Impact of Childhood Vaccination on Human Capital Formation in Later Life: Evidence from Indonesia

Social support in later life: Examining the roles of childhood and adulthood cognition

BackgroundPoorer cognitive ability in youth is a risk factor for later mental health problems but it is largely unknown whether cognitive ability, in youth or in later life, is predictive of mental wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether cognitive ability at age 11 years, cognitive ability in later life, or lifetime cognitive change are associated with mental wellbeing in older people.MethodsWe used data on 8191 men and women aged 50 to 87 years from four cohorts in the HALCyon collaborative research programme into healthy ageing: the Aberdeen Birth Cohort 1936, the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921, the National Child Development Survey, and the MRC National Survey for Health and Development. We used linear regression to examine associations between cognitive ability at age 11, cognitive ability in later life, and lifetime change in cognitive ability and mean score on the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and meta-analysis to obtain an overall estimate of the effect of each.ResultsPeople whose cognitive ability at age 11 was a standard deviation above the mean scored 0.53 points higher on the mental wellbeing scale (95% confidence interval 0.36, 0.71). The equivalent value for cognitive ability in later life was 0.89 points (0.72, 1.07). A standard deviation improvement in cognitive ability in later life relative to childhood ability was associated with 0.66 points (0.39, 0.93) advantage in wellbeing score. These effect sizes equate to around 0.1 of a standard deviation in mental wellbeing score. Adjustment for potential confounding and mediating variables, primarily the personality trait neuroticism, substantially attenuated these associations.ConclusionAssociations between cognitive ability in childhood or lifetime cognitive change and mental wellbeing in older people are slight and may be confounded by personality trait differences.

Childhood socioeconomic position and cognitive aging in Europe: The role of depressive symptoms and loneliness.

Stunting is associated with adverse outcomes in adulthood. This article specifically aims to analyse the relationship between childhood stunting and education as well as cognitive outcomes for adults in Indonesia. Pooled data from wave one (1) and two (2) of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS) in 1993 and 1997 identified a sub-sample of 4,379 children aged 0-5 by their height-for-age (HAZ) to be compared for their differences in educational outcomes and cognitive abilities in 2014. HAZ was used to proxy relative height to determine stunting status based on 2006 WHO child's growth standards. Education and cognitive abilities outcomes include years of schooling, age of school entry, grade repetition, and scores for cognitive and math tests. The study employs estimation models of pooled regressions and instrumental variable (IV) to address problems of endogeneity and bias from omitted variables. Stunting and relatively small stature had significant associations with cognitive development, and they worked as intermediaries to cognitive developmental barriers as manifested in reduced educational outcomes. A lack of one SD in HAZ was associated with 0.6 years shortened length of the school, 3% higher chances of dropouts from secondary school, and 0.10-0.23 SD lowered cognitive and numerical scores. Similarly, stunting is associated with decrease cognitive test scores by 0.56-0.8 SD compared to non-stunting, two years less schooling, and 0.4 years of delayed entry to school. As for cognitive abilities, stunting is associated with lower cognitive and numerical abilities by 0.38-0.82 z-scores. Growth retardation during childhood in Indonesia was associated with lower cognitive abilities, particularly during school age, and this correlation faded as individuals grew up. Subsequently, growth retardation is significantly linked to lower educational outcomes. Impaired growth has implications for reduced lifetime earnings potential mediated by diminished cognitive capacity and lower educational attainment. The finding suggests that development in Indonesia during recent decades has not provided an adequate environment to enable children to achieve their potential educational outcomes.

Working life job strain status and cognitive aging in Europe: A 12-year follow-up study

ObjectivesTo examine the association between intellectual engagement and cognitive ability in later life, and determine whether the maintenance of intellectual engagement will offset age related cognitive decline.DesignLongitudinal, prospective, observational study.SettingNon-clinical...

Early socioeconomic status, social mobility and cognitive trajectories in later life: A life course perspective

Cognitive decline is considered one of the most feared changes that occur as people age (Lustig et al., 2009; Morley, 2004). It affects elders’ quality of life and can limit their participation in social interactions, in the labor market, and their independence in general (Salthouse, 2004). Although a decline in some cognitive aspects is considered a robust phenomenon of aging (Craik & Salthouse, 2011), large variance implies that in some cases cognitive abilities are preserved. In this study we test the possibility that adapting to the changing circumstances of aging and deriving new meaning in this stage of life may be one of the factors predicting preserved cognitive abilities. In two experiments we tested the influence of meaningful aging on cognitive abilities in later life. Meaning in life levels (high, mild, low) were assessed for ninety-five older adults (67–85) who had already retired. Cognitive abilities were assessed by a Flanker task (Erikson & Erikson, 1999) considered to measure inhibition and by a lexical decision task considered to measure vocabulary. Experiment 1 demonstrated that participants who engaged in meaningful activities (either high or mild) showed superior performance compared to the performance of participants reporting low meaning in life. In Experiment 2 we compared the performance of participants who reported high meaning in life to the performance of young adults (20–28). Older adults’ performance was preserved in both cognitive tasks. The findings presented here imply that a meaningful aging may be an important factor in preserving cognitive abilities in later life.

The long-term effect of intra-European migration on cognitive abilities in later life.

BackgroundChild stunting is prevalent in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), but an information gap remains regarding its current prevalence, correlates, and the impact of vaccination against this condition in Afghanistan. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of moderate and severe stunting and the potential impact of basic and full vaccination among children under five in Afghanistan.MethodsThis is a secondary analysis of the 2022-23 Afghanistan Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS) including 32,989 children under 5. Descriptive statistics were employed to describe the distribution of independent variables and the prevalence of stunting across them. Chi-square analysis was used to examine the association between each independent variable with stunting. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the risk of stunting across different independent variables.ResultsA total of 32,989 children under 5 years old were included in this study. Of those 44.7% were stunted with 21.74% being severely stunted. Children aged 24–35 and 36–47 months faced the highest risk as compared to those aged 1–5 months. The prevalence was lower in female children and they were less likely to experience severe stunting. Stunting was more prevalent in rural areas, with children there 1.16 to 1.23 times more likely to be affected than urban counterparts. Lower wealth correlated with higher stunting. Younger maternal age at birth (≤ 18) correlated with increased stunting risks, particularly in severe cases. Parental education was inversely related to stunting; higher education levels in parents, especially fathers, were associated with lower stunting rates. Households with more than seven children showed a 25% and 44% higher risk of moderate and severe stunting, respectively, compared to families with 1–4 children. Improved sanitation, but not drinking water sources, was linked to reduced stunting in the adjusted model. Vaccination had a protective effect; in the adjusted analysis, basic and full vaccinations significantly lowered the risk of severe stunting by 46% and 41%, respectively.ConclusionIn this nationally representative study, the prevalence of stunting was substantial (44.7%) in Afghan children. Additionally, the findings emphasize the critical factors associated with child stunting and underscore the protective role of vaccination against this condition, which provides policymakers with directions for policy efforts and intervention strategies to reduce child stunting in Afghanistan.

Background : In Indonesia the prevalence of under nutrition in children under five in 2013 was estimated to be 12.2%. It is estimated that there are still 4.5 million children underfive with under or poor nutrition have not been detected. Poor nutrition in children under five may have serious impact on their health outcome and cognitive ability in later life. This study aimed to investigate the effects of psychological and socio-economic exposure during gestational period and geographical area on the risk of under nutrition in children under five. Subjects and method : This was an analytical observational using case-control design. This study was conducted in Klaten, Central Java, from 8 September to 2 December 2016. A total of 150 subjects consisting of 57 children under five with birth weight <2.500 gram and 93 children under five with birth weight ≥ 2.500 gram, were selected by fixed exposure sampling. The dependent variable was weight for age. The independent variable includedmaternal education, family income, number of children, middle upper arm circumference (MUAC), maternal gestational stress, slow fetal growth for gestasional age, low birth weight, nutritional intake, geographic area. The data were collected by a set of questionnaire, 24 hours food recall, and medical record. The data were analyzed using path analysis. Results : Nutritional intake that is lower than recommended allowance (b=3.14; 95%CI=1.09 to 5.20; p=0.003) and history of birth weight <2.500 gram (b=1.70; 95%CI=0.71 to 2.70; p=0.001) increased the risk of under nutrition in children under five. Slow fetal growth for gestational age, maternal gestational stress, family income < Rp 2,000,000, and middle upper arm circumference (MUAC), had indirect significant effect on the risk of under nutrition in children under five. Conclusion : Nutritional intake lower than recommended allowance and birth weight <2.500 gram increased the risk of under nutrition in children under five. Keywords : gestational period, psychological and socio-economic exposure, under nutrition, children under five. Correspondence: Yespy Anna Wahyu Nurindahsari. School of Health Sciences Guna Bangsa, Yogyakarta. Journal of Maternal and Child Health (2016), 1(2): 83-92 https://doi.org/10.26911/thejmch.2016.01.02.03

Social and economic conditions in childhood have been found to predict cognitive ability in midlife and old age in high-income countries. This study examines the long-term effect of childhood conditions on cognition among a nationally representative sample of older adults in a low- and middle-income country. Data were obtained from the 2014 to 2015 Indonesia Family Life Survey Wave 5 (6676 respondents, aged 50 years and older). Cognitive function was assessed based on total score on a series of tests adapted from the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Retrospective information was collected on childhood poverty, with questions including whether respondents ever experienced hunger before age 15, whether basic facilities were available, and the number of books in the childhood home. We used linear regression to examine the association between childhood conditions and cognitive function in later life. The findings show that the numbers of facilities and books available in childhood homes are substantially associated with cognition in later life after taking adulthood characteristics into account. Childhood hunger has no significant association with cognitive ability in later life. Belonging to an older birth cohort and living in a rural area were shown to have negative associations with cognitive ability in Indonesia. Our findings suggest that childhood poverty, birth cohort, and living in a rural area may contribute to cognitive aging in Indonesia. Policies and interventions that target childhood poverty in developing countries may also recognize the rural-urban divide in access to educational and other socioeconomic resources.

Brain tissue deterioration is a significant contributor to lower cognitive ability in later life; however, few studies have appropriate data to establish how much influence prior brain volume and prior cognitive performance have on this association. We investigated the associations between structural brain imaging biomarkers, including an estimate of maximal brain volume, and detailed measures of cognitive ability at age 73 years in a large (N = 620), generally healthy, community-dwelling population. Cognitive ability data were available from age 11 years. We found positive associations (r) between general cognitive ability and estimated brain volume in youth (male, 0.28; females, 0.12), and in measured brain volume in later life (males, 0.27; females, 0.26). Our findings show that cognitive ability in youth is a strong predictor of estimated prior and measured current brain volume in old age but that these effects were the same for both white and gray matter. As 1 of the largest studies of associations between brain volume and cognitive ability with normal aging, this work contributes to the wider understanding of how some early-life factors influence cognitive aging.

Background and ObjectivesTo investigate chronic inflammation in relation to cognitive aging by comparison of an epigenetic and serum biomarker of C-reactive protein and their associations with neuroimaging and cognitive outcomes.MethodsAt baseline, participants (n = 521) were cognitively normal, around 73 years of age (mean 72.4, SD 0.716), and had inflammation, vascular risk (cardiovascular disease history, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index), and neuroimaging (structural and diffusion MRI) data available. Baseline inflammatory status was quantified by a traditional measure of peripheral inflammation—serum C-reactive protein (CRP)—and an epigenetic measure (DNA methylation [DNAm] signature of CRP). Linear models were used to examine the inflammation–brain health associations; mediation analyses were performed to interrogate the relationship between chronic inflammation, brain structure, and cognitive functioning.ResultsWe demonstrate that DNAm CRP shows significantly (on average 6.4-fold) stronger associations with brain health outcomes than serum CRP. DNAm CRP is associated with total brain volume (β = −0.197, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.28 to −0.12, pFDR = 8.42 × 10−6), gray matter volume (β = −0.200, 95% CI −0.28 to −0.12, pFDR = 1.66 × 10−5), and white matter volume (β = −0.150, 95% CI −0.23 to −0.07, pFDR = 0.001) and regional brain atrophy. We also find that DNAm CRP has an inverse association with global and domain-specific (speed, visuospatial, and memory) cognitive functioning and that brain structure partially mediates this CRP–cognitive association (up to 29.7%), dependent on lifestyle and health factors.DiscussionThese results support the hypothesis that chronic inflammation may contribute to neurodegenerative brain changes that underlie differences in cognitive ability in later life and highlight the potential of DNAm proxies for indexing chronic inflammatory status.Classification of EvidenceThis study provides Class II evidence that a DNAm signature of CRP levels is more strongly associated with brain health outcomes than serum CRP levels.

Background Indonesian children under the age of five are at risk of becoming stunted or severely stunted. Despite efforts to reduce stunting through improved nutrition, the condition persists, leading to long-term consequences such as impaired cognition and increased risk of chronic diseases. Objective To explore maternal factors and childbirth history for stunting and severe stunting in children aged 6-59 months in Indonesia. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from the 2014-2015 Indonesia Family Life Survey 5 (IFLS-5) to compare birth history (gender, gestational age, birth weight, birth order) and maternal factors (age at childbirth, employment, marital status, education, iron supplementation, antenatal care, height, smoking, pregnancy complications, exclusive breastfeeding, and duration) between stunting and non-stunting children. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were applied on data related to maternal factors and childbirth history from 2,701 children aged 6-59 months. Results We found a significant risk of stunting in children aged 12–23 months (P=0.002) and 48–60 months (P=0.031), maternal age at birth ≤20 years (P=0.025), maternal short stature (P&lt;0.001), breastfeeding duration of 12–23 months (P&lt;0.001) and &gt;24 months (P&lt;0.001), low birth weight (P=0.003), and being the second born or later (P=0.044). Meanwhile, a high maternal educational level (P=0.008) and sufficient iron supplementation during pregnancy (P=0.013) were associated with a reduced incidence of stunting or severe stunting. Conclusion Maternal factors and birth history have a significant impact on the occurrence of stunting and severe stunting in Indonesian children. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing maternal and early-life factors to reduce the prevalence of stunting and severe stunting in Indonesia.