TY - JOUR
T1 - Educational attainment in young adulthood and self-rated health in midlife - Does allostatic load mediate the association?
AU - Hansen, Åse Marie
AU - Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten
AU - Bruunsgaard, Helle
AU - Jensen, Marie Aarrebo
AU - Molbo, Drude
AU - Lund, Rikke
AU - Garde, Anne Helene
N1 - Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - This study aimed to examine the extent to which allostatic load (AL), measured in midlife, mediates the association between educational attainment in young adulthood and self-rated health (SRH) in midlife among women and men. The study used data from the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank (CAMB; n = 5467 participants, aged 48-62 years, 31.5% women). Educational attainment was assessed as years of education. SRH was assessed with one item: 'In general, how would you say your health is?' with response options from "excellent" to "poor". AL mediated 31.7% and 19.7% of the association between educational attainment and SRH in women and men, respectively. We observed that higher educational attainment was associated with better SRH and lower AL in both women and men. Our study showed that AL partly mediates the association between educational attainment in young adulthood and SRH in adulthood among both men and women. This study indicates that educational attainment in young adulthood affects health throughout life. Such knowledge of a potential mediator may be important in breaking the social heritage.
AB - This study aimed to examine the extent to which allostatic load (AL), measured in midlife, mediates the association between educational attainment in young adulthood and self-rated health (SRH) in midlife among women and men. The study used data from the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank (CAMB; n = 5467 participants, aged 48-62 years, 31.5% women). Educational attainment was assessed as years of education. SRH was assessed with one item: 'In general, how would you say your health is?' with response options from "excellent" to "poor". AL mediated 31.7% and 19.7% of the association between educational attainment and SRH in women and men, respectively. We observed that higher educational attainment was associated with better SRH and lower AL in both women and men. Our study showed that AL partly mediates the association between educational attainment in young adulthood and SRH in adulthood among both men and women. This study indicates that educational attainment in young adulthood affects health throughout life. Such knowledge of a potential mediator may be important in breaking the social heritage.
U2 - 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105708
DO - 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105708
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 35259591
VL - 139
JO - Psychoneuroendocrinology
JF - Psychoneuroendocrinology
SN - 0306-4530
M1 - 105708
ER -