Role of sex in the association between childhood socioeconomic position and cognitive ageing in later life.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wolfova K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7907064 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:ImportanceEarly-life socioeconomic adversity may be associated with poor cognitive health over the life course.ObjectiveTo examine the association of childhood and midlife neighborhood socioeconomic position (nSEP) with cognitive decline.Design, setting, and participantsThis cohort study included 5711 men and women enrolled in the community-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study with repeated cognitive data measured over a median 27.0 years (IQR, 26.0-27.9 years) (1990-2019). Statistical analysis was performed from December 2022 through March 2023.ExposureResidence addresses for ARIC Study cohort participants were obtained at midlife (1990-1993) and as recalled addresses at 10 years of age (childhood). A composite nSEP z score was created as a sum of z scores for US Census-based measures of median household income; median value of owner-occupied housing units; percentage of households receiving interest, dividend, or net rental income; percentage of adults with a high school degree; percentage of adults with a college degree; and percentage of adults in professional, managerial, or executive occupations. Childhood nSEP and midlife nSEP were modeled as continuous measures and discretized into tertiles.Main outcomes and measuresA factor score for global cognition was derived from a battery of cognitive tests administered at 5 in-person visits from baseline to 2019. The rate of cognitive decline from 50 to 90 years of age was calculated by fitting mixed-effects linear regression models with age as the time scale and adjusted for race, sex, birth decade, educational level, and presence of the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele.ResultsAmong 5711 ARIC Study participants (mean [SD] baseline age, 55.1 [4.7] years; 3372 women [59.0%]; and 1313 Black participants [23.0%]), the median rate of cognitive decline was -0.33 SDs (IQR, -0.49 to -0.20 SDs) per decade. In adjusted analyses, each 1-SD-higher childhood nSEP score was associated with a slower (β, -9.2%; 95% CI, -12.1% to -6.4%) rate of cognitive decline relative to the sample median. A comparable association was observed when comparing the highest tertile with the lowest tertile of childhood nSEP (β, -17.7%; 95% CI, -24.1% to -11.3%). Midlife nSEP was not associated with the rate of cognitive decline.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study of contextual factors associated with cognitive decline, childhood nSEP was inversely associated with trajectories of cognitive function throughout adulthood.
| S-EPMC10403777 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The identification of biomarkers that discriminate individual ageing trajectories is a principal target of ageing research. Some of the most promising predictors of biological ageing have been developed using DNA methylation. One recent candidate, which tracks age-related phenotypes in addition to chronological age, is 'DNAm PhenoAge'. Here, we performed a phenome-wide association analysis of this biomarker in a cohort of older adults to assess its relationship with a comprehensive set of both historical, and contemporaneously-measured, phenotypes. Higher than expected DNAm PhenoAge compared with chronological age, known as epigenetic age acceleration, was found to associate with a number of blood, cognitive, physical fitness and lifestyle variables, and with mortality. Notably, DNAm PhenoAge, assessed at age 70, was associated with cognitive ability at age 11, and with educational attainment. Adjusting for age 11 cognitive ability attenuated the majority of the cross-sectional later-life associations between DNAm PhenoAge and health outcomes. These results highlight the importance of early life factors on healthy older ageing.
| S-EPMC6883059 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundChildhood experience has been suggested to affect cognitive function in later life. However, the association between childhood friendship status and cognitive ageing trajectory in middle-aged and older adults has not been fully assessed. This study examined the association between childhood friendship status and cognitive ageing trajectory and identified factors modifying this association.MethodsWe used four waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a national representative longitudinal study of adults aged 45 years or older, 2011-2018. The CHARLS included surveys on childhood friendship and cognitive assessments. Childhood friendship status was categorised as poor, fair, and good. To examine the association between childhood friendship and cognitive ageing trajectory in later life, we applied multilevel linear regression models, and explored potential influences of sociodemographic factors, health status and behaviours, and childhood conditions on this association.ResultsOf the 4,350 participants, 1,919 (44.1%) were women. The mean age was 56.29 ± 7.80 years. We found childhood friendship was significantly associated with cognitive ageing trajectory in later life, with a dose-response relationship. After adjusting for covariates, comparing to participants with poor childhood friendships, those with better childhood friendships had lower rates of cognitive decline (β = 0.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03 to 0.22 [interaction term of fair friendship and time]; β = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.28 [interaction term of good friendship and time]) and higher level of cognitive functions (β = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.58 [fair friendships]; β = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.79 [good friendships]). These associations were stronger for those who were female, less educated, and had experienced more adverse childhood experiences.ConclusionsChildhood friendship is associated with cognitive ageing in later life. Enhancing childhood friendships can play an important role to promote healthy ageing in the future.
| S-EPMC9178862 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate whether socioeconomic position (SEP) in childhood has an effect on the level of cognitive performance and the rate of cognitive decline in older adults.MethodsWe performed a prospective cohort study of individuals enrolled in a multicenter population-based study, SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe). Interviews were conducted in 6 waves at approximately 2-year intervals and included examinations of cognitive performance (memory, verbal fluency, delayed recall) and measurements of childhood SEP (participants' household characteristics at the age of 10 years). We estimated the associations of SEP with the level of cognitive performance using linear regression and the relation to the rate of cognitive decline with mixed-effects models.ResultsThis study included 20,244 participants from 16 European countries (median age at baseline 71 years, 54% women). Adverse childhood SEP was associated with a lower level of baseline cognitive performance. This association was attenuated after adjustment for clinical and social risk factors but remained statistically significant. Childhood SEP was not related to the rate of cognitive decline.ConclusionsVariation in childhood SEP helps to explain differences in cognitive performance between older people, but not the rate of decline from their previous level of cognition. Strategies to protect cognitive aging should be applied early in life.
| S-EPMC6205684 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSocioeconomic inequalities in cardiovascular disease risk begin early in life and are more pronounced in females than males later in life. Causal atherogenic traits explaining this are not well understood. We explored sex-specific associations between childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and molecular measures of systemic metabolism across early life.MethodsData were from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a population-based birth cohort in southwest England. Pregnant women with an expected delivery date between 1991 and 1992 were invited to participate. Maternal education was the primary indicator of SEP. Concentrations of 148 metabolic traits from targeted metabolomics (nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) from research clinics at ages 7, 15, 18 and 25 years were analysed. The sex-specific slope index of inequality (SII) in trajectories of metabolic traits was estimated using multilevel models.FindingsTotal number of participants included was 6537 (12,543 repeated measures). Lower maternal education was associated with more adverse levels of several atherogenic lipids and key metabolic traits among females at age 7 years, but not males. For instance, SII for very small very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) concentrations was 0.16SD (95% CI: 0.01, 0.30) among females and -0.02SD (95% CI: -0.16, 0.13) among males. Between 7 and 25 years, inequalities widened among females and emerged among males particularly for VLDL particle concentrations, apolipoprotein-B concentrations, and inflammatory glycoprotein acetyls. For instance, at 25 years, SII for very small VLDL concentrations was 0.36SD (95% CI: 0.20, 0.52) and 0.22SD (95% CI: 0.04, 0.40) among females and males respectively.InterpretationPrevention of socioeconomic inequalities in cardiovascular disease risk requires a life course approach beginning at the earliest opportunity, especially among females.FundingThe UK Medical Research Council and Wellcome (grant ref: 217065/Z/19/Z) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. A comprehensive list of grants funding is available on the ALSPAC website (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/external/documents/grant-acknowledgements.pdf). KON is supported by a Health Research Board (HRB) of Ireland Investigator Led Award (ILP-PHR-2022-008). JB, GDS and KT work in a unit funded by the UK MRC (MC_UU_00011/1 and MC UU 00011/3) and the University of Bristol. OR is supported by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/S03532X/1). These funding sources had no role in the design and conduct of this study. This publication is the work of the authors and KON will serve as guarantor for the contents of this paper.
| S-EPMC10700592 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesEarly socioeconomic status (SES) correlates with later-life cognition. However, the effect of socioeconomic context (SEC), which reflects influences from broader ecological contexts, has not been examined. The present study developed a measure of SEC using lifetime residential addresses and examined SEC and residential mobility effects on later-life cognition.MethodOlder adults (N = 117, Mage = 75) reported addresses since birth. Latent SEC was constructed from census income, employment, and education (1920-2010) for each county and census year, extrapolated between census years. Controlling for current SES, SEC in childhood (ages 0-18) and adulthood (ages 19-60), with finer granulations in young adulthood (ages 19-39) and midlife (ages 40-60), predicted later-life cognition. Effects of residential mobility on later-life cognition were also examined.ResultsHigher childhood and adulthood SEC were associated with better Auditory Verbal Learning Test recognition (β = .24, p = .012) and immediate recall (β = .26, p = .008). Higher midlife SEC was associated with faster task switching (β = .26, p = .025) and better task switching efficiency (β = .27, p = .022). Higher residential mobility in childhood was associated with higher crystallized intelligence (β = .194, p = .040).DiscussionIndependent of current SES, childhood and adulthood SEC predicted later-life cognition, which may be sensitive to effects of social institutions and environmental health. SEC assessed across the lifespan, and related residential mobility information may be important complements to SES in predicting later-life cognitive health.
| S-EPMC6294237 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The ε4 allele of the APOE gene is associated with poorer cognition in later life. This study aimed to advance understanding of how environments potentially moderate this genetic risk by focusing on childhood socioeconomic status (SES). Previous research across diverse national contexts has found that older adults from higher-SES families in childhood demonstrate better cognitive functioning than their lower-SES counterparts. Nevertheless, few studies have examined whether higher childhood SES might also promote later life cognition by mitigating the effects of ε4 carrier status. To address this gap, we used data from 3017 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, which has followed a random sample of people who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957. Childhood SES included parents' educational attainment, father's occupational status, and household income in adolescence. We constructed measures of memory and of language/executive functioning using scores from neurocognitive tests administered when participants were approximately ages 65 and 72. APOE ε4 status was measured through saliva samples. Results from cross-controlled multilevel models indicated that APOE ε4 status-and not childhood SES-independently predicted memory, whereas childhood SES-and not APOE ε4 status-independently predicted language/executive functioning. Moreover, a statistical interaction between APOE ε4 status and childhood SES for memory indicated that at baseline, higher childhood SES protected against the risk of APOE ε4 status, whereas lower childhood SES exacerbated the risk of APOE ε4 status. However, by follow-up, these moderating effects dissipated, and APOE ε4 status alone was associated with memory. We interpret these results in light of theorizing on differential susceptibility for poorer cognition across the life course.
| S-EPMC6536306 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Objectives: Widowhood and adverse childhood socioeconomic circumstances (CSC) have both been linked to increased levels of depressive symptoms in old age. Beyond their independent impact on depressive symptoms, experiencing adverse CSC may also trigger a cascade of cumulative adversity and secondary stressors across the life course that shapes how individuals weather stressful life events later on.Method: We examine whether exposure to adverse CSC moderates the relationship between later-life widowhood and depressive symptoms using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2004-2017).Results: Mixed-effects models revealed that both widowhood and adverse CSC were associated with increased levels of depressive symptoms among men and women. Associations between widowhood and depressive symptoms, however, were not moderated by CSC for both genders.Conclusion: Persisting differences in the levels of mental health in response to later-life widowhood did not further widen in the presence of disparities experienced early in the life course. This may reflect the life-altering impact of this age-normative, yet stressful life event across the social strata.
| S-EPMC8901780 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundInformation on childhood determinants of frailty or allostatic load in later life is sparse. We investigated whether lower intelligence and greater socioeconomic disadvantage in childhood increased the risk of frailty and higher allostatic load, and explored the mediating roles of adult socioeconomic position, educational attainment and health behaviours.MethodsParticipants were 876 members of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 whose intelligence was assessed at age 11. At age 70, frailty was assessed using the Fried criteria. Measurements were made of fibrinogen, triglyceride, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, albumin, glycated haemoglobin, C reactive protein, body mass index and blood pressure, from which an allostatic load score was calculated.ResultsIn sex-adjusted analyses, lower intelligence and lower social class in childhood were associated with an increased risk of frailty: relative risks (95% CIs) were 1.57 (1.21 to 2.03) for a SD decrease in intelligence and 1.48 (1.12 to 1.96) for a category decrease in social class. In the fully adjusted model, both associations ceased to be significant: relative risks were 1.13 (0.83 to 1.54) and 1.19 (0.86 to 1.61), respectively. Educational attainment had a significant mediating effect. Lower childhood intelligence in childhood, but not social class, was associated with higher allostatic load. The sex-adjusted coefficient for allostatic load for a SD decrease in intelligence was 0.10 (0.07 to 0.14). In the fully adjusted model, this association was attenuated but remained significant (0.05 (0.01 to 0.09)).ConclusionsFurther research will need to investigate the mechanisms whereby lower childhood intelligence is linked to higher allostatic load in later life.
| S-EPMC4820036 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Few studies have investigated the impact of the community environment, as distinct from area deprivation, on cognition in later life. This study explores cross-sectional associations between cognitive impairment and dementia and environmental features at the community level in older people.The postcodes of the 2,424 participants in the year-10 interview of the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study in England were mapped into small area level geographical units (Lower-layer Super Output Areas) and linked to environmental data in government statistics. Multilevel logistic regression was conducted to investigate associations between cognitive impairment (defined as MMSE ? 25), dementia (organicity level ?3 in GMS-AGECAT) and community level measurements including area deprivation, natural environment, land use mix and crime. Sensitivity analyses tested the impact of people moving residence within the last two years.Higher levels of area deprivation and crime were not significantly associated with cognitive impairment and dementia after accounting for individual level factors. Living in areas with high land use mix was significantly associated with a nearly 60% reduced odds of dementia (OR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.8) after adjusting for individual level factors and area deprivation, but there was no linear trend for cognitive impairment. Increased odds of dementia (OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.2, 4.2) and cognitive impairment (OR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.0) were found in the highest quartile of natural environment availability. Findings were robust to exclusion of the recently relocated.Features of land use have complex associations with cognitive impairment and dementia. Further investigations should focus on environmental influences on cognition to inform health and social policies.
| S-EPMC4621236 | biostudies-other