Early Adulthood Social Capital and Biomarkers in Middle Life: Evidence from the 1958 British Birth Cohort.

Stergiani Tsoli , MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing
Alice Sullivan, University College London
Daisy Fancourt, Behavioural Science and Health Institute of Epidemiology & Health, University College London
George Ploubidis, UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies

Objective: This paper sets out to examine the association between longitudinal social capital indicators over the lifecourse and health indicators in midlife. Methods: We use data from the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS), a birth cohort study that includes all people born in Britain during 1 week in March 1958. We use data from 4 sweeps of the study 1981 (n=?12537), 1991 (n=11469), 2000 (n=11419), and 2002–2004 (n=9377), when study members were aged 23, 33, 42, and 44 to 46 years, respectively. As indicators of social capital, we use information on civic engagement and social participation for ages 23, 33 and 42. As outcomes of interest, we use haemostatic and inflammatory markers from the biomedical sweep at ages 44 - 46: C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, HbA1C, blood pressure, FEV1, HDL and LDL cholesterol and Body Mass Index (BMI). We will use latent class analysis or other suitable techniques to derive a longitudinal typology of social capital and will explore the association of this typology of social capital with biomarkers in midlife. We will control for potential confounders. Also, we will address missingness with the most suitable technique. Results/Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first study that will explore the association of early adulthood social capital and objective measures of health in the UK using a nationally representative birth cohort study. Potential implications for public health policy and interventions will be explored.

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 Presented in Session P1. Poster Session Fertility, Family and the Life Course