Genetic endowments, parental resources and adult health: Evidence from the Young Finns Study.

Abstract

This paper uses longitudinal survey data linked to administrative registers to examine socioeconomic gradients in health, particularly whether the effects of genetic endowments interact with the socioeconomic resources of the parental household. We find that genetic risk scores contribute to adult health measured by biomarkers. This result is consistent with the findings from genome-wide association studies. Socioeconomic gradients in health differ based on biomarker and resource measures. Family education is negatively related to obesity and the waist-hip ratio, and family income is negatively related to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Parental resources do not modify the effects of genetic endowment on adult health. However, there is evidence for gene-family income interactions for triglyceride levels, particularly among women.

• Authors: Jaakko Pehkonen, Jutta Viinikainen, Petri Böckerman, Terho Lehtimäki, Niina Pitkänen, Olli Raitakari
• Journal: Social science & medicine (1982) (Soc Sci Med) Vol. 188 Pg. 191-200 (09 2017) ISSN: 1873-5347 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 28457598 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Cholesterol, HDL
• Cholesterol, LDL
• Triglycerides

Topics

• Adult
• Body Mass Index
• Cholesterol, HDL (analysis, blood)
• Cholesterol, LDL (analysis, blood)
• Female
• Finland
• Food Quality
• Genome-Wide Association Study
• Health Status
• Humans
• Income (statistics & numerical data)
• Longitudinal Studies
• Male
• Social Determinants of Health
• Socioeconomic Factors
• Sports (statistics & numerical data)
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Triglycerides (analysis, blood)