Researchers find permanent health scars after average growth

Researchers find permanent health scars after average growth

Growing up poor can leave a lasting biological imprint and increase the likelihood of frailty decades later - from nearly 80,000 adults in 29 countries underscoring the lifelong toll of early deprivation.

In a recent article published in the JournalScientific reportsGindo Tampubolon, a researcher at the University of Manchester, UK, examined whether people who experienced poverty during childhood were more likely to develop signs of frailty in old age.

The results of the analysis showed that childhood poverty was significantly associated with increased odds of frailty later in life, with women showing higher odds of frailty overall. Other frailty factors, including childhood illnesses, wealth and education, demonstrated the long-term impact of early life deprivation on health.

background

Child poverty is known to increase the risk of health problems later in life, such as disability, poor mental and cognitive function and physical decline. Previous research has found that adults who grew up poor in 29 high-income countries have poorer muscle strength, mood and memory.

The researchers view these results as evidence for the “long arm of childhood illnesses” concept, suggesting that early life can have lasting effects throughout life.

However, less is known about whether it also contributes to frailty, an age-related condition that involves contraction across multiple organ systems and leads to poorer clinical outcomes and higher healthcare costs.

About the study

In this study, the author tested whether childhood poverty predicts frailty among older adults, even after controlling for later life factors such as education, marital status, and adult health.

Using data from three large-scale aging studies representing nearly 80,000 older adults from the United States, England and Europe, the study examined whether poor material conditions in childhood still influence frailty in people aged 50. The research also considers the role of social determinants of health across the life course and examines whether the effects differ by gender or country.

The study used the frailty phenotype approach developed by Fried and colleagues. This approach defines frailty as meeting at least three of five indicators: fatigue, unintentional weight loss, weakness, low energy, and slowness. To ensure comparability, this binary outcome (frail vs. non-frail) was applied consistently across the three datasets, although slowness was measured in the US and England but self-reported mobility problems were measured in Europe.

Childhood poverty was assessed using retrospective self-reports from participants aged 50 to 95 years (mean age 66). Due to the possibility of recall bias, particularly among older participants, the study used a latent class approach to reduce recall bias and measurement error, thereby creating a more reliable measure of childhood poverty.

Data from the UK and European surveys included indicators such as number of rooms, indoor access and heating. The American survey used more financially oriented indicators, e.g. B. due to financial difficulties. Despite the differences across regions, these variables were harmonized using established methods from previous studies.

A fixed effects probit model, including country fixed effects to account for differences in health systems, was used to estimate the association between childhood poverty and frailty, adjusting for confounding variables across the life course (e.g., parental occupation, juvenile illness, current age, sex, education, wealth, and marital status).

Results

The study analyzed data from the United States, England and 27 European countries, focusing on those who completed retrospective interviews. The analytical sample included 57% women, the average age was 66.3 years and 25.6% in Europe, 6% in the USA and 18.6% in England had experienced childhood poverty.

A fixed-effects probit model found that childhood poverty significantly increased the odds of frailty in old age. Women were more likely to be frail overall, while higher education and wealth were protective factors. Illness in youth and having a father in a manual occupation were also associated with increased weakness.

Country-specific charts (including the US and England) showed that childhood poverty was consistently increased between ages 70 and 90, with significant regional differences across Europe and an overall frail prevalence of 1.7% in the US, 4.3% in England and 13.4% in Europe in Europe overall. Sensitivity analyzes using random effects and sexual models confirmed the robustness of these results.

Overall, childhood poverty emerged as a strong, persistent determinant of later life frailty across diverse health systems in high-income countries.

Probabilities of childhood frailty among the poor (DASH) and infirmity (sound) among older people aged 70 to 90 years in the United States, England, and Europe based on models in the table3where all covariates are set to the sample averages. Analysis of HRS, Elsa and Share.

Conclusions

This study provides the first comprehensive lead evidence from 29 high-income countries linking frailty in old age to childhood poverty. Despite differences in health systems and welfare support, the association holds strong across nations.

These results suggest that childhood poverty may have long-term biological effects, possibly through epigenetic changes (including accelerated epigenetic aging observed in previous US research) as a hypothesized mechanism and predisposing individuals to frailty. While some previous studies showed weaker associations, variations in methodology and social systems (e.g. Sweden's welfare model) may explain differences.

Strengths of the study include the broad international scope and use of latent constructs to reduce bias in retrospective data. However, its observational nature limits causal inference, and survivorship and selection bias remain concerns.

Future research should examine low- and middle-income countries where childhood poverty is more prevalent and aligned with the goals of the UN Decade of Healthy Aging. Addressing childhood poverty is essential to improving health outcomes across the life course.

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