Poverty Status at Birth Predicts Epigenetic Changes at Age 15

Epigenetic studies have provided new opportunities to better understand the biological effects of poverty and racial/ethnic minority status. However, little is known about sex differences in these processes.

We used 15 years of follow up of 854 racially and ethnically diverse birth cohort who were followed from birth to age 15. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the effects of race/ethnicity, maternal education, and family structure on poverty at birth, as well as the effects of poverty at birth on epigenetic changes at age 15. We also explored variations by sex.

Our findings indicate that Black and Latino families had lower maternal education and married family structure which in turn predicted poverty at birth. Poverty at birth then was predictive of epigenetic changes 15 years later when the index child was 15. This suggested that poverty at birth partially mediates the effects of race/ethnicity, maternal education, and family structure on epigenetic changes of youth at age 15. There was an effect of poverty status at birth on DNA methylation of male but not female youth at age 15. Thus, poverty at birth may have a more salient effect on long term epigenetic changes of male than female youth.

Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the observed sex differences in the effects of poverty as a mechanism that connects race/ethnicity, maternal education, and family structure to epigenetic changes later in life.