Abstract

We examined the associations between childhood socioeconomic status and adulthood height with functional limitations in old age. Data were obtained from the baseline survey of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study 2010, a population-based cohort of people aged ≥65 years enrolled from 27 municipalities across Japan (N = 15,499). People aged 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, and ≥80 years experienced the end of World War II when they were aged 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, and ≥15 years, respectively. Subjective socioeconomic status during childhood and current height were obtained by self-report through questionnaire in 2010. Higher-level functional capacity was assessed using a validated questionnaire scale. Poisson regression with robust variance estimator was employed to determine the association between childhood subjective socioeconomic status, height, and functional limitations. Lower childhood subjective socioeconomic status was consistently associated with higher prevalence rate ratio of limitations in higher-level functional capacity, regardless of age cohort. Height was associated with functional limitation only among the group aged 70-74 years: taller (≥170cm for men and ≥160cm for women) people were 16% less likely to report functional limitation in comparison with shorter (<155 cm for men and <145 cm for women) individuals in the fully adjusted model (prevalence rate ratio: 0.84, 95% confidence interval: 0.74-0.96). Low childhood subjective socioeconomic status had a robust association with functional limitation regardless of age cohort. In addition, those who lived through World War II before they reached puberty and attained shorter height were more likely to report functional limitations in old age.

Highlights

  • We examined the associations between childhood socioeconomic status and adulthood height with functional limitations in old age

  • Height was associated with functional limitation only among the group aged 70–74 years: taller (≥170 cm for men and ≥160 cm for women) people were 16% less likely to report functional limitation in comparison with shorter (

  • Low childhood subjective socioeconomic status had a robust association with functional limitation regardless of age cohort

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Summary

Methods

Data were obtained from the baseline survey of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study 2010, a population-based cohort of people aged ≥65 years enrolled from 27 municipalities across Japan (N = 15,499). Poisson regression with robust variance estimator was employed to determine the association between childhood subjective socioeconomic status, height, and functional limitations. 2010 Project was to evaluate the health status and social determinants of nondisabled people aged ≥65 years sampled from 27 municipalities in 10 of the 47 prefectures in Japan. To focus on the association between childhood environment and limitations in higher-level functional capacity, initially sample with disability registered in municipality were excluded, the sample was further limited to those who reported no limitations in ADL, defined as those who can walk, take a bath, and do toilet without assistance (N = 16,870).

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