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Socioeconomic status, health behavior, and leukocyte telomere length in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002

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  • Needham, Belinda L.
  • Adler, Nancy
  • Gregorich, Steven
  • Rehkopf, David
  • Lin, Jue
  • Blackburn, Elizabeth H.
  • Epel, Elissa S.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) – a marker of cell aging that has been linked to stressful life circumstances – in a nationally representative, socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample of US adults aged 20–84. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999–2002, we found that respondents who completed less than a high school education had significantly shorter telomeres than those who graduated from college. Income was not associated with LTL. African-Americans had significantly longer telomeres than whites, but there were no significant racial/ethnic differences in the association between education and telomere length. Finally, we found that the association between education and LTL was partially mediated by smoking and body mass index but not by drinking or sedentary behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Needham, Belinda L. & Adler, Nancy & Gregorich, Steven & Rehkopf, David & Lin, Jue & Blackburn, Elizabeth H. & Epel, Elissa S., 2013. "Socioeconomic status, health behavior, and leukocyte telomere length in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 1-8.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:85:y:2013:i:c:p:1-8
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.02.023
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    2. Hill, Terrence D. & Ellison, Christopher G. & Burdette, Amy M. & Taylor, John & Friedman, Katherine L., 2016. "Dimensions of religious involvement and leukocyte telomere length," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 168-175.
    3. Carroll, Judith E. & Price, Jonah Eliezer & Brown, Joni & Bamishigbin, Olajide & Shalowitz, Madeleine U. & Ramey, Sharon & Dunkel Schetter, Christine, 2022. "Lifetime discrimination in low to middle income mothers and cellular aging: A prospective analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    4. Whisman, Mark A. & Robustelli, Briana L. & Sbarra, David A., 2016. "Marital disruption is associated with shorter salivary telomere length in a probability sample of older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 60-67.
    5. Kawachi, Ichiro & Subramanian, S.V., 2018. "Social epidemiology for the 21st century," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 240-245.
    6. Simons, Ronald L. & Lei, Man Kit & Beach, Steven R.H. & Philibert, Robert A. & Cutrona, Carolyn E. & Gibbons, Frederick X. & Barr, Ashley, 2016. "Economic hardship and biological weathering: The epigenetics of aging in a U.S. sample of black women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 192-200.
    7. Luis Rosero-Bixby & David H Rehkopf & William H Dow & Jue Lin & Elissa S Epel & Jorge Azofeifa & Alejandro Leal, 2019. "Correlates of longitudinal leukocyte telomere length in the Costa Rican Longevity Study of Healthy Aging (CRELES): On the importance of DNA collection and storage procedures," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(10), pages 1-18, October.
    8. Das, Aniruddha, 2019. "Loneliness does (not) have cardiometabolic effects: A longitudinal study of older adults in two countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 104-112.
    9. David W Freeman & Nicole Noren Hooten & Yoonseo Kim & Nicolle A Mode & Ngozi Ejiogu & Alan B Zonderman & Michele K Evans, 2020. "Association between GDF15, poverty and mortality in urban middle-aged African American and white adults," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-13, August.
    10. Needham, Belinda L. & Straight, Bilinda & Hilton, Charles E. & Olungah, Charles Owuor & Lin, Jue, 2021. "Family socioeconomic status and child telomere length among the Samburu of Kenya," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    11. Kaori Fujishiro & Belinda L Needham & Paul A Landsbergis & Teresa Seeman & Nancy Swords Jenny & Ana V Diez Roux, 2018. "Selected occupational characteristics and change in leukocyte telomere length over 10 years: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(9), pages 1-12, September.
    12. David H. Rehkopf & Luis Rosero-Bixby & William H. Dow, 2016. "A cross-national comparison of 12 biomarkers finds no universal biomarkers of aging among individuals aged 60 and older," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 14(1), pages 255-277.

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