documented to impact overall quality of life, morbidity, and mortality, older adults may develop psychological resources in the years of coping and managing their illnesses. These psychological resources can be influenced by individual perceptions and context as people age, and include concepts such as psychological resilience, inner strength, subjective age, and illness perception. This symposium brings together emerging health science scholars’ work on exploring and leveraging these psychological resources to improve care. Amy Ketcham will present a systematic review of psychological resilience and depression in adults with cardiac disease. Brianna Morgan will present a concept analysis exploring the nature of inner strength in people aging with serious illness and cognitive impairment. Anyah Prasad will present results examining the association between chronic illnesses and subjective age and discuss its clinical relevance. Eleanor Rivera will explore illness perception phenotypes in a longitudinal cohort study of older adults with chronic kidney disease. Together, the perspectives shared in this symposium improve understanding of and indicate ways to move toward person-centered and contextual clinical models of care in the management of chronic illnesses among older adults. In addition, the discussant will engage in a dynamic conversation about psychological resources in later life and the role these projects have played in advancing the presenters along their academic trajectories.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 62-62
Author(s):  
Zhuoer Lin ◽  
Xi Chen

Abstract Objectives: This study examines the long-term relationship between early life circumstances and later life cognitive aging. In particular, we differentiate the long-term effects of early life circumstances on level of cognitive deficit and rate of cognitive decline. Methods: Cognitive trajectories were measured using three waves of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Surveys (CHARLS 2011-2015). Linear mixed-effect model was used to decompose the individual level of cognitive deficit and rate of cognitive change in a sample of Chinese middle-aged and older adults 45-90 years of age (N=6,700). These two dimensions of cognition were matched to four domains of early life circumstances using CHARLS Life History Survey (2014), including childhood socioeconomic status, neighborhood environment, social relationships and health conditions. Their associations were examined by linear regressions. Stratification analysis was further conducted to investigate the mediating effect of education on early life circumstances and cognitive aging. Results: Childhood socioeconomic status, childhood friendship and early life health conditions were significantly associated with both the level of cognitive deficit and rate of decline. In contrast, the community environment, including childhood neighborhood safety and social cohesion, only affected the baseline level of cognitive deficit; and childhood relationship with parents only affected the rate of cognitive decline. Moreover, education was found to be a mediating factor of these relationships. Conclusion: Exposure to disadvantaged early life circumstances have significant negative effects on later life cognitive deficit as well as rate of cognitive decline. Nevertheless, these long-term impacts can be partially ameliorated by higher educational attainment.


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