Adverse Childhood Experiences among a Community of Resilient Centenarians and Seniors: Implications for a Chronic Disease Prevention Framework

Abstract

Context: Research has linked adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with chronic disease in adults and diminished life span. Adverse biological embedding of ACEs potentially occurs through inflammatory mechanisms; inflammatory marker alterations are identified as candidate biomarkers for mediating health consequences. Lifestyle practices of residents of California's Loma Linda Blue Zone, one of five worldwide longevity hotspots, may provide insight into inflammation remediation and chronic disease prevention. Little research has been done on centenarians' early-life experiences or on ACEs in a longevity community.Objective: To interview centenarians and seniors in this region regarding their childhood experiences to inform chronic disease prevention frameworks.Design: Qualitative study of Loma Linda Blue Zone community members. Childhood exposures and practices were assessed using focus groups and semistructured key informant interviews, with open-ended questions on general hardships and ACEs and supplemented with lifestyle and resiliency factor questions. Data were audiorecorded and transcribed. Integrative grounded theory methods guided coding and theming.Main Outcome Measures: Exposure to ACEs and practice of resiliency factors. Results: Participants (7 centenarians and 29 seniors) reported exposure to multiple ACEs (domains: Economic deprivation, family dysfunction, and community violence). Community members reported practicing resiliency factors, each with anti-inflammatory properties suggesting mitigation of ACE-related toxic stress.Conclusion: This is one of the first studies of its kind to identify a community of resilient members despite their tremendous burden of ACEs. Embedding the identified resiliency factors into chronic disease prevention frameworks has potential for mitigating systemic inflammation, alleviating chronic disease burden, and promoting a culture of health.

Blue Zones: Centenarian Modes of Physical Activity: A Scoping Review

“…Specific activities that were reported include daily walks for 2-3 hours to school or around the community, dusk-to-dawn activities, farming, outdoor activities, horseback riding, and gardening. "Sabbath afternoon" involved one weekly day of "rest" where participants would engage in enjoyable lower intensity activities in contrast with their more labouring weekly activities (Spencer-Hwang et al, 2018). The following is an illustration expressing PA established early in life and had 100% agreement of the following statement that reported that.…”

“…General study characteristics were extracted to provide a synthesized understanding of periods of publication, countries of publication, study designs and populations studied (Table 3). Analysis of these themes was drawn from the increased number of studies in certain categories, with a significant portion of studies conducted in the last five years (Fastame et al, 2018;Legrand et al, 2019Legrand et al, , 2021Madrigal-Leer et al, 2020;Nieddu et al, 2020;Pes et al, 2018Pes et al, , 2020Pes et al, , 2021Spencer-Hwang et al, 2018) and being primarily of a cross sectional design and published in the United States (Chan et al, 1997;Legrand et al, 2019;Panagiotokos et al, 2011;Pes et al, 2018Pes et al, , 2020Spencer-Hwang et al, 2018;Willcox et al, 2007bWillcox et al, , 2008 with cross-sectional study designs (11 out of 18, level IV evidence) utilizing questionnaires were the most common research tool (Akisaka et al, 1996;Chan et al, 1997;Deiana et al, 1999;Fastame et al, 2018;Legrand et al, 2019;Legrand et al, 2021;Madrigal-Leer et al, 2020;Nieddu et al, 2020;Panagiotakos et al, 2011;Pes et al, 2013Pes et al, , 2018. Populations that were investigated most commonly were Okinawan resident centenarians (Akisaka et al, 1996;Chan et al, 1997;Willcox et al, (2007a)) and centenarian residents of municipalities in Sardinia (Deiana et al, 1999;Pes et al, 2013;Poulain et al, 2004).…”

“…Pertaining to the analysis of specific activity frequencies engaged in by participants, there was a high heterogeneity in values limiting overall population comparison. However, data was summarized from six quantitative (Fastame et al, 2018;Legrand et al, 2021;Madrigal-Leer et al, 2020;Pes et al, 2013Pes et al, , 2018Pes et al, , 2020 and two qualitative studies (Spencer-Hwang et al, 2018;Willcox et al, 2007b). In relation to agricultural activities, the majority of oldest old Sardinians reported gardening 1-4 days per week, with 1.7-2.3 hours on average allocated for outdoor hobbies per week (Fastame et al, 2018), while centenarians working as shepherds would walk a mean distance of 12.4 km to and from work and on an average slope of 15.2% daily (Pes et al, 2013).…”

“…The following is an illustration expressing PA established early in life and had 100% agreement of the following statement that reported that. "Going to school consisted of walking 2 miles… We spent a lot of time in nature, and [we would go] up in the mountains and swim in the lake… There was always a place to go outside" (Spencer-Hwang et al, 2018).…”

Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience and Mental Health in a Hispanic Community

“…We focus on resilience as an internal resource because it may differentiate between the success of individuals facing similarly challenging external circumstances in an under-resourced Hispanic community. Resilient coping processes serve as a protective strategy following adverse events and are associated with positive development under stress (Forbes et al, 2018 ; Spencer-Hwang et al, 2018 ; Ungar & Liebenberg, 2011 ). These internal characteristics are changeable and previous research suggests they can be cultivated (Martel et al, 2007 ; Nurius et al, 2020a , b ).…”