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Childhood conditions and current physical performance among non-institutionalized individuals aged 50+ in Israel
1School of Public Health, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel.
Insights
Childhood socioeconomic status, including wealth and home resources like books, positively impacts adult physical function. Higher childhood socioeconomic status is linked to better hand grip strength and chair-rising performance in later life.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Socioeconomic Determinants of Health
Background:
- Adverse childhood socioeconomic conditions are linked to various health risks.
- The impact of childhood socioeconomic status on future physical function remains less understood.
- Objective measures like hand grip strength and chair-rising time reflect physical capability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between childhood socioeconomic status and current physical function.
- To examine if childhood wealth and home resources predict hand grip strength and chair-rising time.
- To test the hypothesis that early life conditions influence mid- and late-life physical function.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 2300 Israeli participants (aged ≥50) in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.
- Employed generalized linear regression models to assess associations between childhood wealth/books and physical function measures.
- Used logistic regression to evaluate the relationship between early life conditions and the ability to perform physical tests.
- Adjusted for current socioeconomic status, demographics, anthropometrics, health, and lifestyle factors.
Main Results:
- Childhood wealth and having more books at home were significantly associated with stronger hand grip strength.
- Higher childhood socioeconomic status predicted better performance on the chair-rising test.
- These associations were more pronounced in women and remained significant after controlling for covariates.
- Childhood socioeconomic status was linked to a reduced risk of inability to perform the physical tests.
Conclusions:
- Early-life socioeconomic conditions, specifically wealth and home resources, play a role in programming physical function.
- Childhood socioeconomic status is a predictor of physical capability in mid- and late-life.
- These findings highlight the long-term impact of early-life socioeconomic factors on physical health outcomes.
Abstract:
Adverse socioeconomic conditions in childhood have been previously linked with high risk of various health conditions. However, the association with future physical function has been less studied. Hand grip strength and chair-rising time are objective measures of physical capability indicating current and future health outcomes. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that perceived socio-economic status in childhood is related to current measures of physical function, among Israeli participants of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe project. The study included 2300 participants aged 50 years or older (mean age 68 ± 10; 56 % women). Generalized linear regression models were used to examine the associations of childhood wealth and number of books in residence with grip strength and time to complete five rises from a chair. Logistic regression models were used to assess the relationships between the early life conditions and the ability to perform the physical tests. Adjustment was made for current income or household wealth, and for demographic, anthropometric, health, and life-style measures. Being wealthy and having a large number of books at home in childhood was associated with a stronger hand grip and a better chair-rise test performance. These associations were more robust in women compared to men, and persisted after adjustment for potential covariates. In addition, childhood wealth and number of books were associated with lower risk of being unable to perform the tests. Thus, early-life programming may contribute to physical function indicators in mid- and late-life.
