Early-Life Exposure to War and Later-Life Physical Functional Health
Objectives: A growing body of research shows that early-life exposure to war has adverse effects on later-life health. Research has emphasized the importance of exposure timing implicating domain-specific developmental processes and associated critical/sensitive periods. This study looks at the impacts of early childhood war exposure and the repercussions for later-life physical and functional health, with a focus on time of exposure as a source of variability. Methods: We use residential histories from the Survey of Health Ageing, and Retirement in Europe linked to external data on the location and timing of hostilities to examine the impact of early-life exposure to World War II on later-life physical and functional health. Results: Exposure to war increases the risk of objective (grip strength, chair rise, and peak expiratory flow) and self-reported (mobility limitations and activities of daily living) measures of functional health. Effects are especially pronounced for those born during the war and for those with more prolonged exposures. There is little evidence that the impact of war is mediated by war-related hardships, socioeconomic conditions, health behaviors, or adult chronic disease. Discussion: Our results suggest early-life exposure to war has a lasting impact on physical functional health. Exposure appears to largely operate via direct effects, indicative of altered initial development of physical capacity in early life. Because exposure was so pervasive among some cohorts of older individuals, understanding the health of present older European populations requires wrestling with the residual consequences of wartime exposure at the start of their lives.
This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in The Journals of Gerontology Series B following peer review. The version of record [Early-Life Exposure to War and Later-Life Physical Functional Health. The Journals of Gerontology Series B 79, 6 (2024)] is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbae029.
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Work Title | Early-Life Exposure to War and Later-Life Physical Functional Health |
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License | In Copyright (Rights Reserved) |
Work Type | Article |
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Publication Date | June 1, 2024 |
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Deposited | January 21, 2025 |
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