Early-life Residence Research Articles

Lifetime Upward Economic Mobility and US-Born Latina Women's Preterm Birth Rates.

To determine whether Latina women's upward economic mobility from early-life residence in impoverished urban neighborhoods is associated with preterm birth (< 37 weeks, PTB) . Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed on the Illinois transgenerational birth-file with appended US census income information for Hispanic infants (born 1989-1991) and their mothers (born 1956-1976). In Chicago, modestly impoverished-born Latina women (n = 1,674) who experienced upward economic mobility had a PTB rate of 8.5% versus 13.1% for those (n = 3,760) with a lifelong residence in modestly impoverished neighborhoods; the unadjusted and adjusted (controlling for age, marital status, adequacy of prenatal care, and cigarette smoking) RR equaled 0.65 (0.47, 0.90) and 0.66 (0.47, 0.93), respectively. Extremely impoverished-born Latina women (n = 2,507) who experienced upward economic mobility across their life-course had a PTB rate of 12.7% versus 15.9% for those (n = 3,849) who had a lifelong residence in extremely impoverished neighborhoods, the unadjusted and adjusted RR equaled 0.8 (0.63. 1.01) and 0.95 (0.75, 1.22), respectively. Latina women's upward economic mobility from early-life residence in modestly impoverished urban neighborhoods is associated with a decreased risk of PTB. A similar trend is absent among their peers with an early-life residence in extremely impoverished areas.

EARLY-LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES AND RACIAL DISPARITIES IN COGNITION AMONG US OLDER ADULTS

Abstract There are marked racial disparities in cognitive outcomes between non-Hispanic Black (Black) and non-Hispanic White (White) older adults in the US. Existing studies concentrate on exploring mid-life to late-life risk factors, yet the early-life circumstances through which the racial gaps may arise remain under-explored. Using a wide spectrum of early-life factors assembled from the Health and Retirement Study, including demographics, SES, health, trauma, family relationships, and genetics, we investigated how racial gaps in cognitive score and cognitive impairment among older Americans were tied to racial differences in early-life circumstances. 9,015 (7,381 White, 1,634 Black) Americans aged 50 and older were included in the analysis. Using Blinder-Oaxaca-Decomposition, we showed that Black participants generally had less favorable early-life circumstances than White participants, especially in early-life residence, education level, quality and experience. We demonstrated that overall, differences in early-life circumstances explained up to 61.9% of the racial gaps in cognitive score, and 80.9% of the racial gaps in cognitive impairment between White and Black participants. Disentangling racial gaps by individual factors, we found that differences in the level and quality of education contributed the most. Years of education and school racial segregation respectively accounted for 22.7-24.8% and 26.0%-42.8% of the gaps in cognitive outcomes. Early-life educational experience and place of birth/residence additionally contributed to the disparities. However, childhood trauma, health, and genetic factors were not significant contributors. These findings suggest that exposure to less favorable early-life circumstances is associated with clinically meaningful and statistically significant racial gaps in cognition, which warrants targeted interventions.

Women's Economic Mobility and Small for Gestational Age Rates: The Effect of Paternal Early-Life Socioeconomic Position.

To determine whether paternal early-life socioeconomic position (defined by neighborhood income) modifies the association of maternal economic mobility and infant small for gestational age (weight for gestational age < 10th percentile, SGA) rates. Stratified and multilevel binomial regression analyses were executed on the Illinois transgenerational dataset of parents (born 1956-1976) and their infants (born 1989-1991) with appended U.S. census income information. Only Chicago-born women with an early-life residence in impoverished or affluent neighborhoods were studied. The incidence of impoverished-born women's upward economic mobility among births (n = 3777) with early-life low socioeconomic position (SEP) fathers was less than that of those (n = 576) with early-life high SEP fathers: 56% vs 71%, respectively, p < 0.01. The incidence of affluent-born women's downward economic mobility among births (n = 2370) with early-life low SEP fathers exceeded that of those (n = 3822) with early-life high SEP fathers: 79% vs 66%, respectively, p < 0.01. The adjusted RR of infant SGA for maternal upward (compared to lifelong impoverishment) economic mobility among fathers with early-life low and high SEP equaled 0.68 (0.56, 0.82) and 0.81 (0.47, 1.42), respectively. The adjusted RR of infant SGA for maternal downward (compared to lifelong residence in affluent neighborhoods) economic mobility among fathers with early-life low and high SEP were 1.37 (0.91, 2.05) and 1.17 (0.86, 1.59), respectively. Paternal early-life SEP is associated with maternal economic mobility (both upward and downward); however, it does not modify the relationship between maternal economic mobility and infant SGA rates.

Contextualizing Educational Disparities in Health: Variations by Race/Ethnicity, Nativity, and County-Level Characteristics.

Educational disparities in health are well documented, yet the education-health relationship is inconsistent across racial/ethnic and nativity groups. These inconsistencies may arise from characteristics of the early life environments in which individuals attain their education. We evaluate this possibility by investigating (1) whether educational disparities in cardiometabolic risk vary by race/ethnicity and nativity among Black, Hispanic, and White young adults; (2) the extent to which racial/ethnic-nativity differences in the education-health relationship are contingent on economic, policy, and social characteristics of counties of early life residence; and (3) the county characteristics associated with the best health at higher levels of education for each racial/ethnic-nativity group. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we find that Black young adults who achieve high levels of education exhibit worse health across a majority of contexts relative to their White and Hispanic counterparts. Additionally, we observe more favorable health at higher levels of education across almost all contexts for White individuals. For all other racial/ethnic-nativity groups, the relationship between education and health depends on the characteristics of the early life counties of residence. Findings highlight place-based factors that may contribute to the development of racial/ethnic and nativity differences in the education-health relationship among U.S. young adults.

Early-Life Risk Factors for Breast Cancer – Prospective Follow-up in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

While some risk factors for breast cancer have been confirmed, less is known about the role of early biological and social risk factors for breast cancer in adult life. In a prospective follow-up in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 consisting of 5308 women, 120 breast cancers were reported via national registers by the end of 2018. Early risk factors were examined with univariate and multivariate analyses using Cox regression analysis. The main results are reported with hazard ratios (HR) and their 95 % confidence intervals (CI). In the multivariate-adjusted models, women whose mothers lived in urban areas (HR 1.68; 95 % CI, 1.13-2.51) during pregnancy, were low-educated (HR 2.40; 95 % CI, 1.30-4.45) and had been diagnosed with breast cancer (HR 1.97; 95 % CI, 1.09-3.58), had a higher risk for breast cancer in adult life. Lower BMI at the age of 14 associated nonsignificantly with the risk of breast cancer (Mann-Whitney U test, P = 0.087). No association between birth size and breast cancer risk in adult life was found. Early-life residence and socioeconomical conditions may have an impact on developing breast cancer in women in adult life. All breast cancer cases of this study were relatively young and most of them are assumed to be premenopausal. This study is one of a few prospective birth cohort studies to examine early-life socioeconomic factors and breast cancer risk in adult life. This study is limited due to small number of cases.

Residing near allergenic trees can increase risk of allergies later in life: LISA Leipzig study

BackgroundWe investigated whether residing in places with higher greenness, more trees and more allergenic trees early in life increases the risk of allergic outcomes, and whether these associations differ depending on the concentration of air pollutants. MethodsThe analytic sample included 631 children from the German birth cohort LISA Leipzig. Asthma and allergic rhinitis, sensitization to aeroallergens and food allergens, as well as confounders, were collected prospectively up to 15 years. Greenness was assessed by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). A tree registry was used to derive information on trees, which were classified into allergenic and non-allergenic. Annual average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone were also used. Geographic exposures were assigned to home addresses at birth. Longitudinal associations were analysed using generalized estimating equations. ResultsMedium and high numbers (tertiles) of trees and allergenic trees in a 500 m buffer around birth addresses were associated with increased odds of allergic rhinitis up to 15 years regardless of NDVI. These exposures were also related to higher odds of sensitization to aeroallergens. Associations with asthma and sensitization to food allergens were less consistent. Effect estimates for allergic rhinitis were stronger in the high tertile of NO2 compared to the low tertile, while an opposite tendency was observed for ozone. ConclusionWe observed that early life residence in places with many trees, and allergenic trees specifically, may increase the prevalence of allergic rhinitis later in life. This association and its modification by air pollution should be pursued in further studies.

Non-Hispanic White Women's Exposure to Decreased Neighborhood Income and Small for Gestational Age Births: A Population-Based Study.

The relationship between non-Hispanic White (NHW) women's decreased neighborhood income between early-life and adulthood, individual risk-status at delivery, and small for gestational age (weight for gestation < 10th percentile, SGA) rates is unknown. To determine the extent to which NHW women's exposure to decreased neighborhood income is a risk factor for SGA births, and whether their own birth weight modifies this relationship. Stratified and multilevel logistic regression analyses were executed on the Illinois transgenerational dataset of mothers (born 1956-1976) and their infants (born 1989-1991) with appended U.S. census income information. Only NHW women with an early-life residence in top income quartile Chicago neighborhoods were studied. NHW women (n = 4889) unexposed to decreased neighborhood income between early-life and adulthood had an SGA rate of 7.1%. In contrast, NHW women exposed to slightly (n = 5112), modestly (n = 2158), or severely (n = 339) decreased neighborhood income by the time of delivery had SGA rates of 8.2%, 10.8%, and 10.8%, respectively; RR (95% CI) equaled 1.2 (1.0-1.3), 1.5 (1.3-1.8) and 1.5 (1.1-2.1), respectively. The relationship between maternal exposure to modestly decreased neighborhood income and SGA rates was present only among former non-low birth weight (> 2500g, non-LBW) mothers. In multilevel logistic regression models, the adjusted (controlling for age, parity, prenatal care usage, and cigarette smoking) OR of SGA birth for former low birth weight (< 2500g, LBW) and non-LBW NHW women exposed to modestly (compared to no) decreased neighborhood income equaled 0.7 (0.4, 1.4) and 1.3 (1.1-1.6), respectively. NHW women's exposure to modestly decreased neighborhood income is associated with an increased risk of SGA birth; this phenomenon is absent among former low birth weight women.

Relationship of Early-Life Residence and Educational Experience to Level and Change in Cognitive Functioning: Results of the Minority Aging Research Study.

Investigate associations of early-life residence and school segregation with cognitive change in the Minority Aging Research Study. Four hundred ninety-eight blacks (age ~ 73.5; 75% = women) without dementia at baseline self-reported State of birth, residence at age 12, and school segregation status. Census Bureau definitions of South and Northeast/Midwest were used to categorize early-life residence. We evaluated global cognition and five cognitive domains at baseline and annually for ~7.5 years. Linear mixed effects models examined the associations of region of birth and residence at age 12 with baseline level and longitudinal change in cognition. Additional models examined school segregation experience. ~65% of Southern-born participants still lived in the South at age 12. Southern birth was associated with lower baseline global cognition and all cognitive domains (p-values ≤ .02) compared to Northern birth, but not cognitive change. A similar profile was seen for Southern residence at age 12. Segregation experience significantly modified associations of residence at age 12 on levels of cognition. Participants residing in the South attending a legally desegregated school demonstrated lower baseline levels of cognition (global, semantic, and working memory) than their Northeast/Midwest counterparts attending a legally desegregated or segregated school as well as their Southern counterparts attending a legally segregated school. This profile for participants attending a desegregated school in the South held for processing speed and visuospatial ability in comparisons to Northeast/Midwest counterparts, particularly those attending a legally desegregated school. Baseline cognition was poorer in individuals born and residing in the South, particularly those attending desegregated schools at age 12.

Affluent-Born White Mother's Descending Neighborhood Income and Infant Mortality: A Population-Based Study.

Objectives To determine whether affluent-born White mother's descending neighborhood income is associated with infant mortality rates (< 365day, IMR). Methods Stratified and multilevel logistic regression analyses were completed on the Illinois transgenerational dataset of singleton births (1989-1991) to non-Latina White mothers (1956-1976) with an early-life residence in affluent neighborhoods (defined as the fourth quartile of income distribution). The breadth of descending neighborhood income was defined by mother's neighborhood income at the time of delivery. Results Infants of White mothers (n = 4890) who did not suffer descending neighborhood income by the time of delivery had a first-year mortality rate of 5.1/1,000. Infants of White mothers who experienced minor (n = 5112), modest (n = 2158), or extreme (n = 339) descending neighborhood income had IMR of 6.5/1,000, 14.4/1,000, and 11.8/1,000, respectively; RR [95% CI] = 1.3 [0.8, 2.1], 2.8 [1.7, 4.8], and 2.3 [0.8, 6.6], respectively. The incidence of young maternal age, inadequate prenatal care utilization, and cigarette smoking rose as descending neighborhood income increased, p < 0.01. In multilevel logistic regression models, the adjusted (controlling for selected individual-level co-variates) OR [95% CI] of infant mortality for White women with an early-life residence in affluent neighborhoods who subsequently experienced minor or modest to extreme (versus absent) descending neighborhood income equaled 1.0 [0.6, 1.8] and 2.1 [1.1, 3.8] respectively. Conclusions White mother's modest to extreme descending neighborhood income from early-life residence in affluent neighborhoods is associated with a twofold greater risk of infant mortality independent of selected biologic, medical, and behavioral characteristics.

African-American women's Upward Economic Mobility and Small for Gestational Age Births: A Population-Based Study.

Background The relationship between African-American women's upward economic mobility and small for gestational age (weight for gestational < 10th percentile, SGA) rates is incompletely understood. Objective To ascertain the extent to which African-American women's upward economic mobility from early-life impoverishment is coupled with reduced SGA rates. Methods Stratified and multilevel logistic regression analyses were completed on the Illinois transgenerational dataset of African-American infants (1989-1991) and their Chicago-born mothers (1956-1976) with linked U.S. census income information. Results Impoverished-born (defined as lowest quartile of neighborhood income distribution) African-American women (n = 4891) who remained impoverished by the time of delivery had a SGA rate of 19.7%. Individuals who achieved low (n = 5827), modest (n = 2254), or high (n = 732) upward economic mobility by adulthood had lower SGA rates of 17.2, 14.8, and 13.7%, respectively; RR = 0.9 (0.8-0.9), 0.8 (0.7-0.8), and 0.7 (0.6-0.8), respectively. In adjusted (controlling for traditional individual-level risk factors) multilevel regression models, there was a decreasing linear trend in SGA rates with increasing levels of upward economic mobility; the adjusted RR of SGA birth for impoverished-born African-American women who experienced low, modest, of high (compared to no) upward mobility equaled 0.95 (0.91, 0.99), 0.90 (0.83, 0.98), and 0.86 (0.75, 0.98), respectively, p < 0.05. Conclusions African-American women's upward economic mobility from early-life residence in poor urban communities is associated with lower SGA rates independent of adulthood risk status.

Early Life Residence, Fish Consumption, and Risk of Breast Cancer.

Background: Little is known about fish intake throughout the life course and the risk of breast cancer.Methods: We used data on the first residence of 9,340 women born 1908 to 1935 in the Reykjavik Study as well as food frequency data for different periods of life from a subgroup of the cohort entering the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility (AGES)-Reykjavik Study (n = 2,882).Results: During a mean follow-up of 27.3 years, 744 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the Reykjavik Study. An inverse association of breast cancer was observed among women who lived through the puberty period in coastal villages, compared with women residing in the capital area [HR, 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.61-0.99]. In the subgroup analysis of this Icelandic population, generally characterized by high fish intake, we found an indication of lower risk of breast cancer among women with high fish consumption (more than 4 portions per week) in adolescence (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.44-1.13) and midlife (HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.22-0.97), compared with low consumers (2 portions per week or less). No association was found for fish liver oil consumption in any time period, which could be due to lack of a reference group with low omega-3 fatty acids intake in the study group.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that very high fish consumption in early to midlife may be associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer.Impact: Very high fish consumption in early adulthood to midlife may be associated with decreased risk of breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(3); 346-54. ©2016 AACR.

Abstract P3-09-02: Early life residence, fish consumption and risk of breast cancer

Abstract Introduction: Few studies exist on the effect of diet during different periods of life, on breast cancer risk later in life. Great differences existed in food consumption between the capital and rural areas in Iceland in the middle of the 20th century, with very high fish consumption in coastal areas. Objectives: Our aim was to explore the effect of diet and residence during early life and midlife on breast cancer risk later in life. Methods and data: We used data from the Reykjavik Study, a population-based Icelandic cohort of 10049 women born between 1907 and 1935, and examined the association of residence in early life, used as a proxy for dietary habits, and risk of breast cancer. To further explore this association, we also used food frequency data at different periods of life, including adolescence, from the AGES-Reykjavik cohort, a subgroup of the Reykjavik Study, established in 2002. Participants provided information on residence in early life. By linkage with the Icelandic Cancer Registry, information on breast cancer diagnoses was available throughout 2013. Adjustments were made for a series of potential confounders, including residence for dietary analysis. Results: During a mean follow-up of 27.3 years, 744 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. We found a significant inverse association for breast cancer diagnosis among women who lived though the puberty period (20 years or more) in coastal villages compared with women residing in the capital area (HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.94). In the subgroup analysis, we found that women with high fish consumption in midlife had lower risk of breast cancer in older age, compared with women with lower consumption, (OR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.38, 0,94). However, we did not observe a statistically significant association between high fish intake in adolescence and breast cancer (OR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.62 - 1.13). Conclusions: Our results suggest that high fish consumption in early- to midlife may be associated with reduced risk of breast cancer. Citation Format: Haraldsdottir A, Torfadottir JE, Valdimarsdottir UA, Aspelund T, Tryggvadottir L, Launer LJ, Harris TB, Gudnason V, Steingrimsdottir L. Early life residence, fish consumption and risk of breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-09-02.

Downward economic mobility and preterm birth: an exploratory study of Chicago-born upper class White mothers.

A paucity of published data exists on the factors underlying the relatively poor birth outcome of non-Hispanic White women in the United States. To determine whether downward economic mobility is a risk factor for preterm birth (<37 weeks, PTB) among upper class-born White women. Stratified and multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed on an Illinois transgenerational dataset of non-Hispanic White infants (1989-1991) and their women (1956-1976) with appended US census income information. The study sample was restricted to singleton births of Chicago-born upper-class (defined by early-life residence in affluent neighborhoods) non-Hispanic White women. Upper class-born White women (n = 4,891) who did not experience downward economic mobility by the time of delivery had a PTB rate of 5.4 %. Those women who experienced slight (n = 5,112), moderate (n = 2,158), or extreme (n = 339) downward economic mobility had PTB rates of 6.5, 8.5, and 10.1 %, respectively; RR (95 % CI) = 1.2 (1.0-4.0), 1.6 (1.3-1.9), and 1.9 (1.3-2.6), respectively. Maternal downward economic mobility was also associated with an increased prevalence of biologic, medical, and behavioral risk factors. Interestingly, the relationship between moderate to extreme downward mobility and preterm birth was stronger among former low birth weight (<2500 g, LBW) than non-LBW women: 2.8 (1.4-5.8) versus 1.6 (1.3-1.9), respectively. In multilevel logistic regression models, the adjusted odds ratio of preterm birth for former LBW and non-LBW women who experienced any downward mobility (compared to those women with lifelong upper class status) equaled 2.4 (1.1-5.3) and 1.1 (1.0-1.1), respectively. Downward economic mobility is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth among upper class-born White urban women; this phenomenon is strongest among former low birth weight women.

Home dampness, childhood asthma, hay fever, and airway symptoms in Shanghai, China: associations, dose-response relationships, and lifestyle's influences

Numerous studies of associations between dampness and respiratory diseases have been conducted, but their implications remain inconclusive. In this study of 13,335 parent-reported questionnaires (response rate: 85.3%), we analyzed associations between home dampness and asthma and related symptoms in 4- to 6-year-old children in a cross-sectional study of Shanghai. Indicators of home dampness were strongly and significantly associated with dry cough, wheeze, and rhinitis symptoms. In the current residence, children with visible mold spots (VMS) exposure had 32% higher risk of asthma (adjusted OR, 95% CI: 1.32, 1.07-1.64); damp clothing and/or bedding (frequently) was strongly associated with dry cough (1.78, 1.37-2.30); condensation on windows was strongly associated with hay fever (1.60, 1.27-2.01). In the early-life residence, VMS or damp stains (frequently) were strongly associated with dry cough (2.20, 1.55-3.11) and rhinitis ever (1.57, 1.11-2.21). Associations between dampness and diseases among children with or without family history of atopy were similar. The total number of dampness indicators had strong dose-response relationships with investigated health outcomes. Actions, including opening windows of the child's room at night and cleaning the child's room frequently, could potentially mitigate 25% of home VMS, thereby preventing more than 1.5% of attributable risk of the studied symptoms.