Early-Life Circumstances, Health Behavior Profiles, and Later-Life Health in Great Britain

Abstract

Objectives: Drawing on UK Household Longitudinal Study data, this study assessed a pathway from early-life disadvantage to suboptimal later-life health via health behavior. Methods: Latent class analysis was used to identify distinct smoking, nutrition, alcohol, and physical activity health behavior profiles. Mediation analyses were performed to assess indirect effects of early-life disadvantage via health behavior on allostatic load, an objective measure of physiological wear and tear. Results: Four health behavior profiles were identified: (1) broadly healthy and high alcohol consumption, (2) low smoking and alcohol consumption, healthy nutrition, and physically inactive, (3) broadly unhealthy and low alcohol consumption, and (4) broadly moderately unhealthy and high alcohol consumption. Having grown up in a higher socioeconomic position family was associated with lower later-life allostatic load. This was partly attributable to health behavioral differences. Discussion: Growing up under disadvantageous socioeconomic circumstances may initiate a chain of risk by predisposing people to health behavior profiles associated with poorer later-life health.

Longitudinal health behaviour patterns among adults aged ≥50 years in China and their associations with trajectories of depressive symptoms

“…Wave numbers were deducted with one, so that the intercepts in the estimated models of depressive symptoms can be interpreted more intuitively. Given their known associations with health behaviours (Feng et al, 2021;Grundy & Read, 2015;Margolis, 2013;Van den Broek, 2021a;Van den Broek & Fleischmann, 2021) as well as with mental health (Chen et al, 2017;Feng et al, 2019;Grundy et al, 2019;Read et al, 2016;Van den Broek, 2021b;Zhai et al, 2015), age, gender, level of urbanization of location of residence, level of education, marital status, number of children, and co-residence with a child were moreover considered as potential confounders. Time-invariant covariates were gender (male/female), age at baseline in years (centred on the sample mean), educational attainment (at least upper secondary education/lower secondary education or lower]), level of urbanization of location of residence (urban/rural) and number of living children (0/1/2/3/≥4).Time-varying covariates were co-residence with at least one child (no/yes) and partner status (not partnered [separated, divorced, widowed, or never married]/partnered [currently married or cohabiting]).An overview of sample characteristics is provided in Table 1.…”

“…In the past two decades, researchers have begun to recognize that health behaviours do not occur in isolation; instead, they are interrelated and cluster together (Conry et al, 2011;deRuiter et al, 2014;Fine et al, 2004;Poortinga, 2007;Van den Broek, 2021a). Consequently, the number of studies focusing on multiple health behaviours has increased rapidly, and such research is considered to represent the future of preventive medicine (Prochaska, 2008).…”

The illness perception and health promotion behaviour of young and middle‐aged patients with hyperuricaemia: A qualitative study

“…Palumbo ( 2017 ) showed that the body health, self‐realization and self‐satisfaction can be enhanced through health promotion behaviours, so as to improve the healthy life quality of individuals. This was also confirmed in the study of Van den roek ( 2021 ), and early unhealthy behavioural characteristics of patients with hyperuricaemia, such as drinking behaviour, unreasonable nutritional consumption, low‐intensity physical activities can affect the health outcomes of their later years. The relationship between unhealthy lifestyles and the development of hyperuricaemia is widely recognized, and it has been shown that sedentary lifestyle, alcohol consumption and insufficient intake of green vegetables and fruits in patients with hyperuricaemia are closely associated with increasing blood uric acid (Cui et al., 2017 ; Qu et al., 2013 ).…”

Untitled

“…The preceding researchers also emphasized the need for future research undertakings on "how self-care behavior varies by age group, socio-economic status or among ethnic or cultural groups" (p. 24). Poor health status in later life can often be explained by early life circumstances involving such factors as limited access to socio-economic resources and sub-optimal health behaviors leading to detrimental lifestyle habits and practices [133]. Perry [134] provided an important caveat in relation to an over reliance on self-care, particularly in the case of older people who may inadvertently ignore serious symptoms and / or adopt inappropriate actions and behaviors that result in deleterious outcomes:…”