More miles on the clock: Neighbourhood stressors are associated with telomere length in a longitudinal study.
Author: Ellaway A1, Dundas R1, Robertson T2, Shiels PG3
Affiliation:
1MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
2Centre for Public Health and Population Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences & Sport, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom.
3Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Conference/Journal: PLoS One.
Date published: 2019 Mar 28
Other:
Volume ID: 14 , Issue ID: 3 , Pages: e0214380 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214380. eCollection 2019. , Word Count: 186
BACKGROUND: There is a substantial gap in health and longevity between more affluent and more deprived areas, and more knowledge of the determinants of this health divide is required. Experience of the local residential environment is important for health although few studies have examined this in relation to biological markers of age such as telomere length. We sought to examine if residents' perceptions of neighbourhood stressors over time were associated with telomere length in a community study.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a prospective cohort study of 2186 adults in the West of Scotland, we measured neighbourhood stressors at three time points over a 12-year period and telomere length at the end of the study. Using linear regression models, we found that a higher accumulation of neighbourhood stressors over time was associated with shorter telomere length, even after taking cohort, social class, health behaviours (smoking status, diet, physical activity), BMI and depression into account among females only (Beta = 0.007; 95%CI [0.001, 0.012]; P<0.014).
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Neighborhood environments are potentially modifiable, and future efforts directed towards improving deleterious local environments may be useful to lessen telomere attrition.
PMID: 30921393 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214380
BACK
