Genetic propensity for obesity, socioeconomic position, and trajectories of body mass index in older adults
Abstract Background Identifying how socioeconomic positioning and genetic factors interact in the development of obesity is imperative for population-level obesity prevention strategies. The current study investigated whether social positioning, either independently or through interaction with a polygenic score for Body Mass Index (BMI-PGS), influences BMI trajectories across older adulthood. Methods Data were analysed from 7,183 individuals from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA). Interactions between the BMI-PGS and; lower educational attainment, SSS, and income, on BMI trajectories across older adulthood were investigated through linear mixed effects models. Results Lower educational attainment, SSS and income were each associated with a higher baseline BMI for women, but not for men. There were interaction effects between BMI-PGS and social positioning such that men aged > 65 with a lower educational attainment (β = 0.62; 95%CI = 0.00-1.24), men aged ≤ 65 of a lower income (β=-0.72, 95%CI=-1.21- -0.23) and women aged ≤ 65 of lower SSS (β=-1.41; 95%CI=-2.46-0.36) showed stronger associations between the BMI-PGS and baseline BMI. Conclusions Lower socioeconomic positioning showed adverse effects for women’s BMI in older adulthood. While the expression of the BMI-PGS, or extent to which it translates to a higher BMI, was subtly influenced by socioeconomic standing in both women and in men.