ArticleAnnals of human biology2016
Early childhood social disadvantage is associated with poor health behaviours in adulthood.
Article in Annals of human biology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- Austerity policy and child health in European countries: a systematic literature review.BMC public health · 2020Pooled it
- Association of childhood disadvantage with malnutrition in older ages in India.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Risk Assessment of Maladaptive Behaviors in Adolescents: Nutrition, Screen Time, Prenatal Exposure, Childhood Adversities - Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2025Article
- Practice changes and infant health risks during the 2022 infant formula shortage: Results of a US healthcare provider survey.Nutrition in clinical practice : official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition · 2025Article
- Addressing unmet social needs of children with obesity: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2024Article
- Psychosocial Disadvantage During Childhood and Midlife Health: NIMHD Social Epigenomics Program.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Does Adulthood Socioeconomic Status Predict Subsequent Telomere Length in Racially and Ethnically Diverse Women?Journal of biomedical and life sciences · 2024Article
- A prospective longitudinal approach to examine the association between social position in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood with the control of hypertension during adulthood.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Childhood environmental harshness and unpredictability negatively predict eHealth literacy through fast life-history strategy.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Neighborhood Socioeconomic Deprivation in Early Childhood Mediates Racial Disparities in Blood Pressure in a College Student Sample.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2022Article
- Multiomic biological approaches to the study of child abuse and neglect.Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior · 2021Review
- Article
- Early exposure to social disadvantages and later life body mass index beyond genetic predisposition in three generations of Finnish birth cohorts.BMC public health · 2020Article
- Optimism and Social Support Predict Healthier Adult Behaviors Despite Socially Disadvantaged Childhoods.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2020Article
- Special Report: The Biology of Inequalities in Health: The Lifepath Consortium.Frontiers in public health · 2020Article
- State-of-the-Science Review of Non-Chemical Stressors Found in a Child's Social Environment.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Review
- Early life disadvantage and adult adiposity: tests of sensitive periods during childhood and behavioural mediation in adulthood.International journal of epidemiology · 2019Article
- Economic Circumstances in Childhood and Subsequent Substance Use in Adolescence - A Latent Class Analysis: The youth@hordaland Study.Frontiers in psychology · 2019Article
- Pathways Linking Childhood SES and Adult Health Behaviors and Psychological Resources in Black and White Men.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2018Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIndividual health behaviours are considered important risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases. These behaviours may be socially patterned by early exposure to social disadvantage, but few studies have prospectively tested this hypothesis empirically.
aimThis study investigated whether childhood social disadvantage was associated with likelihood of engaging in less healthy behaviours 40 years later. SUBJECTS AND
methodsProspective data were analysed from the New England Family Study, a 2005-2007 adult follow-up of a cohort initiated in 1959-1966 (n = 565). Childhood social environment (age 7 years) was assessed using a cumulative index of socioeconomic and family stability factors. Logistic regression models evaluated associations between social disadvantage and each health-related behaviour and obesity in adulthood.
resultsRelative to low disadvantage, higher disadvantage was associated with 3.6-fold greater odds of smoking (95% CI = 1.9-7.0), 4.8-fold greater odds (in women only) of excess alcohol consumption (95% CI = 1.6-14.2) and 2.7-fold greater odds of obesity (95% CI = 1.3-5.5), but was not associated with unhealthy diet or physical inactivity.
conclusionThese findings suggest childhood social disadvantage may contribute to adult cardiometabolic disease by predisposing children to adopt certain unhealthy behaviours. If replicated, such findings may support intervention strategies that target social environmental factors and behavioural pathways that are established early in life.
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