Biological age in Italian adults: influence of social and behavioural factors

This study investigated changes with age in biological characters in a sample of 571 Italian males aged between 25 and 64 years. The influence of environmental factors on inter-individual variation in physical efficiency was examined by biological age determination. Data on somatometric, physiometric, haematological variables, personal background and lifestyle, were collected. Principal-component analysis was used to study the patterns of relationship in these characters. Over 45% of the total variance is explained by the ageing process, but the secular trend also affects the variation of height and of height-related characters. Changes with age were investigated clustering the sample in eight 5-year classes: results are in agreement with previous findings in Western populations. Ten selected variables were transformed into biological age scores reflecting a man's status relative to his chronological age peers (Borkan and Norris 1980a). Biological age scores of subsamples characterized by different social and behavioural situations were compared. Occupation, educational level and physical activity seem to have the greatest influence on biological age status. The intensity or duration of some habits can induce a clear trend in biological age scores. Results suggest that the environmental influence could be related to the interindividual differences in physical efficiency and to the increase in variability with age observed for some characters.