title: Role of respondents' education as a mediator and moderator in the association between childhood socio-economic status and later health and wellbeing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most research assessing the effect of childhood socioeconomic status (CSES) on health in adulthood has focused on cause-specific mortality. Low CSES is associated with mortality from coronary heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases in adulthood. But little evidence is available on the unique effect of different indicators of CSES on subjective measures of health and wellbeing in adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data from the last wave of The Tromsø Study (n = 12,984) was used to assess the unique effect of three indicators of CSES (childhood financial conditions, mothers' education and fathers' education) on a range of subjective health measures: EQ-5D health dimensions, self-rated health, age-comparative self-rated health, as well as subjective wellbeing. Data was analyzed with the Paramed command in Stata. Log-linear regression was used for the subjective measures of health and wellbeing to estimate the natural direct effects (NDE's), natural indirect effects (NIE's), controlled direct effects (CDE's) and marginal total effects (MTE's) as risk ratios (RRs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Low childhood financial conditions were associated with lower health and wellbeing in adulthood, independently of respondents' education. Among men, Low childhood financial conditions increased the risk (NDE) of being unhealthy on the composite EQ-5D by 22% (RR 1.22, 95% 1.14-1.31) and on subjective wellbeing by 24% (RR 1.24, 95% 1.18-1.30), while for women the risk increased by 16% (RR 1.16, 95% 1.10-1.23) and 26% (RR 1.26, 95% 1.19-1.33), respectively. Among men, the NDE of low mothers' education on age-comparative self-rated health increased by 9% (RR 1.09, 95% 1.01-1.16), while the NIE increased the risk by 3% (RR 1.03, 95% 1.01-1.04). The NDE of low mothers' education increased the risk on anxiety/depression among women by 38% (RR 1.38, 95% 1.13-1.69), whereas the NIE increased the risk by 5% (RR 1.05, 95% 1.02-1.08).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood financial conditions have a unique direct effect on a wide range of health and wellbeing measures. These findings apply to both men and women. Generally, parental education has an indirect effect on later health, but mothers' education may also have a long-term direct effect on later health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, NO 9037, Norway. mashhood.a.sheikh@uit.no.
authors.forename: Mashhood Ahmed
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abelsen
authors.forename: Jan Abel
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Olsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors