The Consequences of the 1959-1961 Chinese Famine for Educational Attainment

Handgrip strength as an indicator for death events in China: A longitudinal cohort study

Studies have shown the indicative role of handgrip strength in health. However, there is limited evidence revealing its potential effect on death events among middle-aged and older adults in China. We aimed to prospectively evaluate if lower handgrip strength is associated with the event of death. Among 17,167 middle-aged and older adults between age 45 to 96, handgrip strength was collected by a handheld dynamometer in a Chinese longitudinal study of aging trend (CHARLS) 2011-2018. Using Cox proportional hazard models with exposures, we assessed the association between handgrip strength and death events. Elevated handgrip strength values were independently associated with the decreased death risk. These results illustrate that lower handgrip strength is an independent indicator of death risks among middle-aged and older Chinese, which highlights the significance of related intercessions. The median values of five levels of handgrip strength in the entire cohort were 16.5,23,28,33,42kg at baseline. A linear association existed between the handgrip strength values and the risk of all-cause death within 34.2kg. Handgrip strength can serve as an independent indicator for death risks.

Education can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement: a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great Ethiopian famine 1983-85

Background

Previous famine studies reported the inverse link between early life nutritional deprivation and adulthood optimal health outcomes. However, there remain sparse data on the impact of early life famine exposure in later life economic achievement. Hence, we set out to examine the association of early life famine exposure on economic achievement among survivors of the 1983–85 great Ethiopian famine.

Method

A historical cohort study design was employed among 968 adult men and women in the Raya Kobo district, Northern Ethiopia. Participants were categorized into in utero exposed, postnatal exposed and unexposed groups based on self-reported age and birthdate. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic and individual assets. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine wealth index as proxy for economic achievement. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the independent effect of early life famine exposure on the outcome.

Results

In unadjusted model, compared to unexposed cohorts, in utero and postnatal famine exposed cohorts were nearly twice more likely to fall in the lowest wealth category (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.64) and (OR: 2.12, 95%CI: 1.45, 3.08), respectively. However, these associations became non-significant when adjusted for biologic and demographic variables (P > 0.05). Instead, educational status appeared to have significant association with wealth; those who can’t read or write among in utero and postnatal exposed group were three times more likely to fall in low wealth index category than those who achieved secondary and above level of education (OR = 3.00 95% CI: 1.74, 5.18) and (OR = 2.92, 95% CI: 1.48, 5.76), respectively. Similarly, those with primary education among in uero and postnatal famine exposed cohorts were twice more likely to fall in the low wealth index than compared to those secondary and above level of education (OR = 2.04 95% CI: (1.18, 3.54) and (OR = 2.17 95% CI: 1.12, 4.22), respectively.

Conclusion

Education appears to be a significant independent factor to determine one’s economic achievement in the studied famine cohort. This may imply, the possible impact of early life famine exposure on economic achievement later in adult life could be modified through better education. Our findings justify the need of expanding education in hunger spots in general and in famine settings in particular.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13690-021-00564-w.