Cardiometabolic Risk and Cognitive Decline: The Role of Socioeconomic Status in Childhood and Adulthood

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.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S57-S57
Author(s):  
Kenneth F Ferraro ◽  
Madison R Sauerteig ◽  
Monica M Williams-Farrelly

Abstract This study investigates the effects of childhood misfortune and adult physical activity on later-life body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. We use ordinary least squares regression to examine the impact of childhood misfortune (30 indicators), and adult physical activity (frequency and intensity) on waist circumference and BMI (kg/m²) using data from the Health and Retirement Study (N=5,732). Results emphasize that experiencing childhood misfortune is associated with a larger waist circumference and BMI in later life, while adjusting for social status and lifestyle variables. Adjusting for adult physical activity decreases the effect of childhood misfortune on waist circumference, suggesting mediation. The analysis reveals that the effects of childhood misfortune on BMI and abdominal adiposity are remediable. Although childhood misfortune is associated with larger waist circumference and BMI in later life, regular physical activity reduces the risk on both indicators of obesity.


2021 ◽  
pp. 183933492110286
Author(s):  
Marilyn Giroux ◽  
Jooyoung Park ◽  
Jae-Eun Kim ◽  
Yung Kyun Choi ◽  
Jacob C. Lee ◽  
...  

This article investigates the role of diverse nudging communication strategies on perceived threat and stockpiling intention. Across three studies, the authors examined the various effects of “nudging” on consumer behavior. Study 1 demonstrates that a commonly used picture has a stronger impact on perceived threat than a less frequently exposed picture regardless of its accuracy. Study 2 shows that the perceived threat of COVID-19, in terms of severe health consequences, is lower when using an indirect (vs. direct) explanation of the virus, as well as when reducing the amount of information about the virus. Study 3 investigates the impact of salient negative information and childhood socioeconomic status (SES). Findings reveal that negative information about deaths associated with the virus increases the level of perceived threat and stockpiling intention, especially among people of low childhood SES.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 233372141769667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minjee Lee ◽  
M. Mahmud Khan ◽  
Brad Wright

Objective: We investigated the association between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and coronary heart disease (CHD) in older Americans. Method: We used Health and Retirement Study data from 1992 to 2012 to examine a nationally representative sample of Americans aged ≥50 years ( N = 30,623). We modeled CHD as a function of childhood and adult SES using maternal and paternal educational level as a proxy for childhood SES. Results: Respondents reporting low childhood SES were significantly more likely to have CHD than respondents reporting high childhood SES. Respondents reporting both low childhood and adult SES were 2.34 times more likely to have CHD than respondents reporting both high childhood and adult SES. People with low childhood SES and high adult SES were 1.60 times more likely than people with high childhood SES and high adult SES to report CHD in the fully adjusted model. High childhood SES and low adult SES increased the likelihood of CHD by 13%, compared with high SES both as a child and adult. Conclusion: Childhood SES is significantly associated with increased risk of CHD in later life among older adult Americans.


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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S798-S798
Author(s):  
Robert S Stawski ◽  
Kelly D Chandler

Abstract Retirement is an important transition in later life, associated with changes in social roles. It is unclear, however, whether the retirement transition modifies aging-related changes in mental, physical, and cognitive health. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we examined changes in depressive symptoms, self-rated health, and memory prior to, at, and after the retirement transition among 6,830 participants (Ages=50-97, 58% female) assessed biennially up to 10 times from 1992-2010. Preliminary results indicate a sudden and significant increase in depressive symptoms and decreases in self-rated health and memory at the transition to retirement (ps<.05). These effects increased among individuals retiring at older ages (ps<.01). Further, aging-related increases in depressive symptomatology became faster after retirement (p<.01). Aging-related decreases in self-rated health and memory were unchanged by the transition. Discussion will focus on the contribution of transitions to understanding trajectories of mental, physical, and cognitive health in later life.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyoung Lyu

Objectives. This study was aimed to explore the gender differences in the association between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive function in later life. Methods. Using a nationally representative sample from the Health and Retirement Study, 5,544 females and 3,863 males were analyzed separately. Growth curve models were used to examine memory status and change in memory from 1998 to 2010. Results. The results showed that SES disadvantage in childhood was associated with lower memory at baseline controlling for adult SES and other covariates. In addition, cumulated disadvantage in SES was associated with poor memory in both genders. Statistically, the impact of cumulative SES on memory function at baseline was significantly different by gender. Discussion. These findings suggest that childhood SES has long-term effects on cognitive function among both men and women, and cumulative SES from childhood to adulthood may be more important for men than women with respect to their memory performance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruby S.M. Tsang ◽  
John E.J. Gallacher ◽  
Sarah Bauermeister

INTRODUCTION: Earlier studies of the effects of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) on later life cognitive function consistently report a social gradient in later life cognitive function. Evidence for their effects on cognitive decline is, however, less clear. METHODS: The sample consists of 5,324 participants in the Whitehall II Study, 8,572 in the Health and Retirement Study, and 1,413 in the Kame Project, who completed self-report questionnaires on their early-life experiences and underwent repeated cognitive assessments. We characterised cognitive trajectories using latent class mixed models, and explored associations between childhood SES and latent class membership using logistic regressions. RESULTS: We identified distinct trajectories classes for all cognitive measures examined. Childhood socioeconomic deprivation was associated with an increased likelihood of being in a lower trajectory class. DISCUSSION: Our findings support the notions that cognitive ageing is a heterogeneous process and early-life circumstances may have lasting effects on cognition across the life-course. Keywords: cognitive ageing; cognitive decline; longitudinal studies; latent class mixed models; childhood socioeconomic status


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 800-800
Author(s):  
Haena Lee ◽  
Linda Waite

Abstract The role of childhood in shaping overall adult health has been well documented, especially for physical and mental health, but much less is known about the impact of early disadvantage on oral health in later life. Using data from the 2006 and 2012 Health and Retirement Study, we investigate the link between childhood financial and psychosocial adversity and edentulism over a six-year period among U.S. adults aged 51 and older. We find that those growing up with parents with fewer resources face higher risks of having lost all their tooth at baseline and during the follow-up. Adulthood socioeconomic status and health behaviors are strongly associated with the risk of edentulism, net of childhood conditions. However, the effect of low parental resources on the onset of edentulism persists when accounting for these life course factors. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Oral Health Interest Group.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S275-S275
Author(s):  
Nan Lu ◽  
Bei Wu ◽  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Tingyue Dong

Abstract This study examined the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between childhood conditions and arthritis among middle-aged and older adults in China. The data were derived from the 2015 wave and the life history module of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal study. The sample included 19800 respondents age 45 and over. Multiple imputation was used to handle the missing data. A multilevel logistic regression was used to test the proposed models. Childhood socioeconomic status, mother’s education, subjective health, access to health care and medical catastrophic event were found to be significant factors associated with arthritis in later life, after controlling for adulthood and older age conditions. Furthermore, the effects of childhood socioeconomic status on arthritis were found to be higher among men than women. The findings highlight the important role of childhood conditions that affect the onset of arthritis in later life. Policy and intervention implications are discussed.


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