A Lifelong Journey to Combat Non-Communicable Diseases: Unravelling the Impact of Childhood and Adulthood Socioeconomic Status and Socioeconomic Mobility on the Development of NCD among Adults in China

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. NCDs commonly happen in adulthood, while their roots may be traced back to early life stages. However, existing studies mostly examined childhood or adulthood socioeconomic status (SES) independently. This study explores the interaction of NCDs, childhood SES, adulthood SES, and (Socioeconomic) SEE mobility. Method This project used longitudinal data obtained from nationally representative health surveys-China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Participants aged 25 years and older are included, with self-reported doctor-diagnosed NCDs. Participants reported their own and their parents’ highest level of education was used as the proxy of adulthood and childhood SES. Childhood SES and adulthood SES were categorized into two groups (low vs high) and the SES mobility variable was then constructed comprised of four categories: stable low, upward, downward, and stable high. We finally included 25,167 participants. 67.60% of the participants are stable in their SES and 51.07% among these are in the ‘stable low’ category. Participants who have a higher childhood SES (14.25%), and higher adulthood SES (13.92%) have higher NCD prevalence. Participants who experienced upward mobility (15.03%) had the highest NCD prevalence. There is a significant positive relationship between childhood SES and adulthood SES and NCD prevalence is more significant in the older cohorts and reversed in the younger cohorts. Adulthood SES has a more significant effect on the development of NCD, while childhood situation has a certain lag in its impact on NCDs.

Presenters

Xuemei Zhang
PhD Candidate, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Health Promotion and Education

KEYWORDS

Non-Communicable Diseases, Socioeconomic status, Socioeconomic Mobility, China, Longitudinal Data