scholarly journals Life Course Predictors of Allostatic Load Among LGBTQ Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 735-735
Author(s):  
Charles Hoy-Ellis ◽  
Hyun Kim ◽  
Karen Fredriksen Goldsen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Identity Management ◽  
The Body ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Psychophysiological Stress ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Wear And Tear

Abstract LGBTQ older adults are at significantly increased risk for poor mental and physical health, likely consequential to lifelong bias. Allostatic load (AL), the net effect of “wear and tear” on the body resulting from repeated, chronic over-activation of the psychophysiological stress response system. Utilizing the Health Equity Promotion Model, the aim of this study was to test potential life course predictors of AL, including interpersonal violence, legal marriage, and identity management in a sample of LGBTQ adults 50 to 97 years of age (n=317). Results from a series of hierarchical linear regression models showed that adult physical abuse and late identity disclosure for those who had been in an opposite-sex marriage predicted higher AL in this sample of LGBTQ older adults, indicating need for increased research on bias over the life course as contributory to AL and biopsychosocial dysfunction among LGBTQ older adults.

scholarly journals Why Do Age and Bias Matter? Historical, Social, and Biological Impacts Across Generations of LGBTQ Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 735-735
Author(s):  
Charles Emlet ◽  
Karen Fredriksen Goldsen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Identity Management ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Generational Identity

Abstract We do not live in a stagnant world, politically, historically or socially - neither are the life experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) older adults. Their physical, psychological and social lives are impacted by their present and past historical contexts and generational identity, as well as the sociopolitical environment, social pressures, support and experiences of biases. This symposium draws upon data from Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging and Sexuality/Gender Study, the first longitudinal study of LGBTQ older adults in the United States, in order to examine how environmental, interpersonal and intrapersonal structures impact the lives of the three oldest generations of LGBTQ adults. Emlet and colleagues examine the generational and historical forces across the life course among 205 transgender older adults in order to illuminate how historical context and gender influences social life and physical health. Prasad and colleagues explore differences between various constructs of bias including lifetime discrimination, victimization, everyday discrimination and microaggressions on LGBTQ older adults and how those experiences impact depression, general health and quality of life. Lastly, Hoy-Ellis and colleagues explore how life course predictors including interpersonal violence, legal marriage, and identity management are associated with allostatic load (AL) in a sample of 317 LGBTQ older adults who range in age from 50-97. We will address the intersectionality of generational identity, experiences of bias and biomarkers, as well as the implications for policy and practice.

scholarly journals The impact of racially-motivated housing discrimination on allostatic load among Indigenous university students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Currie ◽  
Takara A. Motz ◽  
Jennifer L Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
University Students ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
The Body ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Housing Discrimination ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Allostatic load (AL) is an aggregate measure of wear and tear on the body due to the chronic activation of the stress response system. The goal of this study was to examine the association between racially-motivated housing discrimination and AL score within a sample of Indigenous university students.Methods Data for this cross-sectional study were collected from Indigenous adults attending university in a small city in western Canada between 2015 and 2017 ( N = 104; Mean age = 27.8 years). An item adapted from the Experience of Discrimination Scale was to assess racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past 12 months. AL was measured as a composite of 7 biomarkers assessing neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system function. Bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrapped linear regression models were used to examine associations adjusting for age, income, parenthood, and other situations in which discrimination had been experienced.Results Indigenous university students who experienced racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past year (16.8% of the sample) had an average AL score of approximately 4, which was almost double that of their peers who had not. In an adjusted model. racially-motivated housing discrimination was associated with a-1.5 point increase in AL score. This model explained 35% of the adjusted variance in AL score, of which racially-motivated housing discrimination explained 24% ( R 2 Change = 0.24, F Change = 32.52, Sig. F Change p <0.001).Conclusions Indigenous adults who experienced racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past year had early and more pronounced wear and tear on neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system functioning in young and middle adulthood than Indigenous peers who did not. These findings combine with others to highlight the need for increased efforts to prevent racially-motivated housing discrimination in urban centres.

scholarly journals A Longitudinal Study of Allostatic Load in Later Life: The Role of Sex, Birth Cohorts, and Risk Accumulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 419-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana van Deurzen ◽  
Bram Vanhoutte
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Life Course

Are challenging life courses associated with more wear and tear on the biological level? This study investigates this question from a life-course perspective by examining the influence of life-course risk accumulation on allostatic load (AL), considering the role of sex and birth cohorts. Using biomarker data collected over three waves (2004, 2008, and 2012) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing ( N = 3,824) in a growth curve framework, AL trajectories over a period of 8 years are investigated. Our results illustrate that AL increases substantially in later life. Men have higher AL than women, but increases are similar for both sexes. Older cohorts have both higher levels and a steeper increase of AL over time. Higher risk accumulation over the life course goes hand in hand with higher AL levels and steeper trajectories, contributing to the body of evidence on cumulative (dis)advantage processes in later life.

scholarly journals The Association between Allostatic Load and Mortality among Chinese Older Adults: The Chinese Longitudinal Health and Longevity Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianhang Zhang ◽  
Lijing Yan ◽  
Huashuai Chen ◽  
Haiyu Jin ◽  
Chenkai Wu
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Cox Models ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
Healthy Longevity ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
All Cause Mortality ◽  
Wear And Tear

Abstract Background Allostatic load, as multiple biomarker measures of ‘wear and tear’ on physiological systems, has shown some promise that high burden of AL is associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes, but little attention has been paid to China with largest aging population in the world. This study is to examine the association between allostatic load (AL) and all-cause mortality among Chinese adults aged at least 60 years. Methods Data were from 2,439 participants in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. The final analytic sample consisted of 1,519 participants. Cox models were used to examine the association between AL and mortality among men and women, separately. Analysis were also adjusted for potential confounders including age, ethnicity, education, and marital status, smoking and exercise. Results In the fully adjusted model, males with a medium AL burden (score: 2–4) and high AL burden (score: 5–9) had a 34% and 128% higher hazard of death, respectively, than those with a low AL burden (score: 0–1). We did not find significant difference between females with different levels of AL burden. Discussion Higher AL burden was associated with increased all-cause mortality among Chinese men aged at least 60 years. However, we did not find strong evidence about Allostatic load was associated with specific causes of death over the same follow-up period among women. In conclusion Intervention programs targeting modifiable components of the AL burden may help prolong lifespan for older adults, especially men, in China.

Basic mechanisms of, and treatment targets for, stress-related disorders

2020 ◽  
pp. 829-839
Author(s):  
Bruce S. McEwen
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Social And Physical Environment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

The response to the social and physical environment involves two-way communication between the brain and the body and epigenetic adaptation (‘allostasis’) via mediators of the cardiovascular, immune, metabolic, neuroendocrine, and neural mechanisms. Chronic stress causes wear and tear on the brain and body (‘allostatic load and overload’), reflecting also the impact of health-damaging behaviours and lasting effects of early life experiences interacting with genetic predispositions. Hormonal and other mediators of allostasis promote adaptation in the short run but cause allostatic load/overload when they are overused or dysregulated. The brain is key because it determines what is threatening and the physiological and behavioural responses, while showing structural remodelling that affects its function. Besides pharmaceuticals, there are ‘top–down’ interventions, like physical activity, that engage ‘the wisdom of the body’ to change itself, as well as the impact of policies of government and business that encourage individuals to manage their own lives and promote increased ‘healthspan’.

Environment and ageing biology

2017 ◽  
pp. 317-322
Author(s):  
Arun S. Karlamangla ◽  
Teresa E. Seeman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Functional Status ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
The Body ◽  
Major Life Events ◽  
Major Life ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

Psychosocial factors over the life course and major life events are associated with the health, functional status, and survival of older adults. This chapter discusses the biological mechanisms through which these influences are thought to operate, and how life stresses might accelerate the usual ageing of biological systems. It starts with a brief description of psychosocial determinants of health and functioning before elaborating on the allostatic mechanisms by which the body adapts its internal physiological milieu in response to perceived stressors. The price paid for frequent and recurring adaptation is eventual dysregulation of the mediators of allostasis, or allostatic load. We close with a brief discussion of allostatic load links to health outcomes in older adults and potential interventions that might ameliorate the impact of psychosocial adversities on health.

scholarly journals The Impact of Obesity and Adiposity on Mortality Risk in Older Adults: A Ten-year Survival Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letícia Almeida Nogueira Moura ◽  
Valéria Pagotto ◽  
Cristina Camargo Pereira ◽  
Rômulo Roosevelt da Silva Filho ◽  
César de Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Survival Analysis ◽  
Mortality Risk ◽  
Cancer Mortality ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Clinical History ◽  
The Body ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Multifrequency Bioimpedance ◽  
The Impact

Abstract There are not much information about the impact of obesity on all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality in older adults. We have investigated the impact of obesity and adiposity on all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, in older adults after a 10-year follow-up. Prospective cohort study has been carried out with individuals ≥ 60 years. Sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, clinical history, laboratory tests and anthropometric data were collected. Adiposity was defined as tertiles of the percentage of body fat assessed by multifrequency bioimpedance. For obesity, three classifications were considered using the body mass index (BMI) as follows: ≥ 25.0 kg/m² in men and ≥ 26.6 kg/m² in women, ≥ 27.0 kg/m² and ≥ 30.0 kg/m². The BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m² was associated a reduction in the all-cause mortality risk in non-ajusted Cox regression (HR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.43 - 0.97) and in the Kaplan-Meier curves (p = 0.032). However, in multivariate Cox regression none of the diagnostic criteria for obesity and adiposity were significantly associated with all-cause, cardiovascular or cancer mortality. This 10-year survival analysis has showed that obesity and adiposity were not associated with an increased risk of all-cause, cardiovascular or cancer mortality in the older adults.

scholarly journals Older Adults’ Worry about COVID-19: Associations with Experiences of COVID-19 Among Social Connections

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 744-744
Author(s):  
Amanda Leggett ◽  
Hyun Jung Koo ◽  
Lindsay Kobayashi ◽  
Jessica Finlay ◽  
Hannah Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Disease Symptoms ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Higher Educational Attainment

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the physical and mental health of older adults, yet it is unknown how much older adults worry about their own exposure. As older adults are at increased risk for severe complications from COVID-19, understanding patterns of worry may inform public health guidelines and interventions for this age group. We investigated older adults’ worry about COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic and associations with familial/friend’s diagnosis or disease symptoms. Data comes from the baseline (April/May 2020), one-month, and two-month follow-up surveys from the COVID-19 Coping Study, a national longitudinal cohort study of US adults aged ≥55. We used linear regression models to investigate the association between self-reported familial/friend diagnosis or symptoms with pandemic worry, accounting for demographic factors and individual diagnosis or experience of COVID-19 symptoms. Participants (Baseline=4379, 1 month= 2553, 2 month=2682) were 67 years old on average, 72% were female, 5.7% were non-White, and 80.5% had a college degree. At baseline, 26.6% of participants had friends or family who had been diagnosed or experienced symptoms of COVID-19. Having friends or family diagnosed or with symptoms of COVID-19 (B=0.08, SE=0.04, p&lt;.05), being female (B=0.42, SE=0.03, p&lt;.001), and having higher educational attainment (B=0.06, SE=0.02, p&lt;.001) were significantly associated with greater worry about COVID-19. These associations were consistent over 3 months. Understanding if worry about the pandemic correlates with following public health guidelines is a key next step so intervention strategies can prioritize older adults and their social networks.

scholarly journals The impact of racially-motivated housing discrimination on allostatic load among Indigenous university students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Currie ◽  
Takara A. Motz ◽  
Jennifer L Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
University Students ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Housing Discrimination ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Allostatic load (AL) is a preclinical marker of the pathophysiologic processes that precede the onset of disease. The goal of this study was to examine the association between racially-motivated housing discrimination and AL score within a sample of Indigenous university students.Methods Data for this cross-sectional study were collected from Indigenous adults attending university in a small city in western Canada between 2015 and 2017 ( N = 104; Mean age = 27.8 years). An item adapted from the Experience of Discrimination Scale was to assess racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past 12 months. AL was measured as a composite of 7 biomarkers assessing neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system function. Bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrapped linear regression models were used to examine associations adjusting for age, income, parenthood, and other situations in which discrimination had been experienced.Results Indigenous university students who experienced racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past year (16.8% of the sample) had an average AL score of approximately 4, which was almost double that of their peers who had not. In an adjusted model. racially-motivated housing discrimination was associated with a-1.5 point increase in AL score. This model explained 35% of the adjusted variance in AL score, of which racially-motivated housing discrimination explained 24% ( R 2 Change = 0.24, F Change = 32.52, Sig. F Change p <0.001).Conclusions Indigenous adults who experienced racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past year had early and more pronounced wear and tear on neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system functioning in young and middle adulthood than Indigenous peers who did not. These findings combine with others to highlight the need for increased efforts to prevent racially-motivated housing discrimination in urban centres.

Inequity Embodied

2019 ◽  
pp. 24-41
Author(s):  
Tyan Parker Dominguez
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
The Body ◽  
Medical Risk ◽  
Lower Socioeconomic ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
Increasing Risk ◽  
Adverse Pregnancy ◽  
Traditional Risk Factors ◽  
Stress Burden

This chapter examines African American women’s disproportionate risk of low birth weight, preterm delivery, and infant and maternal mortality, and the ways in which race, gender, and class oppression create a unique matrix of stress burden that increases allostatic load (i.e., weathering or wear and tear on the body), thereby increasing risk for these adverse pregnancy-related outcomes. The chapter describes how traditional risk factors, such as health behavior, medical risk, and lower socioeconomic status, do not account for racial disparities in childbearing health, and it utilizes a stress paradigm for explaining how the intersectional burden of race, gender, and class inequity can affect African American pregnancy women. The chapter concludes by noting several mobilization efforts that are underway to eliminate health disparities in adverse birth outcomes by promoting health equity that is fair and just opportunities to be healthy.

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