How are childhood socioeconomic circumstances associated with the health of Spanish adults? Evidence from SHARE

RODRÍGUEZ LÓPEZ, SANTIAGO; PILAR MONTERO

Ankara

Congreso; 18th Congress of the European Anthropological Association; 2012

European Anthropological Association

Background: The social environment during children´s growth is strongly associated with adults? health, which cannot be understood without considering exposures at different moments of the life course. Aims and objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between different socioeconomic indicators during childhood with the physical and mental health of Spanish adults.Materials and methods: Retrospective data on childhood socioeconomic circumstances (breadwinner occupation at 10 years, bad accommodation, relative position to others in school, etc.) and adult health status (chronic diseases, self-reported health status, Euro-D: depression scale) of 1609 50-year-old and older Spanish was obtained from the 2nd and 3rd waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), in 2004 and 2008/9 respectively.Results: Different socioeconomic indicators on childhood are associated with adult?s health in bivariant analyses. Linear regression models show a negative relationship between childhood socioeconomic conditions and different adult outcomes, like mental health (Euro-D depression scale) and number of chronic diseases. Discussion: Our results agreed, in general, with previous known evidence, in which unfavorable childhood environment conditions adults? health.