School education, physical performance in late midlife and allostatic load: a retrospective cohort study
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the social gradient in physical functioning are not fully understood. Cumulative physiological stress may be a pathway. The present study aimed to investigate the association between highest attained school education and physical performance in late midlife, and to determine to what extent cumulative physiological stress mediated these associations. The study is based on data from the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank (CAMB; n=5467 participants, aged 48-62 years, 31.5% women). School education was measured as highest examination passed in primary or secondary school (3 categories). Cumulative stress was operationalised as allostatic load (AL), and measured as the number of biological parameters (out of 14) in which participants scored in the poorest quartile. Physical performance included dynamic muscle performance (chair rise ability, postural balance, sagittal flexibility) and muscle strength (jump height, trunk extension and flexion, and handgrip strength). Among women, higher school education was associated with better performance in all physical performance tests. Among men, higher school education was associated with better performance only in chair rise and jump height. AL partially mediated ...Continue Reading
References
Lower-extremity function in persons over the age of 70 years as a predictor of subsequent disability
Citations
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Cell Aging
This feed focuses on cellular aging with emphasis on mitochondria, autophagy, and metabolic processes associated with aging and longevity. Here is the latest research on cell aging.
Cell Aging (Keystone)
This feed focuses on cellular aging with emphasis on the mitochondria, autophagy, and metabolic processes associated with aging and longevity. Here is the latest research on cell aging.