Childhood Disadvantage and Adult Functional Status: Do Early-Life Exposures Jeopardize Healthy Aging?

2022 ◽  
pp. 089826432110647
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Morton
Keyword(s):  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Functional Status ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Functional Disability ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Additive Effects ◽  
Childhood Disadvantage ◽  
Early Life Exposures ◽  
Over Time

Objectives To examine whether childhood disadvantage is associated with later-life functional status and identify mediating factors. Methods Unique and additive effects of five childhood domains on functional status were assessed at baseline (2006) and over time (2006–2016) in a sample of 13,894 adults from the Health and Retirement Study (>50 years). Adult health behaviors and socioeconomic status (SES) were tested as mediators. Results Respondents exposed to multiple childhood disadvantages (OR = .694) as well as low childhood SES (OR = .615), chronic diseases (OR = .694), impairments (OR = .599), and risky adolescent behaviors (OR = .608) were less likely to be free of functional disability by baseline. Over time, these unique and additive effects of childhood disadvantage increased the hazard odds of eventually developing functional disability (e.g., additive effect: hOR = 1.261). Adult health behaviors and SES mediated some of these effects. Discussion Given the enduring effects of childhood disadvantage, policies to promote healthy aging should reduce exposure to childhood disadvantage.

scholarly journals Early Social Origins of Biological Risks for Men and Women in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-522
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Morton ◽  
Kenneth F. Ferraro
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Inflammation ◽  
Mortality Risk ◽  
Later Life ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Parental Behaviors ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Social Forces ◽  
Multiple Points ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Childhood Disadvantage

We investigate whether childhood exposures influence adult chronic inflammation and mortality risk via adult health characteristics and socioeconomic status (SES) and whether gender moderates these relationships. Analyzing a longitudinal national sample of 9,310 men and women over age 50, we found that childhood SES, parental behaviors, and adolescent behaviors were associated with adult chronic inflammation via health characteristics and SES in adulthood. The process of disadvantage initiated by low childhood SES (i.e., adult health risk factors, socioeconomic disadvantage, and chronic inflammation) subsequently raised mortality risk. In addition, gender moderated the mediating influence of childhood SES via unhealthy behaviors and parental behaviors via adult SES. Demonstrating how social forces shape biological health through multiple mechanisms informs health policies by identifying multiple points of intervention in an effort to reduce the lasting consequences of childhood disadvantage.

scholarly journals A Lifespan Perspective on the Interconnections between Personality, Health, and Optimal Aging

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Mroczek ◽  
Sara J Weston ◽  
Emily C Willroth
Keyword(s):  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Financial Success ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Positive Aging ◽  
Family Outcomes ◽  
Health Choices

The seeds of Healthy Aging are sown much earlier in life, through the health choices we make in younger adulthood and midlife. Cumulative effects of good health behaviors throughout one's life often pay off in older adulthood, in the form of healthy aging (optimal physical, cognitive, and psychological functioning), whereas poorer choices earlier in life can lead to suboptimal or even pathological aging. Personality characteristics are important predictors of health behaviors and thus influence the course of healthy aging. Personality also impacts other precursors to healthy aging, such as educational attainment, work and career choices, financial success, relationship and family outcomes, and attitudes toward engagement and involvement in later life. Through multiple pathways, not only health and health behavior, personality predicts positive aging-related outcomes.

scholarly journals Volunteering and Chronic Inflammation in Later Life: Is Sustained Volunteering Beneficial for Health?

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 695-695
Author(s):  
Mallory Bell ◽  
Madison Sauerteig ◽  
Kenneth Ferraro
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Chronic Inflammation ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
C Reactive Protein ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Informal Volunteering ◽  
Retirement Study ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Although research on the health benefits of volunteering has proliferated in recent decades, most studies have focused on whether or not a person volunteers or the monthly frequency of volunteering. This study examines whether sustained volunteering has health benefits above and beyond occasional or short-lived volunteering. To investigate the salubrious effects of volunteering, the present study considers sustained volunteering engagement in terms of both formal and informal volunteering. Using four waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study, we assess the influence of sustained volunteering on chronic inflammation, measured by C-reactive protein (CRP). Results reveal that sustained engagement in formal and informal volunteering is related to lower CRP concentration, but this association is partly mediated by adult health and socioeconomic factors. Although sustained volunteering is associated with lower levels of chronic inflammation, older adults who maintain their volunteering over time are a select category of adults, characterized by higher education and wealth and better health.

scholarly journals Gender Differences in Avoiding Later-Life Disability: A Life Course Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 203-203
Author(s):  
Patricia Morton
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Socioeconomic Disadvantage ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
World Health ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Childhood Conditions

Abstract Identifying the early origins of adult health has underscored how experiences in the earliest stages of life can have lasting consequences. Whereas most research on the early origins of adult health has linked childhood conditions to worse health in adulthood, this study considered whether childhood conditions are associated with healthy aging. Guided by the World Health Organization’s emphasis on functional ability as a core component of healthy aging, the present study investigated the association between childhood social conditions and avoiding later-life limitations in basic and instrumental activities of daily living, referred to as disability-free status. This study also tested potential health-related and socioeconomic mediators and examined whether these life course antecedents of healthy aging vary by gender. Analyzing a sample of 9,376 adults over age 50 from the Health and Retirement Study over 10 years (2006-2016) revealed that childhood socioeconomic disadvantage reduced the odds of avoiding disability over time. For women, adult health lifestyles mediated this relationship whereas adult socioeconomic status (SES) mediated this relationship for men. Conditional indirect effects indicated that the mediational effects of body mass and education differed between men and women (i.e., moderated mediation). The direct effects of childhood and adult SES also varied by gender. These results demonstrate that the life course antecedents, especially SES, of healthy aging are distinct for men and women. Interventions should prioritize reducing early-life exposure to socioeconomic disadvantage, especially for women. Given the gendered differences in the mediating effects, midlife interventions can be tailored for men and women.

scholarly journals Long-Term Effects of Abuse in Later Life Perpetrated by Family Members

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 444-445
Author(s):  
Naomi Meinertz ◽  
Pi-Ju Liu ◽  
Ron Acierno
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Long Term Impact

Abstract Abuse in later life could potentially lead to lower levels of social support, especially when perpetrated by family members who are charged with protecting the older adult in their care. Using both waves of the National Elder Mistreatment longitudinal data (wave one collected in 2008 and wave two in 2015; N=774), long-term effects of abuse (i.e., physical, emotional, sexual, and financial) on levels of social support, physical health, and clinical depressive symptoms for respondents at or above the age of 60 years were analyzed. A multivariate analysis of variance showed that respondents abused at wave one (n=261) by a family member (B=-0.55, p≤0.001), a spouse or ex-partner (B=-0.349, p=0.02), or a non-relative or stranger (B=-0.301, p=0.026) had lower levels of social support eight years later at wave two. Those abused by a family member at wave one also experienced higher levels of depressive symptoms at wave two (B=-0.187, p=0.01). Perpetrator type did not predict general health at wave two. These results emphasize the long-term impact of abuse on the lives of older adults and highlight the importance trusted relationships, such as with family members, have on older adult health and wellbeing.

scholarly journals Visualization approaches to support healthy aging: A systematic review

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uba Backonja ◽  
Nai-Ching Chi ◽  
Yong Choi ◽  
Amanda K Hall ◽  
Thai Le ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Aging In Place ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Data Visualizations ◽  
Informatics Tools

Background: Health technologies have the potential to support the growing number of older adults who are aging in place. Many tools include visualizations (data visualizations, visualizations of physical representations). However, the role of visualizations in supporting aging in place remains largely unexplored.Objective: To synthesize and identify gaps in the literature evaluating visualizations (data visualizations and visualizations of physical representations), for informatics tools to support healthy aging.Methods: We conducted a search in CINAHL, Embase, Engineering Village, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science using a priori defined terms for publications in English describing community-based studies evaluating visualizations used by adults aged ≥65 years.Results: Six out of the identified 251 publications were eligible. Most studies were user studies and varied methodological quality. Three visualizations of virtual representations supported performing at-home exercises. Participants found visual representations either (a) helpful, motivational, and supported their understanding of their health behaviors or (b) not an improvement over alternatives. Three data visualizations supported understanding of one’s health. Participants were able to interpret data visualizations that used precise data and encodings that were more concrete better than those that did not provide precision or were abstract. Participants found data visualizations helpful in understanding their overall health and granular data.Conclusions: Studies we identified used visualizations to promote engagement in exercises or understandings of one’s health. Future research could overcome methodological limitations of studies we identified to develop visualizations that older adults could use with ease and accuracy to support their health behaviors and decision-making.

scholarly journals Parallel Process Latent Growth Modeling of the Relationships Between Social Cohesion and Mental Health in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 307-307
Author(s):  
Sok An ◽  
Kyeongmo Kim ◽  
Minhong Lee
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Initial Level ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Functional Disabilities ◽  
Score Range ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Previous literature suggests that social factors (e.g., social cohesion, social support) are protective predictors of mental health problems. However, there might be a reciprocal relationship between social factors and mental health and the relationship changes over time. Therefore, this study examined the longitudinal relationship between community social cohesion and mental health using a latent growth curve model with 8 waves of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS; 2011-2018), a nationally representative panel study of Medicare beneficiaries in the United States. Social cohesion measured the perceived level of mutual trust by three items (score range: 0-6) and mental health was measured by PHQ-4 (score range: 0-12). The final model including covariates (age, gender, functional disabilities) fit the data well: χ2=1036.383, p<.001; RMSEA=.037; CFI=.960; and SRMR=.070. Initial level of social cohesion was negatively associated with initial level of mental health problem (β=−.23, p< .001), suggesting that higher levels of social cohesion was associated with lower levels of mental health problems. The covariance between social cohesion slope and mental health slope was significant (β=−.16, p< .01), suggesting an increase in social cohesion was associated with a decrease in mental health problems over time. Functional disabilities significantly influenced mental health over time, while functional disabilities did not influence social cohesion consistently. This study adds to the growing literature on the ways mental health status and social connection have reciprocal relationships over time. Therefore, mental health status in later life could be decreased by improving social cohesion and connectedness with the community.

Psychosocial Links Between Internet Use and Mental Health in Later Life: A Systematic Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (12) ◽  
pp. 1471-1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna K. Forsman ◽  
Johanna Nordmyr
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Information And Communication

Research on the role of information and communication technology (ICT) use for active aging is limited. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the link between Internet use and mental health among older adults. The review was conducted based on searches in 9 electronic databases (2002-2014). A meta-synthesis approach was applied, examining quantitative (18) and qualitative (14) studies. The findings from the synthesis of quantitative statistical data indicate an overall positive association between Internet use and mental health and its psychosocial covariates in later life. The psychosocial links between Internet use and mental health identified from the qualitative data were (a) enhanced interpersonal interaction at individual level, (b) increased access to resources within the community, and (c) empowered social inclusion at society level. The results highlight the multi-level psychosocial links between Internet use and mental health, which may be applied in initiatives targeting healthy aging in various settings.

Comparisons of Motivation, Health Behaviors, and Functional Status Among Elders in Residential Homes in Korea

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 361-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhayun Song ◽  
Kyung Ja June ◽  
Chun Gill Kim ◽  
Mi Yang Jeon
Keyword(s):  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Functional Status ◽  
Residential Homes
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