Early Childhood Disease Patterns and Metabolic Function in Early Adulthood

Rachel Margolis, University of Pennsylvania

This paper examines the mechanisms by which early life conditions affect the aging process. Specifically, we investigate the effects of early childhood disease on the incidence of metabolic syndrome and its components in early adulthood. We use ordered probit and logistic regression models to predict the extent to which childhood conditions influence risk factors for chronic disease in early adulthood, controlling for attained socioeconomic status and adult health behaviors. We also compare estimates of directly measured childhood disease and nutrition with adult height, the conventional proxy measure of childhood conditions. The INCAP Longitudinal Study offers a unique opportunity to address these research questions because of the rich data on child morbidity, input and output measures of nutritional status, various anthropometric measures of growth, and adult health outcomes.