Early-life socioeconomic circumstances and the comorbidity of depression and overweight in adolescence and young adulthood: A prospective study
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Depression and overweight both often emerge early in life and have been found to be associated, but few studies examine depression-overweight comorbidity and its social patterning early in the life course. Drawing on data from 4,948 participants of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort from the UK (2,798 female, 2,150 male), we investigated how different aspects of early-life socioeconomic circumstances are associated with depression-overweight comorbidity from adolescence to young adulthood exploring any differences by age and sex. We estimated how parental education, social class and financial difficulties reported in pregnancy were associated with depression and overweight, and their comorbidity at approximately the ages 17 and 24 in males and females. The results from multinomial logistic regression models showed that all three socioeconomic markers were associated with depression-overweight comorbidity and results were similar across age. Lower parental education (relative risk ratio (RRR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of low education v high education: 3.61 (2.30-5.67) in females and 1.54 (1.14-2.07) in males) and social class (class IV/V v class I: 5.67 (2.48-12.94) in females and 3.11 (0.70-13.91) in males) had strong associations with comorbidity at age 17 relative to having neither depression or overweight. Financial difficulties were also a risk factor in females, with less clear results in males. These findings highlight how early socioeconomic circumstances are linked with the accumulation of mental and physical health problems already in adolescence, which has implications for life-long health inequalities.
Source: SSM - Population Health
Authors: Fanny Kilpi, Laura D. Howe
Institutions: University of Bristol, MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,630
Awards: G1433475976, G1684393010, G1793884970, ALSPAC: consolidation of a two generation cell line backed resource, for the study of the environment and genetic determinants of health and development from before birth to late puberty., G1924190148, Accumulative processes in health inequalities: the socioeconomic causes and consequences of mental and physical health comorbidity in adolescence, G2179969359, The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): A multi- generation, longitudinal resource focusing on life course health and well- being., G3915381216, G3987754321, G6689231961, G7396906654, Excessive drinking and alcohol related harms in Adulthood: ALSPAC at 24, The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): A multi-generation, longitudinal resource focusing on life course health and well-being., G801210579, G8124202573, G8393905554
OpenAlex ID: W4386003401