Early Life Financial Adversity and Respiratory Function in Midlife: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study

(2012) - Mel Bartley, Yvonne Kelly, Amanda Sacker

Journal: American Journal of Epidemiology
Link:: https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/aje/kwr284
DOI:: 10.1093/aje/kwr284
Links::
Tags:: #paper #NCDS #Health
Cite Key:: [@Bartley2012]

Abstract

Data from the 1958 National Child Development Study (1958–2004) were used in a prospective study of the relation of financial adversity in childhood to lung function in midlife. It was hypothesized that such a relation would be found and would be mediated partly by early housing deprivation, partly by continuities in social disadvantage, and partly by smoking. These hypotheses were confirmed. The mediating variables explained nearly two-thirds of the observed relation. The strongest individual pathway from early financial hardship to adult lung function was through poor housing in childhood. Poor housing increased the risk of educational failure, which in turn was strongly related to less-advantaged social class. Lack of educational qualifications and less-advantaged social class independently increased the risk of higher levels of smoking. Mediating variables therefore acted in part as indicators of environmental exposures and in part through their links to adult smoking. Early financial adversity is associated with adult lung function partly through poor housing and partly through pathways involving continuities in social disadvantage and the associated environmental exposures and behaviors.

Notes

“relation of financial adversity in childhood to lung function in midlife.” (Bartley et al., 2012, p. 33)

“hypothesized that such a relation would be found and would be mediated partly by early housing deprivation, partly by continuities in social disadvantage, and partly by smoking” (Bartley et al., 2012, p. 33)

“The mediating variables explained nearly two-thirds of the observed relation.” (Bartley et al., 2012, p. 33)

“Mediating variables therefore acted in part as indicators of environmental exposures and in part through their links to adult smoking” (Bartley et al., 2012, p. 33)

“Figure 1.” (Bartley et al., 2012, p. 34)

“Distribution of Variables in Study Participants” (Bartley et al., 2012, p. 35)

“Although the use of the path modeling technique allows a more detailed view of the processes that may relate early life adversities to later health, the terminology of ‘‘effects’’ is perhaps unfortunate. The use of the term effect is not intended to claim the discovery of causal processes.” (Bartley et al., 2012, p. 41)

“It is increasingly accepted that health inequality in adulthood needs to be understood in terms of processes that extend across the life course (40).” (Bartley et al., 2012, p. 41)