Title | Childhood social and economic well-being and health in older age. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2007 |
Authors | Moody-Ayers, SY, Lindquist, K, Sen, S, Covinsky, KE |
Journal | Am J Epidemiol |
Volume | 166 |
Issue | 9 |
Pagination | 1059-67 |
Date Published | 2007 Nov 01 |
ISSN Number | 0002-9262 |
Call Number | newpubs20071203_ChildSES_AJE.pdf |
Keywords | Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Black or African American, Child, Confidence Intervals, Educational Status, Female, Frail Elderly, Health Status, Health Status Indicators, Hispanic or Latino, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mobility Limitation, Odds Ratio, Poverty, Retrospective Studies, Sampling Studies, San Francisco, Socioeconomic factors, Surveys and Questionnaires, White People |
Abstract | Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) acts over a lifetime to influence adult health outcomes. Whether the impact of childhood SES differs by age or race/ethnicity is unclear. The authors studied 20,566 community-living US adults aged > or =50 years. Parental education was the main predictor. Outcomes evaluated (1998-2002) included self-reported health and functional limitation. The influence of childhood SES on later-life health was also examined in groups stratified by age and race/ethnicity, with adjustment for demographic factors and current SES. Participants' mean age was 67 years; 57% were women. By race/ethnicity, 76% were White, 14% were Black, and 8% were Latino. The relation between low parental education and fair/poor self-rated health declined with advancing age (age 50-64 years: adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24, 1.63; age > or =80 years: AOR = 1.14, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.36). The relation between low parental education and fair/poor self-rated health differed across racial/ethnic groups and was significant in White (AOR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.47) and Black (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.64) participants but not Latinos. These findings suggest that childhood SES affects health status through midlife but the effects may abate in late life; its effects also may be weaker in Latinos than in Whites or Blacks. |
DOI | 10.1093/aje/kwm185 |
User Guide Notes | |
Endnote Keywords | childhood conditions/Socioeconomic Status/health status/Activities of Daily Living/Mobility Difficulty/Frail Elderly |
Endnote ID | 18270 |
Alternate Journal | Am J Epidemiol |
Citation Key | 7165 |
PubMed ID | 17720682 |
Grant List | K24 AG029812 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States 1R01AG019827-01 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States |