Childhood socioeconomic position, gender, adult body mass index, and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus over 34 years in the Alameda County Study.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the association between childhood socioeconomic position and incidence of type 2 diabetes and the effects of gender and adult body mass index (BMI).


METHODS
We studied 5913 participants in the Alameda County Study from 1965 to 1999 who were diabetes free at baseline (1965). Cox proportional hazards models estimated diabetes risk associated with childhood socioeconomic position and combined childhood socioeconomic position-adult BMI categories in pooled and gender-stratified samples. Demographic confounders and potential pathway components (physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, depression, health care access) were included as covariates.


RESULTS
Low childhood socioeconomic position was associated with excess diabetes risk, especially among women. Race and body composition accounted for some of this excess risk. The association between childhood socioeconomic position and diabetes incidence differed by adult BMI category in the pooled and women-only groups. Adjustment for race and behaviors attenuated the risk attributable to low childhood socioeconomic position among the obese group only.


CONCLUSIONS
Childhood socioeconomic position was a robust predictor of incident diabetes, especially among women. A cumulative risk effect was observed for both childhood socioeconomic position and adult BMI, especially among women.
Maty
Siobhan C
SC
School of Community Health, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA. maty@pdx.edu
Lynch
John W
JW
Raghunathan
Trivellore E
TE
Kaplan
George A
GA
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires