Socioeconomic differences in attitudes and beliefs about healthy lifestyles

Study objectives: The factors underlying socioeconomic status differences in smoking, leisure time physical activity, and dietary choice are poorly understood. This study investigated attitudes and beliefs that might underlie behavioural choices, including health locus of control, future salience, subjective life expectancy, and health consciousness, in a nationally representative sample.Design: Data were collected as part of the monthly Omnibus survey of the Office of National Statistics in Britain. Participants: A stratified, probability sample of 2728 households was selected by random sampling of addresses. One adult from each household was interviewed.Main results: Higher SES respondents were less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise and eat fruit and vegetables daily. Lower SES was associated with less health consciousness (thinking about things to do to keep healthy), stronger beliefs in the influence of chance on health, less thinking about the future, and lower life expectancies. These attitudinal factors were in turn associated with unhealthy behavioural choices, independently of age, sex, and self rated health.Conclusions: Socioeconomic differences in healthy lifestyles are associated with differences in attitudes to health that may themselves arise through variations in life opportunities and exposure to material hardship and ill health over the life course

Subjective Wellbeing, Health and Ageing

Life satisfaction dips around middle age and rises in older age in high-income, English-speaking countries, but that is not a universal pattern, according to a new report. In contrast, residents of other regions -- such as the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa -- grow increasingly less satisfied as they age. The study -- conducted by researchers from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Stony Brook University and University College London -- highlights how residents of different regions across the world experience varying life-satisfaction levels and emotions as they age

Prolonged elevations in haemostatic and rheological responses following psychological stress in low socioeconomic status men and women

Low socioeconomic status (SES) and psychological stress are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease, and both may influence haemostatic responses. Von Willebrand factor (vWF), Factor VIII, plasma viscosity, haematocrit, blood viscosity, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and fibrin D- dimer were measured at rest and following stressful tasks in 238 middle-aged British civil servants. SES was defined by grade of employment. Lower SES was associated with higher resting vWF, Factor VIII and plasma viscosity. Psychological stress stimulated increases in haemostatic and rheological factors. Initial stress responses did not vary with SES, but Factor VIII, plasma viscosity and blood viscosity remained more elevated 45 minutes post-stress in lower SES participants. High blood pressure stress reactivity was also associated with greater haemostatic responses. We conclude that lower SES is characterised by more prolonged elevations in procoagulant responses following psychological stress, and that these processes might contribute to increased cardiac risk

Trends in physical activity and sedentary behaviour in adolescence: ethnic and socioeconomic differences

Objective: To assess developmental trends in physical activity and sedentary behaviour in British adolescents in relation to sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES).Design: A 5-year longitudinal study of a diverse cohort of students aged 11 - 12 years at baseline in 1999.Setting: 36 London schools sampled using a stratified random sampling procedure.Participants: A total of 5863 students categorised as white, black or Asian, and stratified for SES using the Townsend Index.Main outcome measures: Number of days per week of vigorous activity leading to sweating and breathing hard. Hours of sedentary behaviour, including watching television and playing video games. Data were analysed using multilevel, linear, mixed models.Results: Marked reductions in physical activity and increases in sedentary behaviour were noticed between ages 11 - 12 and 15 - 16 years. Boys were more active than girls, and the decline in physical activity was greater in girls (46% reduction) than in boys (23%). Asian students were less active than whites, and this was also true of black girls but not boys. Black students were more sedentary than white students. Levels of sedentary behaviour were greater in respondents from lower SES. Most differences between ethnic and SES groups were present at age 11 years, and did not evolve over the teenage years.Conclusions: Physical activity declines and sedentary behaviour becomes more common during adolescence. Ethnic and SES differences are observed in physical activity and sedentary behaviour in British youth that anticipate adult variations in adiposity and cardiovascular disease risk. These are largely established by age 11 - 12 years, so reversing these patterns requires earlier intervention

Pathogen burden and cortisol profiles over the day

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) regulation in adults is influenced by early psychosocial adversity, but the role of infectious disease history is poorly understood. We studied the association between cumulative pathogen burden and cortisol profile over the day in a sample of 317 healthy men and women aged 51-72 years. Cumulative pathogen burden was defined as positive serostatus for Chlamydia pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). Salivary cortisol was sampled repeatedly over the day. The cortisol slope was defined as the decrease across the day and evening. Age, gender, grade of employment, body mass index, smoking status, self-rated health, cardiovascular medication, depressed mood and time of waking were included as covariates. The pathogen burden averaged 1.76 (S.D. = 0.92). The cortisol slope was inversely associated with pathogen burden after controlling for covariates. When individual pathogens were studied, only CMV was associated with flatter cortisol rhythms in isolation. We conclude that pathogen burden is independently associated with flatter cortisol slopes over the day, and may contribute to disturbed neuroendocrine regulation

Investing in Happiness: The Gerontological Perspective

Optimising happiness is a desirable societal aim in itself, but there are four more specific reasons why research on happiness is an important emerging theme in gerontology. First, happiness is not merely the mirror of depression, anxiety or distress, but has distinct relationships with a range of outcomes, so benefits from study in itself. Second, happiness appears to be a protective factor for morbidity and mortality; although studies are complex and take a long time to complete, there is accumulating evidence that greater happiness predicts survival among older people independently of covariates including health status and depression. Third, happiness has broad ramifications at older ages, being related to personal and social relationships, economic prosperity, biological risk factors, health behaviours, and time use as well as health. Fourth, happiness is malleable, and can potentially be modified in ways that will enhance the health and well-being of older people

Life skills, wealth, health, and wellbeing in later life

Life skills such as persistence, conscientiousness, and control are important in early life. Our findings suggest that they are relevant in later life as well. Higher scores on five life skills (conscientiousness, emotional stability, determination, control, and optimism) were associated both cross-sectionally and longitudinally with economic success, social and subjective wellbeing, and better health in older adults. No single attribute was especially important; rather, effects depended on the accumulation of life skills. Our results suggest that fostering and maintaining these skills in adult life may be relevant to health and wellbeing at older ages

Association between perceived weight discrimination and physical activity: a population-based study among English middle-aged and older adults

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between perceived weight discrimination and physical activity in a large population-based sample. DESIGN: Data were from 2423 men and 3057 women aged ≥50 years participating in Wave 5 (2010/11) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Participants reported experiences of weight discrimination in everyday life and frequency of light, moderate and vigorous physical activities. We used logistic regression to test associations between perceived weight discrimination and physical activity, controlling for age, sex, socioeconomic status and body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: Perceived weight discrimination was associated with almost 60% higher odds of being inactive (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.40, p=.028) and 30% lower odds of engaging in moderate or vigorous activity at least once a week (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.94, p=.017). CONCLUSIONS: Independent of BMI, individuals who perceive unfair treatment on the basis of their weight are less physically active than those who do not perceive discrimination. This has important implications for the health and well-being of individuals who experience weight-based discrimination, and may also contribute to a cycle of weight gain and further mistreatment

Community group membership and multidimensional subjective well-being in older age

BACKGROUND: It has been highlighted as a public health priority to identify ways of supporting well-being in older age to allow people to lead healthy and integrated lifestyles. This study explored whether membership in eight different sorts of community groups was associated with enhanced experienced, evaluative and eudemonic well-being among older adults. METHODS: We analysed data from 2548 adults aged 55+ drawn from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. We used multivariate logistic and linear regression models to compare change in well-being between baseline and follow-up 10 years later in relation to membership of different community groups while controlling for potential confounding variables. RESULTS: Membership in two types of community groups was associated with enhanced well-being: attending education, arts or music classes was longitudinally associated with lower negative affect (OR 0.73, CI 0.57 to 0.92) and life satisfaction (β 0.55, CI 0.02 to 1.08) while church or religious group membership was longitudinally associated with lower negative affect (OR 0.79, CI 0.65 to 0.98) and higher positive affect (OR 1.54, CI 1.25 to 1.90). There was no evidence of reverse causality through cross-lagged analyses. However, just 17.4% and 24.6% of older adults were found to engage in these two types of community groups, respectively, and several demographic factors were identified as barriers to participation. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study suggests that education, arts or music classes and church or religious groups may support well-being in older age. Programmes to encourage engagement could be designed for older adults who may not normally access these community resources

Obesity and psychological distress

The relationship between high body weight and mental health has been studied for several decades. Improvements in the quality of epidemiological, mechanistic and psychological research have brought greater consistency to our understanding of the links. Large-scale population-based epidemiological research has established that high body weight is associated with poorer mental health, particularly depression and subclinical depressive symptoms. There is some evidence for bidirectional relationships, but the most convincing findings are that greater body weight leads to psychological distress rather than the reverse. Particular symptoms of depression and distress may be specifically related to greater body weight. The psychological stress induced by weight stigma and discrimination contributes to psychological distress, and may in turn handicap efforts at weight control. Heightened systemic inflammation and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are biological mechanisms that mediate in part the relationship of greater body weight with poorer mental health. Changing negative societal attitudes to high body weights would improve the wellbeing of people living with obesity, and promote more effective weight-inclusive attitudes and behaviours in society at large, particularly in healthcare settings. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Causes of obesity: theories, conjectures and evidence (Part II)'