title: Childhood Circumstances and Mid-Life Functional Mobility.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examine the cumulative long-term role of childhood health and socioeconomic status in affecting functional health at ages 50 to 59.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on 2,233 respondents to The Irish Longitudinal Study of Aging (TILDA) are used to examine functional health measured by the timed-up-and-go (TUG) test of lower-body mobility. We examine the association of father's education, childhood rural residence, and childhood self-evaluated health with TUG and examine respondent's education, adult health behaviors, measured health, and cognition as mediators of the association of childhood characteristics and TUG.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Father's education, rural residence, childhood health, and education are associated with TUG times at ages 50 to 59. While health behaviors mediate most of the rural residence and education associations, the association with childhood self-evaluated health is direct.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early life circumstances play substantial direct and indirect roles in molding functional level in late mid-life.
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville, USA henretta@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Henretta
authors.affiliation: Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Cathal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McCrory
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D002648:Child; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: disability; health behaviors; physical function; rural aging; social factors