scholarly journals Early-life socioeconomic circumstances explain health differences in old age, but not their evolution over time

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 703-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Cheval ◽  
Dan Orsholits ◽  
Stefan Sieber ◽  
Silvia Stringhini ◽  
Delphine Courvoisier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Healthy Ageing ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Health Differences ◽  
Over Time

BackgroundEarly-life socioeconomic circumstances (SEC) are associated with health in old age. However, epidemiological evidences on the influence of these early-life risk factors on trajectories of healthy ageing are inconsistent, preventing drawing solid conclusion about their potential influence. Here, to fill this knowledge gap, we used a statistical approach adapted to estimating change over time and an outcome-wide epidemiology approach to investigate whether early-life SEC were associated with the level of and rate of decline of physical, cognitive and emotional functioning over time.MethodsWe used data on more than 23 000 adults in older age from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, a 12-year large-scale longitudinal study with repeated measurements of multiple health indicators of the same participants over time (2004 –2015, assessments every 2 years). Confounder-adjusted linear growth curve models were used to examine the associations of early-life SEC with the evolution of muscle strength, lung function, cognitive function, depressive symptoms and well-being over time.ResultsWe consistently found an association between early-life SEC and the mean levels of all health indicators at age 63.5, with a critical role played by the cultural aspect of disadvantage. These associations were only partly explained by adult-life SEC factors. By contrast, evidences supporting an association between early-life SEC and the rate of change in health indicators were weak and inconsistent.ConclusionsEarly-life SEC are associated with health in old age, but not with trajectories of healthy ageing. Conceptual models in life course research should consider the possibility of a limited influence of early-life SEC on healthy ageing trajectories.

Early life factors as predictors of age-associated deficit accumulation across 17 years from midlife into old age

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus J Haapanen ◽  
Juulia Jylhävä ◽  
Lauri Kortelainen ◽  
Tuija M Mikkola ◽  
Minna Salonen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Frailty Index ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
Maternal Body Mass Index ◽  
Early Life Factors ◽  
Early Life Exposures

Abstract Background Early life exposures have been associated with the risk of frailty in old age. We investigated whether early life exposures predict the level and rate of change in a frailty index (FI) from midlife into old age. Methods A linear mixed model analysis was performed using data from three measurement occasions over 17 years in participants from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study (n=2000) aged 57-84 years. A 41-item FI was calculated on each occasion. Information on birth size, maternal body mass index (BMI), growth in infancy and childhood, childhood socioeconomic status (SES), and early life stress (wartime separation from both parents), was obtained from registers and healthcare records. Results At age 57 years the mean FI level was 0.186 and the FI levels increased by 0.34 percent/year from midlife into old age. Larger body size at birth associated with a slower increase in FI levels from midlife into old age. Per 1kg greater birth weight the increase in FI levels per year was -0.087 percentage points slower (95% CI=-0.163, -0.011; p=0.026). Higher maternal BMI was associated with a higher offspring FI level in midlife and a slower increase in FI levels into old age. Larger size, faster growth from infancy to childhood, and low SES in childhood were all associated with a lower FI level in midlife but not with its rate of change. Conclusions Early life factors seem to contribute to disparities in frailty from midlife into old age. Early life factors may identify groups that could benefit from frailty prevention, optimally initiated early in life.

scholarly journals Welfare regimes modify the association of disadvantaged adult-life socioeconomic circumstances with self-rated health in old age

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1352-1366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Sieber ◽  
Boris Cheval ◽  
Dan Orsholits ◽  
Bernadette W Van der Linden ◽  
Idris Guessous ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Self Rated Health

Abstract Background Welfare regimes in Europe modify individuals’ socioeconomic trajectories over their life-course, and, ultimately, the link between socioeconomic circumstances (SECs) and health. This paper aimed to assess whether the associations between life-course SECs (early-life, young adult-life, middle-age and old-age) and risk of poor self-rated health (SRH) trajectories in old age are modified by welfare regimes (Scandinavian [SC], Bismarckian [BM], Southern European [SE], Eastern European [EE]). Methods We used data from the longitudinal SHARE survey. Early-life SECs consisted of four indicators of living conditions at age 10. Young adult-life, middle-age, and old-age SECs indicators were education, main occupation and satisfaction with household income, respectively. The association of life-course SECs with poor SRH trajectories was analysed by confounder-adjusted multilevel logistic regression models stratified by welfare regime. We included 24 011 participants (3626 in SC, 10 256 in BM, 6891 in SE, 3238 in EE) aged 50 to 96 years from 13 European countries. Results The risk of poor SRH increased gradually with early-life SECs from most advantaged to most disadvantaged. The addition of adult-life SECs differentially attenuated the association of early-life SECs and SRH at older age across regimes: education attenuated the association only in SC and SE regimes and occupation only in SC and BM regimes; satisfaction with household income attenuated the association across regimes. Conclusions Early-life SECs have a long-lasting effect on SRH in all welfare regimes. Adult-life SECs attenuated this influence differently across welfare regimes.

scholarly journals The Life Course Construction of Inequalities in Health and Wealth in Old Age

2021 ◽  
pp. 97-109
Author(s):  
Michel Oris ◽  
Marie Baeriswyl ◽  
Andreas Ihle
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Differential Mortality ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Cumulative Processes ◽  
The Life Course

AbstractIn this contribution, we will mobilize the interdisciplinary life course paradigm to consider the processes through which individual heterogeneity in health and wealth is constructed all along life, from the cradle to old age. Considering altogether historical, family and individual times, the life course perspective has been developed in sociology, (lifespan) psychology and epidemiology, and has framed many important studies during the last four decades. The theory of cumulative disadvantage is for sure the most popular in social sciences, explaining how little inter-individual differences early in life expand all along life to reach maximal amplitude among the “young old” (before the selection by differential mortality at very old age). In lifespan psychology, the theory of cognitive reserve (educational level being a proxy) and its continuation, the theory of use or disuse (of cognition during adult life) have more or less the same explanatory power, cognition being a decisive precondition for active ageing and quality of life in old age. However, in spite of the success of those theoretical bodies, a prominent figure in the field, Glen Elder, recently observed that there is surprisingly little evidence for cumulative processes and that a wide variety of model specifications remain completely untested. This finding makes even more important a critical review of the literature which summarize several robust evidences, but also discuss contradictory results and suggest promising research tracks. This exercise considers the life course construction of inequalities in the distribution of objective resources older adults have (or not) “to live the life they own value” (to quote A. Sen 2001). But it is also crucial to consider the subjective component that is inherent to the understanding of well-being.

scholarly journals Health Patterns among Migrant and Non-Migrant Middle- and Older-Aged Individuals in Europe—Analyses Based on Share 2004–2017

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 12047
Author(s):  
Nico Vonneilich ◽  
Daniel Bremer ◽  
Olaf von dem Knesebeck ◽  
Daniel Lüdecke
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Physical Functioning ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Migrant Populations ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Health Differences ◽  
Health Patterns ◽  
Health Gap ◽  
Over Time

Introduction: European populations are becoming older and more diverse. Little is known about the health differences between the migrant and non-migrant elderly in Europe. The aim of this paper was to analyse changes in the health patterns of middle- and older-aged migrant and non-migrant populations in Europe from 2004 to 2017, with a specific focus on differences in age and gender. We analysed changes in the health patterns of older migrants and non-migrants in European countries from 2004 to 2017. Method: Based on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (6 waves; 2004–2017; n = 233,117) we analysed three health indicators (physical functioning, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health). Logistic regression models for complex samples were calculated. Interaction terms (wave * migrant * gender * age) were used to analyse gender and age differences and the change over time. Results: Middle- and older-aged migrants in Europe showed significantly higher rates of depressive symptoms, lower self-rated health, and a higher proportion of limitations on general activities compared to non-migrants. However, different time trends were observed. An increasing health gap was identified in the physical functioning of older males. Narrowing health gaps over time were observed in women. Discussion: An increasing health gap in physical functioning in men is evidence of cumulative disadvantage. In women, evidence points towards the hypothesis of aging-as-leveler. These different results highlight the need for specific interventions focused on healthy ageing in elderly migrant men.

Culture Is Associated With the Experience of Long-Term Self-Concept Changes

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1047-1056
Author(s):  
Brian W. Haas ◽  
Michelle R. vanDellen
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
American Culture ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Family Based ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Over Time

Cultural context can affect how changes in self-concepts are either valued or tolerated. However, very little is currently known regarding how culture may differentially confer consequences to people that change their self-concepts over the course of several years. We investigated the moderating role of culture (Japan and USA) on the link between long-term (∼4 years) self-concept changes and a comprehensive set of well-being measures (hedonic, eudaimonic, and family based). We found that American’s self-concept instability was more negatively associated with one’s well-being and emotional support within one’s family than Japanese. Furthermore, Americans were particularly negatively impacted when they became less agentic and conscientious over time. One possible interpretation is that Western, individualistic cultures may discourage people from changing their identities throughout their adult life. Although American culture often espouses the sanctity of freedom, American culture may also limit people’s freedom to change how they see themselves over time.

scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic: Does Our Early Life Environment, Life Trajectory and Socioeconomic Status Determine Disease Susceptibility and Severity?

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 5094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyrielle Holuka ◽  
Myriam P. Merz ◽  
Sara B. Fernandes ◽  
Eleftheria G. Charalambous ◽  
Snehaa V. Seal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Senescent Phenotype ◽  
Early Life Environment

A poor socioeconomic environment and social adversity are fundamental determinants of human life span, well-being and health. Previous influenza pandemics showed that socioeconomic factors may determine both disease detection rates and overall outcomes, and preliminary data from the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic suggests that this is still true. Over the past years it has become clear that early-life adversity (ELA) plays a critical role biasing the immune system towards a pro-inflammatory and senescent phenotype many years later. Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) appear to be particularly sensitive to the early life social environment. As we understand more about the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 it appears that a functional CTL (CD8+) response is required to clear the infection and COVID-19 severity is increased as the CD8+ response becomes somehow diminished or exhausted. This raises the hypothesis that the ELA-induced pro-inflammatory and senescent phenotype may play a role in determining the clinical course of COVID-19, and the convergence of ELA-induced senescence and COVID-19 induced exhaustion represents the worst-case scenario with the least effective T-cell response. If the correct data is collected, it may be possible to separate the early life elements that have made people particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 many years later. This will, naturally, then help us identify those that are most at risk from developing the severest forms of COVID-19. In order to do this, we need to recognize socioeconomic and early-life factors as genuine medically and clinically relevant data that urgently need to be collected. Finally, many biological samples have been collected in the ongoing studies. The mechanisms linking the early life environment with a defined later-life phenotype are starting to be elucidated, and perhaps hold the key to understanding inequalities and differences in the severity of COVID-19.

Is 70 the new 60? Extending American women’s and men’s working lives

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra Street ◽  
Joanne Tompkins
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
Global Recession ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
The Us ◽  
Time Work

Although the United States economy rebounded relatively quickly from the global recession, older workers wanting or needing to work longer confront similar limitations to those in other countries. The critical role of Social Security for shaping patterns of later life work is considered, alongside the US neoliberal stance that minimizes family-friendly policies that would support more equal gender outcomes for work and retirement. Instead, the structure of employment markets, persistent gender gaps in pay, raced and gendered outcomes related to sources and amounts of retirement income, and increasing retirement ages that compel some of the most vulnerable Americans to work longer are considered. The concept of extended working life is considered at both ends of the adult life course, taking into account the challenges of both young and older workers given the realities of the US labour market, underscoring the importance of taking both labour supply and demand into account to fully understand the implications of extended working lives. Although women bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid care, few compensatory policies exist to ensure their income adequacy in old age. That, combined with ageism in the American workplace, make older women who have interrupted work histories or lifetimes of low paid or part time work very vulnerable to experiencing precarious employment, or low incomes/poverty in old age.

scholarly journals Birth Weight, Breastfeeding, Maternal Smoking and Caries Trajectories

2016 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Bernabé ◽  
H. MacRitchie ◽  
C. Longbottom ◽  
N.B. Pitts ◽  
W. Sabbah
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Maternal Smoking ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Primary Tooth ◽  
Caries Increment ◽  
Early Life Factors ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Childhood Caries

Evidence for the effects of low birth weight, breastfeeding and maternal smoking on childhood caries is mainly cross-sectional. We examined the association of these 3 putative early life factors with caries increment over a 4-y period among young children. We used data from a 4-y longitudinal caries-risk assessment study carried out among Scottish children. Early life factors were measured when children were aged 1 y (baseline). Caries assessment was repeated annually from ages 1 to 4, and the number of decayed, missing and filled primary tooth surfaces (dmfs) were used as a repeated outcome measure. The associations of low birth weight, breastfeeding and maternal smoking with dmfs at baseline and over time (trajectories) were assessed in linear mixed models. A total of 1,102 children were included in this analysis. Birth weight, breastfeeding and maternal smoking were not associated with dmfs at baseline. However, low birth weight and maternal smoking were associated with the rate of change in dmfs. By wave 4, the predicted mean difference in dmfs was 1.86 between children with low and normal birth weight, and 1.66 between children of smoking and non-smoking mothers. Children with low birth weight and smoking mothers had greater caries increments than those with normal weight and non-smoking mothers, respectively. There was no association between breastfeeding duration and childhood caries, either at baseline or over time.

Family, Literacy, and Skill Training in the Antebellum South: Historical-Longitudinal Evidence from Charleston

2004 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 773-799 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN E. MURRAY
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Adult Literacy ◽  
Family Literacy ◽  
Skill Training ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Antebellum South ◽  
Southern City ◽  
Over Time

Using individual measures of adult and child literacy, this article examines human capital acquisition in one Southern city, Charleston, 1790–1840. White adult literacy rates differed greatly by sex and class and rose gradually over time. Mothers played a critical role in human capital transmission in early childhood and long after children had left their care. Both relatively recent literacy acquisition and early childhood family structure influenced the occupation to which children were apprenticed. These results are consistent with present-day studies that trace sources of adult well-being back into childhood.

Longitudinal Evaluation of the Mental Health Continuum- Short Form (MHC-SF)

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 290-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanne M. A. Lamers ◽  
Cees A. W. Glas ◽  
Gerben J. Westerhof ◽  
Ernst T. Bohlmeijer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Valid Instrument ◽  
Over Time

This study evaluated the measurement invariance of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), a 14-item self-report questionnaire for measuring emotional, social, and psychological well-being. The study draws on data of a representative panel (Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences of CentERdata). 1,932 Dutch adults filled out the MHC-SF at four timepoints over 9 months. We used item response theory analyses with two-parameter models to examine differential item functioning across demographics, health indicators, and timepoints. The results indicated differences in the performance of one item (social well-being) for educational level, one item (social well-being) for sex, and two items (psychological well-being) for age. The MHC-SF is highly reliable over time, as there was no differential item functioning across the four timepoints. Furthermore, the means and reliabilities of the subscales were consistent over time. The MHC-SF is a reliable and valid instrument to measure positive aspects of mental health.

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