Immigration Status, Socioeconomic Status, and Self-Rated Health in Europe

Neonatal nutrition and early childhood body composition in infants born extremely preterm

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Previous studies have observed changes in fat and fat-free mass among preterm infants when compared to term-born infants. However, these studies have mainly focused on moderate or very preterm infants, with a scope limited to the first few years of life. We aimed to compare body composition in extremely preterm infants to term-born infants in early childhood. Additionally, we investigated whether early neonatal nutrition was associated with the distribution of fat- and fat-free mass in later life.

METHODS

The study used dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry to evaluate the body composition of 52 children aged 6-9-years, of whom 35 were born extremely preterm and 17 were born at term and was analyzed using multivariate linear regression. Nutritional intakes of fluids, energy, and macronutrients during the first eight postnatal weeks for 26 extremely preterm infants were investigated in relation to body composition at age 6-9 years using Bayesian regression analysis and Gradient Boosting Machine.

RESULTS

Children born extremely preterm had smaller head circumference (confidence interval -8.7 to -1.7), shorter height (confidence interval -2.7 to -0.6), higher waist to height ratio (confidence interval 0.01-0.05) and lower fat-free mass (confidence interval -3.9 to -0.49), compared to children born at full-term. Children born extremely preterm had a differing response to amount of fluid and macronutrient intake for both fat mass index and fat-free mass index. A bimodal response showed high intake of fluid and macronutrients as associated with high fat mass index for some children, whereas others demonstrated an inverse association, suggesting analysis on cohort-level as problematic.

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood body composition differs between extremely preterm infants and term-born infants. Extremely preterm infants display differing responses in their body composition to varying levels of fluids and macronutrient intake during the neonatal period.

The effect of self-rated health on depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults: The mediating role of social participation and spouse health

This study investigates the relationship between self-rated health, social participation, spouse health, and depressive symptoms in older adults. It also analyzed the moderating effects of gender, drinking, visual function, diet, quality of life, and economic level on the model. We analyzed data from 5119 participants aged 60 and above, from the CLHLS. We used a partial least squares structural equation model to explore the correlation between self-rated health, spouse health, social participation, and depressive symptoms. Self-rated health was significantly correlated with spouse health, social participation, and depressive symptoms (P < 0.001). Social participation (β=-0.034) and spouse health (β=-0.029) were mediators of self-rated health to depressive symptoms. In addition, gender, drinking, visual function, diet, quality of life, and economic level were mediated factors. This study provides evidence that self-rated health has direct or indirect associations with depressive symptoms in older people, with social participation and spouse health playing a crucial mediating role.

The impact of spouse health on social participation of older adults in China: Evidence from the CLHLS

BACKGROUND

China is dealing with a serious aging issue. Social participation is essential for active aging. The health status of spouses is intertwined with the trajectory of the social function of the elderly.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the association between spouse health and social participation among older Chinese adults. The study also explored the mediating role of loneliness and anxiety between spousal health and social participation.

METHODS

The analytic sample included 6125 adults aged 60 years and above. Prospective data were obtained from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). First, we described basic socio-demographic information about the sample. Secondly, Spearman's correlation analysis was used to determine whether correlations existed between spousal health, loneliness, anxiety, and social participation. Finally, mediation analysis was run using the SPSS macro PROCESS program.

RESULTS

Spousal health, loneliness, anxiety, and social participation were significantly correlated (P < 0.01). Spousal health could not only have a direct positive impact on social participation in older adults (β = 0.239, 95 % CI: 0.120, 0.359), but also indirectly on social participation through three pathways: an independent mediating effect of loneliness (β = 0.020, 95 % CI: 0.009, 0.034), an independent mediating effect of anxiety (β = 0.018, 95%CI: 0.009, 0.032), and a chain mediating effect of loneliness and anxiety (β = 0.004, 95%CI: 0.002, 0.007).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests paying more attention to elderly couples and decreasing the negative consequences of changes in spousal health.

Self-Rated Health of US Older Adults in the General Social Survey (GSS) 1972-2021: Complexity of the Associations of Education and Immigration

BACKGROUND

Multiple studies have shown a link between high education and better self-rated health (SRH). However, recent studies have suggested that immigrants may experience a weaker association between education and SRH than native-born individuals.

AIM

Using a national sample of US older adults, this investigation studied whether there is an inverse association between education and SRH and whether immigration status moderates this association.

METHODS

This study is based on marginalized diminished returns (MDRs) that argues socioeconomic status (SES) resources, such as education, may generate less favorable health outcomes for marginalized groups. Data were from the General Social Survey (GSS) 1972-2021, a cross-sectional survey in the US. A total of 7999 participants who were 65+ years old were included. The independent variable was education, measured as years of schooling and treated as a continuous variable. The dependent variable was poor/fair (poor) SRH. Immigration status was the moderator. Age, sex, and race were control variables. Logistic regressions were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

We found that higher levels of education were protective against poor SRH. However, this effect was weaker for immigrants than for US-born individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that native-born US older individuals are more likely to experience the protective effect of their education against poor SRH compared to their immigrants. Eliminating health inequality between immigrant and US-born individuals needs policies that go beyond socioeconomic status (SES) equality and address barriers that hinder highly-educated immigrants.

Immigration Status, Educational Level, and Perceived Discrimination in Europe

BACKGROUND

Multiple studies have been conducted to test the moderating effect of immigration on the positive health results yielded through educational attainment. However, no study has been conducted to examine the role of immigration as a moderator in the association between educational level and perceived discrimination in Europe.

AIM

We aimed to study whether an inverse association exists between educational level and perceived discrimination in European countries and whether immigration status moderates the association between educational level and perceived discrimination.

METHODS

Data from the 10th round of the cross-sectional European Social Survey (ESS) were used in this cross-sectional study. A total of 17,596 participants between 15-90 years old who lived in European countries were included. The independent variable was educational level, a categorical variable, and the dependent variable was perceived discrimination. Immigration status was the moderator, and age and sex were confounders.

RESULTS

Of 17,596 participants, 16,632 (94.5%) were native-born and 964 were immigrants (5.5%). We found that higher levels of educational level were protective against perceived discrimination, which was also found in immigrant participants; however, the effect was weaker.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that educational level was a protective factor against perceived discrimination. This effect, however, was more robust in the native-born participants than in their immigrant counterparts.