@article {10141, title = {Differential associations between state-level educational quality and cardiovascular health by race: Early-life exposures and late-life health.}, journal = {SSM Population Health}, volume = {8}, year = {2019}, pages = {100418}, abstract = {Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are patterned by educational attainment but educational quality is rarely examined. Educational quality differences may help explain racial disparities. Health and Retirement Study respondent data (1992-2014; born 1900-1951) were linked to state- and year-specific educational quality measures when the respondent was 6 years old. State-level educational quality was a composite of state-level school term length, student-to-teacher ratio, and per-pupil expenditure. CVD-related outcomes were self-reported (N = 24,339) obesity, heart disease, stroke, ever-smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and objectively measured (N = 10,704) uncontrolled blood pressure, uncontrolled blood sugar, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and C-reactive protein. Race/ethnicity was classified as White, Black, or Latino. Cox models fit for dichotomous time-to-event outcomes and generalized estimating equations for continuous outcomes were adjusted for individual and state-level confounders. Heterogeneities by race were evaluated using state-level educational quality by race interaction terms; race-pooled, race by educational quality interaction, and race-specific estimates were calculated. In race-pooled analyses, higher state-level educational quality was protective for obesity (HR = 0.92; 95\%CI(0.87,0.98)). In race-specific estimates for White Americans, state-level educational quality was protective for high blood pressure (HR = 0.95; 95\%CI(0.91,0.99). Differential relationships among Black compared to White Americans were observed for obesity, heart disease, stroke, smoking, high blood pressure, and HDL cholesterol. In race-specific estimates for Black Americans, higher state-level educational quality was protective for obesity (HR = 0.88; 95\%CI(0.84,0.93)), but predictive of heart disease (HR = 1.07; 95\%CI(1.01,1.12)), stroke (HR = 1.20; 95\%CI(1.08,1.32)), and smoking (HR = 1.05; 95\%CI(1.02,1.08)). Race-specific hazard ratios for Latino and Black Americans were similar for obesity, stroke, and smoking. Better state-level educational quality had differential associations with CVD by race. Among minorities, better state-level educational quality was predominately associated with poorer CVD outcomes. Results evaluate the 1900-1951 birth cohorts; secular changes in the racial integration of schools since the 1950s, means results may not generalize to younger cohorts.}, keywords = {Cardiovascular health, Education, Heart disease, Late-life Health, Racial/ethnic differences}, issn = {2352-8273}, doi = {10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100418}, author = {Anusha M Vable and Thu T Nguyen and David Rehkopf and M. Maria Glymour and Hamad, Rita} } @article {10132, title = {Genes, childhood trauma, and late life depressive symptoms}, journal = {Journal of Aging and Health}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Findings on gene-environment correlations suggest childhood "environments" may reflect genetic liabilities. The independent psychosocial influence of childhood trauma is unclear. This study examined such effects on adulthood depressive symptoms. Data were from the Health and Retirement Study. Trauma items included childhood physical abuse and parental substance abuse. Multinomial logit models examined genetic effects on stable and unstable reports. Linear growth models tested associations of stable trauma responses, genes, and their interaction with current depressive symptoms. Genetic risk predicted both stable and unstable trauma reports. With genes controlled, stable responses were associated with life course variations but not late life change in depression. The exception was women{\textquoteright}s physical abuse, which moderated genetic effects but had no independent influence. Apparent gene-trauma correlations may be driven by flawed retrospective reports. Research is needed to distinguish true from artifactual genetic effects on other environmental factors and establish psychosocial implications.}, keywords = {Childhood adversity, Depressive symptoms, Genetics, Late-life Health}, issn = {1552-6887}, doi = {10.1177/0898264319861001}, author = {Aniruddha Das} } @article {9740, title = {Subjective Social Status Predicts Late-Life Memory Trajectories through Both Mental and Physical Health Pathways}, journal = {Gerontology}, volume = {64}, year = {2018}, month = {03/2018}, pages = {466-474}, abstract = {Background: Subjective social status (SSS) is associated with mental and physical health, independent of objective socioeconomic status (SES), but its association with late-life cognitive decline is unknown. Objective: This study characterizes the association between SSS and late-life memory trajectories in a large, nationally representative sample of older adults in the United States. Methods: Using data from 8,530 participants aged 65 years and older in the Health and Retirement Study, structural equation models tested associations between SSS, objective SES (i.e., educational attainment, occupation, income, and wealth), physical and mental health, and 6-year memory trajectories, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Independent of objective SES, lower SSS was associated with worse initial memory but not subsequent memory decline. The association between SSS and initial memory was separately mediated by chronic diseases, stroke, and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Results provide preliminary behavioral evidence for the deleterious effects of social stress on cognitive aging. These results may help inform the development of policies and interventions to reduce cognitive morbidity among older adults who perceive a low position on the social hierarchy.}, keywords = {Cognitive Ability, Depressive symptoms, Health Conditions and Status, Late-life Health, Memory}, issn = {0304-324X}, doi = {10.1159/000487304}, url = {https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/487304https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/487304https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/487304}, author = {Laura B Zahodne and A Zarina Kraal and Afsara B. Zaheed and Sol, Ketlyne} }