tailieunhanh - Today’s Research on Aging - Effects of Early Life on Elderly Health

Both groups of subjects display overconfidence at some levels and neither group shows underconfidence at any level. Older subjects' assessments are significantly more accurate at 60% (p | Today s Research on Aging Program and Policy Implications Issue 16 April 2009 Effects of Early Life on Elderly Health Personal choices made earlier in life can have lasting effects on elderly health. Decisions about exercise nutrition smoking and drinking behavior as well as some less obvious choices such as pursuit of higher education whether or not to marry and which neighborhood to live in all have consequences much later in life. Not only can such choices in one s adult life affect elderly health but so can characteristics of one s childhood. The Behavioral and Social Research Program at the National Institute on Aging NIA supports analysis of the effects of early life on elderly health. Knowledge gained from these analyses can help design programs to improve the choices people make both for themselves and for their children. In this newsletter we discuss both NIA-sponsored and other research about the effects of early life on adult and elderly health. Mechanisms and Pathways There are multiple and complex mechanisms and pathways through which conditions in early life such as pregnancy infancy childhood adolescence may affect one s health as an adult. Parental health especially the mother s health plays an In This Issue Mechanisms and Pathways Childhood Health Adolescence Date of Birth Socioeconomic Status Location Conclusion This review summarizes research related to the objectives of the National Institute on Aging with emphasis on work conducted at the NIA demography centers. Our objective is to provide decisionmakers in government business and nongovernmental organizations with up-to-date scientific evidence relevant to policy debates and program design. These newsletters can be accessed at . important role in the health of the newborn and may then affect adult health Palloni 2006 Currie and Moretti 2007 . Infections and inflammation in early life may contribute to explaining adult health Crimmins and Finch 2006 and under .