Genetic endowments, parental resources and adult health : Evidence from the Young Finns Study
Abstract
This paper uses longitudinal survey data linked to administrative registers to examine socioeconomic gradients in health, particularly whether the effects of genetic endowments interact with the socioeconomic resources of the parental household. We find that genetic risk scores contribute to adult health measured by biomarkers. This result is consistent with the findings from genome-wide association studies. Socioeconomic gradients in health differ based on biomarker and resource measures. Family education is negatively related to obesity and the waist-hip ratio, and family income is negatively related to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Parental resources do not modify the effects of genetic endowment on adult health. However, there is evidence for gene-family income interactions for triglyceride levels, particularly among women.
Main Authors
Format
Articles
Research article
Published
2017
Series
Subjects
Publication in research information system
Publisher
Pergamon
The permanent address of the publication
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201708143473Käytä tätä linkitykseen.
Review status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0277-9536
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.04.030
Language
English
Published in
Social Science and Medicine
Citation
- Pehkonen, J., Viinikainen, J., Böckerman, P., Lehtimäki, T., Pitkänen, N., & Raitakari, O. (2017). Genetic endowments, parental resources and adult health : Evidence from the Young Finns Study. Social Science and Medicine, 188, 191-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.04.030
License
Funder(s)
Research Council of Finland
Funding program(s)
Strategisen tutkimuksen ohjelmat STN, SA
Strategic research programmes, AoF
Additional information about funding
The Young Finns Study has been financially supported by the Academy of Finland: grants 286284 (for T.L.), 134309 (Eye), 126925, 121584, 124282, 129378 (Salve), 117787 (Gendi), and 41071 (Skidi); 293120 (Strategic Research Council funding for the project Work, Inequality and Public Policy); the Social Insurance Institution of Finland; Kuopio, Tampere and Turku University Hospital Medical Funds (for T.L. X51001); Juho Vainio Foundation; Paavo Nurmi Foundation; Finnish Foundation of Cardiovascular Research and Finnish Cultural Foundation; Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation and Emil Aaltonen Foundation. The Palkansaaja Foundation supported the use of linked data. Jutta Viinikainen and Jaakko Pehkonen acknowledge financial support from the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation (grants 6664 and 6646).
Copyright© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. This is a final draft version of an article whose final and definitive form has been published by Elsevier. Published in this repository with the kind permission of the publisher.