Environment and ageing biology

Author(s):  
Arun S. Karlamangla ◽  
Teresa E. Seeman

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.

Appetite ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 34-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mafalda Barata-Santos ◽  
Joana Marta-Simões ◽  
Cláudia Ferreira

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-347
Author(s):  
Tracey West ◽  
Andrew Worthington

Purpose This paper aims to model the asset portfolio rebalancing decisions of Australian households experiencing a severe life event shock. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses household longitudinal data from the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey since 2001. The major life events are serious illness or injury, death of a spouse, job dismissal or redundancy and separation from a spouse. The asset classes are bank accounts, cash investments, equities, superannuation (private pensions), life insurance, trust funds, owner-occupied housing, investor housing, business assets, vehicles and collectibles. The authors use both static and dynamic Tobit models to assess the impact and duration of impact of the shocks. Findings Serious illness and injury, loss of employment, separation and spousal death cause households to rebalance portfolios in ways that can have detrimental effects on long-term wealth accumulation through poor market timing and the incurring of transaction costs. Research limitations/implications The survey results are only available since 2001, and the wealth module from which the asset data are drawn is self-reported and not available every year. Practical implications Relevant to policymakers working on the ongoing retirement of the “baby boomer” generation and for financial planners guiding household investment decisions. Originality/value Most research on shocks to household wealth concern a narrower range of assets and only limited shocks. Also, this is one of the few studies to use a random effects model to allow for unspecified heterogeneity among households.


2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1177-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. V. KESSING ◽  
E. AGERBO ◽  
P. B. MORTENSEN

Background. It is unclear whether there is an interaction of ageing on the association between major life events and onset of depression.Method. This was a population-based nested case–control study with linkage of the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register and the Integrated Database for Longitudinal Labour Market Research. The study includes data on all admissions at psychiatric wards in Denmark from 1981 to 1998 and data on sociodemographic variables and death/suicide of first-degree relatives.Results. A total of 13006 patients who received a diagnosis of depression at the first ever admission at a psychiatric ward and a gender- and age-matched control group of 260108 subjects were identified. A recent divorce and recent unemployment and suicide of a relative (mother, father, sibling, child, spouse) were associated with increased risk of being admitted for the first time ever at a psychiatric ward with a diagnosis of depression whereas death of a relative by causes other than suicide years had no significant effect. In general, no interaction was found with age with any of the variables, totally, or for men or women, separately.Conclusions. The susceptibility to major life stressors does not seem to change throughout life.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 398-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Richards ◽  
Patricia A. Thomas ◽  
Anna K. Forster ◽  
Zachary Hass

Background. Despite promotion of physical activity guidelines, less than one third of U.S. adults are sufficiently active and an even larger number of older adults fail to meet guidelines. To address this major public health issue, it is essential to broadly consider determinants of physical activity. Aims. This study explores how physical activity behavior is affected by the experience of major life events and considers the stress experienced due to these events across the life course. Method. Nationally representative panel data from the Americans’ Changing Lives survey (1986-2012) was used to analyze a growth model with age-based trajectories to examine the relationship between major life events and physical activity overall and separately by gender and race. Results. In the overall sample, retiring was associated with greater physical activity at baseline. As respondents aged, entering into retirement was associated with decreased physical activity, while a parent or friend dying was associated with greater physical activity. Differences by gender and race were also seen over time. Conclusions. Results show that when considering physical activity trajectories, experiencing these major life events is not always detrimental, and in some cases may be beneficial. Considering these impacts is important in planning effective health promotion interventions to increase and promote maintenance of physical activity, while paying attention to specific differences by gender and race.


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