Simulating Interventions on Adolescent Behaviours and Adverse Family Environments to Mitigate Socioeconomic Inequalities in Accelerated Ageing: A Finnish Cohort Study

Josephine Jackisch , Population Health Laboratory
Terho Lehtimäki, Tampere University
Mika Kähönen, Tampere University
Olli Raitakari, University of Turku
Cristian Carmeli, University of Fribourg

Socioeconomic disadvantage in early life is associated with increased risks of morbidity and mortality throughout adulthood, possibly operating through the proximal biological processes of accelerated biological ageing. Biological ageing can be measured through second generation epigenetic clocks, derived from DNA-methylation sites in blood samples, which predict the pace of ageing, morbidity, and mortality. While inequalities in biological ageing following childhood socioeconomic position, have been shown to partly operate through individual health behaviours, less is known about the role of family environmental factors. Building on the family stress model, growing up in a low-socioeconomic position family is associated with parental separation, harsh parenting, and household dysfunction, which can be linked to adolescent risk behaviours. However, whether intervening on these adolescent familial factors or individual behaviours would mitigate inequalities in accelerated biological ageing remains unknown. Taking a life course perspective, we investigate the ‘long arm of childhood’ on biological ageing by simulating population interventions on adolescent individual health-risk behaviours and family social factors, using data from the prospective Young Finns Study (n=3,596). This counterfactual-based method will allow us to assess the effect of equalizing the impact of each of these factors across socioeconomic groups on reducing socioeconomic inequalities epigenetic clocks measured in midlife. Increased knowledge about the inequalities reduction of potentially intervening on these social or behavioural intermediary modifiable factors between adolescent socioeconomic disadvantage and biological risks can inform policy and prevention efforts. Policies that aim at mitigating health inequalities are key for sustainable populations.

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 Presented in Session 33. Policy Effects on Health and Mortality