The Direct and Total Effects of Childhood Conditions on Current Health in Oldest-old are Stronger than that in Young-old

Objectives. This article examines whether adverse childhood conditions have lasting effects on health status at advanced ages both directly and indirectly through adult socio-economic status among Chinese oldest-old and young-old.
Methods. The data is derived from 2008-2009 wave of Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, including 12,281 oldest-old aged 80+ and 4,285 young-old aged 65-79. Structural equation models are applied to estimate the effects.
Results. Adverse childhood conditions have left an indelible direct and indirect imprint on current health among the oldest-old, while childhood conditions only show a significant indirect effect through adulthood socio-economic status among the young-old. It’s also found that the total effect of childhood conditions on current health is more prominent among the oldest-old than those among the young-old, consistent with the cumulative disadvantage theoretical framework.
Discussions. Our findings suggest an important role of childhood conditions in shaping health profiles at advanced ages. Public policies that target the child welfare may have persistent effects on health improvement over the entire life cycle.