Individuals who are exposed from childhood to unfavourable socio-economic conditions have a decreased lung function in adulthood, concluded a study from the do Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (ISPUP), published in December in the ““Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health” journal.
The investigation draws attention to the importance of socio-economic conditions, from an early age, in the development of lung function.
The study aimed to “assess the relationship between socio-economic conditions, from the very beginning of life, and lung function in adulthood, taking into account the accumulation of socio-economic disadvantage and social mobility”, explains Vânia Rocha, first author of the research coordinated by Sílvia Fraga.
“There are already studies that show the impact of social inequalities on lung function. However, this study considers the socioeconomic trajectory of individuals, from their childhood, and how this may influence lung function in adulthood,” refers.
To carry out the investigation, the authors assessed 1458 individuals, belonging to the EPIPorto cohort– a population-based study, conducted by ISPUP, which assesses the health determinants of the adult population residing in Porto for about 20 years.
Socio-economic conditions were assessed, considering the profession of the father of the cohort participants and the education and profession of the participants themselves, already in adulthood. In turn, lung function was measured, using spirometry (a respiratory test that measures the volume of air entering and leaving the lungs).
It was concluded that individuals exposed to unfavourable socio-economic conditions since childhood presented a reduced lung function, compared to individuals in more favourable socio-economic conditions in childhood and adulthood. Additionally, it was found that as the level of socio-economic disadvantage increased over the life course, lung function decreased.
Research has also shown that upward social mobility, i.e. a favourable change in socio-economic conditions from childhood to adulthood, does not appear to have a significantly positive impact on lung function in adults. However, in men, it was found that downward social mobility, i.e. a shift from favourable socio-economic conditions in childhood to unfavourable ones in adulthood, was associated with a reduced lung function, this effect being mainly explained by smoking.
According to the researchers, the article suggests that that “investment in policies and interventions to improve socio-economic conditions from an early age, can have positive effects on lung function and deserves further exploration”.
The study, developed within the scope of the Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia (EPIUnit) from ISPUP, is entitled Life-course socioeconomic status and lung function in adulthood: a study in the EPIPorto cohort, and is also signed by the researchers Silvia Stringhini, Ana Henriques, Helena Falcão and Henrique Barros.
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