The Effect of Childhood Health Status on Adult Health in China

Wang, Qing; Zhang, Huyang; Rizzo, John A.; Fang, Hai

doi:10.3390/ijerph15020212

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Exposure to disadvantaged childhood SES may have shaped the life-course health trajectories of Chinese adults in different ways 25 , 41 . The following were observed in Chinese adults: disadvantaged childhood SES increased the risk of cognitive disorders 40 and depression 26 ; disadvantaged childhood health significantly predicted cognitive and physical impairment 42 ; and childhood food shortage was associated with late-life glucose abnormalities 23 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Life-course pathways from childhood socioeconomic status to type 2 diabetes in mid-late Chinese adulthood

Zhang

Jiang

Sha³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The relationship between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains inconclusive, and the pathways and mechanisms driving this relationship have yet to be clarified. This study aimed to examine the pathways linking childhood SES to T2D prevalence in mid-late adulthood in a low- and middle-income country. The incidence of T2D diagnosed in mid-late Chinese adulthood was assessed using self-reports from the Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Childhood SES was assessed by the education, occupation, survivorship of the parents and the financial situation of the family, whereas adulthood SES was assessed by education and wage. This study performed structural equation modeling to clarify the direct and indirect pathways from childhood SES to T2D via childhood health, childhood food shortage, adulthood SES and physical activity. A total of 15,132 participants were included, and the prevalence of T2D was 5.24%. This study found that childhood SES was directly associated with T2D in mid-late adulthood, the probability of developing T2D increased by 9.20% of the standard deviation for each decrease in standard deviation in childhood SES. Childhood SES was indirectly associated with T2D via adulthood SES, physical activity, childhood health and food shortage. Adulthood SES and physical activity mainly mediated the indirect pathway from childhood SES and T2D. This study showed direct and indirect pathways from disadvantaged childhood SES to increased risk of T2D in mid-late Chinese adulthood. Childhood SES, adulthood SES, physical activity, childhood health and food shortage were identified as life-course interventional targets that should be considered in the development of effective strategies to reduce the burden of T2D and SES-related health inequities in childhood.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Life-course pathways from childhood socioeconomic status to type 2 diabetes in mid-late Chinese adulthood

Zhang

Jiang

Sha³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…Childhood adversity has also been shown to be related to cognition (e.g., immediate memory, visuospatial construction, language, and delayed memory abilities) [18,19] and some research has even suggested that childhood abuse can be associated with better global cognition, memory, executive function, and processing speeds [20]. Childhood health is likely a robust indicator for orientation, word recall, and backward counting in later life [21][22][23]. Previous research has suggested that exposure to adverse ELCs was associated with increased anxiety levels and cognitive impairment as these variables disrupt the maturation of underlying brain networks [24,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early-Life Conditions and Cognitive Function in Middle-and Old-Aged Chinese Adults: A Longitudinal Study

Yang

Wang

2020

IJERPH

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A range of previous studies have suggested that early-life conditions (ELCs) are associated with various health problems throughout life in Western societies. The aim of this study was to investigate whether, and how, early-life conditions predicted the level and trajectory of cognitive function in middle- and old-aged Chinese adults. Data were obtained from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study which comprised 16,258 adults at baseline. Cognitive function was assessed using mental intactness and episodic memory and ELCs were measured by early parental death, childhood socioeconomic status (SES), food deprivation, and childhood health. Growth curve modeling was used to examine the trajectory of cognitive function (three waves in a 6-year period)with particular attention paid to the effects of ELCs on cognition. The results show that early maternal death is associated with the baseline cognitive level among middle- and old-aged Chinese adults (β range between −0.44 and −0.35, p < 0.05), but that this association is also largely attenuated by adulthood education. Higher childhood SES predicts an enhanced level of baseline cognition in both age groups (β range between 0.08 and 1.27, p < 0.001), but only protects against cognitive decline at baseline in middle-aged adults. Participants who were less healthy during childhood tended to have lower cognitive performance than those who had enjoyed good health (β range between −0.36 and −0.14, p < 0.05). The results of this study highlight the detrimental impact of deleterious ELCs on cognitive function throughout later life.

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“…There are no existing studies on direct assessment of the effect of the Great Chinese Famine exposure in early life on physical function in middle age. However, a recent study explained that a good childhood health status increases the probability of better adult physical function by 14% (95% CI 12% to 17%) 2912.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between early-life exposure to the Great Chinese Famine and poor physical function later in life: a cross-sectional study

Tao

Dai

et al. 2019

BMJ Open

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ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the association between early-life exposure to the Great Chinese Famine (1959–1961) and the prevalence of poor physical function in midlife.DesignA population-based historical prospective study was performed as part of a wider cross-sectional survey. Exposure to famine was defined by birthdate, and participants were divided into non-exposed group, fetal-exposed group and infant-exposed group.Setting and participantsA total of 3595 subjects were enrolled into the study from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2015 based on random selection of households that had at least one member aged 45 years old and older in 28 provinces of mainland China.Main outcome measuresPhysical function status was assessed by a six-item self-report on the Barthel scale which rated basic activities of daily living (BADL).Results743 (20.7%) out of all participants were exposed to the Great Chinese Famine in their fetal periods, while 1550 (43.1%) participants were exposed at the age of an infant. The prevalence of poor physical function in the non-exposed group, fetal period-exposed group and infant period-exposed group were 12.3%, 15.5% and 17.0%, respectively. Among males, after stratification by gender and severity of famine, the prevalence of poor physical function in the fetal period was significantly higher (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.18 to 4.89, p=0.015) than the non-exposed group in severely affected areas, even after adjusting for the number of chronic diseases, place of residence, smoking and alcohol drinking habits, marital status, educational level and body mass index. A similar connection between prenatal and early postnatal exposure to the Great Chinese Famine and the prevalence of poor physical function in midlife, however, was not observed from female adults.ConclusionsMales who were exposed to the Great Chinese Famine (1959–1961) present considerably decreased physical function in their later life.

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The Effect of Childhood Health Status on Adult Health in China

Cited by 16 publications

References 42 publications

Life-course pathways from childhood socioeconomic status to type 2 diabetes in mid-late Chinese adulthood

Life-course pathways from childhood socioeconomic status to type 2 diabetes in mid-late Chinese adulthood

Early-Life Conditions and Cognitive Function in Middle-and Old-Aged Chinese Adults: A Longitudinal Study

Association between early-life exposure to the Great Chinese Famine and poor physical function later in life: a cross-sectional study

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