Multilevel examination of the association of urbanization with inflammation in Chinese adults

Thompson, Amanda L.; Houck, Kelly M.; Adair, Linda S.; Gordon‐Larsen, Penny; Popkin, Barry M.

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.05.003

Cited by 25 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Inflammation has been implicated in a critical biological pathway through which psychosocial stress induces irregular neuroendocrine response and impairs the immune system, leading to increased risk of chronic illness (Acabchuk et al, 2017;Hänsel et al, 2010;Simons et al, 2017). As an inflammatory marker, levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) were divided into three categories: normal (<=3 mg/L), moderate elevation (>3 and <=10 mg/L) indicating chronic systemic inflammation, and acute elevation (>10 mg/L) indicating short-term infection (Pearson et al, 2003;Thompson et al, 2014a;Thompson et al, 2014b).…”

Section: Data and Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical and mental health of Chinese grandparents caring for grandchildren and great-grandparents

2019

Social Science & Medicine

137

123

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The increasing worldwide prevalence and intensity of grandparenting has attracted an attention to its health implications for caregivers against the backdrop of population aging. Thanks to prolonged life expectancy and reduced infant mortality, extended families that comprise four generations, co-residential or not, are no longer rare in China. The current study examines health consequences when Chinese grandparents provide care to not only grandchildren but also their own elderly parents or parents-in-law (i.e., great-grandparents). Drawing on data from the 2011-2013 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), mental health was captured by levels of life satisfaction and depressive symptoms, and physical health was measured by levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), hypertension, high-risk pulse rate, and diabetes. Overall grandparents who cared for grandchildren only had better mental and physical health, compared with non-caregivers. There was some evidence that the 'sandwich' grandparents who cared for both grandchildren and great-grandparents reported greater life satisfaction, fewer depressive symptoms, and reduced hypertension compared with non-caregivers. The health advantage of caregiving was most pronounced in urban grandfathers whose caregiving conformed to the norm of filial piety and who did so most likely to seek emotional reward instead of an intergenerational time-for-money exchange. In contrast, rural grandmothers were the most vulnerable group and their health disadvantage seemed to arise from caring for great-grandparents. These findings highlight the importance of rural-urban context and gender role in studying the health effects of intergenerational caregiving on Chinese grandparents.

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Section: Data and Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical and mental health of Chinese grandparents caring for grandchildren and great-grandparents

2019

Social Science & Medicine

137

123

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“…Ng et al further (2009) reported a 32% decline in occupational, household, and leisure physical activities among Chinese adults between 1991 and 2006, of which 40–57% of the variation was explained by urbanization at the community level. In addition, several studies have suggested that urbanization in China is characterized by pollution, overcrowding, problems of public and traffic safety, social isolation, and inadequate public health infrastructures (Ng et al, 2014; Thompson et al, 2014b). Therefore, urbanization may also affect AL by increasing exposure to these psychosocial and environmental stressors.…”

Section: The Chinese Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multilevel socioeconomic differentials in allostatic load among Chinese adults

2018

Health & Place

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Capitalizing on the biomarker data from the 2009 wave of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), this study examines the extent to which multilevel socioeconomic status (SES) gets "under the skin" to affect individuals' health, measured by allostatic load (AL). Multilevel analyses suggest that in the context of China's socioeconomic and health transitions, high income, prestigious but sedentary occupations, and high level of urbanization were independently associated with higher AL scores, or increased health risks of physiological dysfunction in cardiovascular, metabolic, inflammation, and urinary systems. Higher educational attainment was related to a decrease in AL, but the significant difference was only observed among the college-educated compared to lower levels of education.

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“…Other prospective studies indicate that inflammation is associated with future weight gain among middle-aged and older adults [22]. In turn, some reports, including findings from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), indicate that neighborhood characteristics such as deprivation, neighborhood problems, safety, and cohesion are important determinants of inflammation [23][24][25].…”

Section: Neighborhood Characteristics Inflammation and Obesitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological and Biological Pathways Linking Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Body Mass Index

Chirinos

Garcini

Seiler

et al. 2018

Annals of Behavioral Medicine

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Background Perceived neighborhood characteristics are linked to obesity, however, the mechanisms linking these two factors remain unknown. Purpose This study aimed to examine associations between perceived neighborhood characteristics and body mass index (BMI), establish whether indirect pathways through psychological distress and inflammation are important, and determine whether these associations vary by race/ethnicity. Methods Participants were 1,112 adults enrolled in the Texas City Stress and Health Study. Perceived neighborhood characteristics were measured using the Perceived Neighborhood Scale. Psychological distress was measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale and mental health subscale of the Short Form Health Survey-36. Markers of inflammation included C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor receptor-1. Associations were examined with Structural Equation Modeling. Results A model linking neighborhood characteristics with BMI through direct and indirect (i.e., psychological distress and inflammation) paths demonstrated good fit with the data. Less favorable perceived neighborhood characteristics were associated with greater psychological distress (B = −0.87, β = −0.31, p < .001) and inflammation (B = −0.02, β = −0.10, p = .035). Psychological distress and inflammation were also significantly associated with BMI (Bdistress = 0.06, β = 0.08, p = .006; Binflammation = 4.65, β = 0.41, p < .001). Indirect paths from neighborhood characteristics to BMI via psychological distress (B = −0.05, β = −0.03, p = .004) and inflammation (B = −0.08, β = −0.04, p = .045) were significant. In multiple group analysis, a model with parameters constrained equal across race/ethnicity showed adequate fit suggesting associations were comparable across groups. Conclusion Our study extends the literature by demonstrating the importance of neighborhood perceptions as correlates of BMI across race/ethnicity, and highlights the role of psychological and physiological pathways.

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Multilevel examination of the association of urbanization with inflammation in Chinese adults

Cited by 25 publications

References 45 publications

Physical and mental health of Chinese grandparents caring for grandchildren and great-grandparents

Physical and mental health of Chinese grandparents caring for grandchildren and great-grandparents

Multilevel socioeconomic differentials in allostatic load among Chinese adults

Psychological and Biological Pathways Linking Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Body Mass Index

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