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The impact of early-life/childhood circumstances or conditions on the health of older adults

Guest Editors:
Nan Lu: Renmin University of China, China
Peng Nie: Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
Joyce Siette: Western Sydney University, Australia


BMC Geriatrics welcomed for submissions to our Collection on The impact of early-life/childhood circumstances or conditions on the health of older adults. Childhood circumstances have long since been understood to influence adult patterns of behaviour and health.  However, much of the research on this topic focuses on deficits in development and how these link to a variety of health outcomes in adulthood.  This collection aimed to identify a greater variety of early-life circumstances and conditions that impact specifically on the health of older adults.  This includes explorations of the trajectory patterns of health outcomes in later life. 

Meet the Guest Editors

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Nan Lu: Renmin University of China, China

Dr Nan Lu is an associate professor of the Department of Social Work and Social Policy, School of Sociology and Population Studies, Renmin University of China. His research mainly focused on social capital and healthy aging, long-term care systems, family caregiving for older adults with disabilities, age friendly community, older volunteering, intergenerational relationship, and program evaluation. He serves as a editorial board member of Aging & Mental Health, BMC Geriatrics, Journal of Applied Gerontology, and Research On Aging. He also serves as the Secretary General of China Association for Social Work Education - Gerontological Social Work Committee, and honorary research fellow of Sau Po Centre on Ageing, The University of Hong Kong.

Peng Nie: Xi’an Jiaotong University, China

Dr Peng Nie is a professor at the Xi’an Jiaotong University (China). His research interests focus on issues related to health economics and the economics of ageing. He has published in international journals such as Journal of Population Ageing, BMC Geriatrics, Obesity Reviews, and Obesity. He is now an Associate Editor of The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, and Editorial Board Member of BMC Geriatrics, BMC Public Health, and Labor History.                                                                                                                                                                        

Joyce Siette: Western Sydney University, Australia

Dr Siette is a Research Theme Fellow at Western Sydney University. Dr Siette’s research aims to improve our understanding of the behavioural and social mechanisms underpinning healthy brain lifestyles in older adults. Her research group is currently exploring how digital health and informatics, data analytics and interoperability can support healthy brain ageing.

About the collection

BMC Geriatrics welcomed for submissions to our Collection on The impact of early-life/childhood circumstances or conditions on the health of older adults. Childhood circumstances have long since been understood to influence adult patterns of behaviour and health.  However, much of the research on this topic focuses on deficits in development and how these link to a variety of health outcomes in adulthood.  This collection aimed to identify a greater variety of early-life circumstances and conditions that impact specifically on the health of older adults.  This includes explorations of the trajectory patterns of health outcomes in later life. 

We are interested in evidence pertaining to a wide range of childhood health and healthcare aspects.  We have categorised key topics according to the biopsychosocial model of health:  

Biology

  • Early-life anthropometrics
  • Nutrition
  • Childhood health conditions
  • Genetic inheritance 

Psychological

  • Psychosocial conditions
  • Depressive illness
  • Parental influencers (e.g., parenting style)

Social

  • Socioeconomic status
  • Childhood healthcare resources
  • Social capital and reserve
  • Adverse childhood events (ACE), such as maltreatment

In order to observe data on the above topics and be able to track both the impact of these early-life experiences and healthcare disparities over time, this collection would welcome a wide variety of study types, but with a particular focus on longitudinal studies that allow for analysis using a life course perspective.  

We live in an aging population and it is imperative that we better understand the individual determinants of health in older populations across the lifespan.  We welcome primary research, review papers and studies that advance our knowledge of the influence of childhood circumstances on the health of older adults. 

Image credit: © Laikwunfai / Getty Images / iStock

  1. Childhood adverse experience has been linked with poor health outcomes across the life course. Nevertheless, whether such an association or direction could be projected to older people’s life remains still unc...

    Authors: Gayatri Khanal and Y. Selvamani
    Citation: BMC Geriatrics 2024 24:226
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. There is a causal link between childhood socioeconomic status and health status in adulthood and beyond. It's vital to comprehend the relationship between childhood socioeconomic status and mental health among...

    Authors: Yulin Chai, Guowei Xian, Lin Guo, Guoqi Fu, Yanxu Liu, Mengxue Wang and Sheng Luo
    Citation: BMC Geriatrics 2024 24:138
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. There are no published longitudinal studies from Africa of people with dementia seen in memory clinics. The aim of this study was to determine the proportions of the different dementia subtypes, rates of cogni...

    Authors: Michael Ssonko, Anneli Hardy, Vasi Naganathan, Sebastiana Kalula and Marc Combrinck
    Citation: BMC Geriatrics 2023 23:829
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. According to Swedish law, older adults in Sweden should be able to live a good, safe, and independent life with social and healthcare provided, based on their individual needs. In assisted living in Swedish el...

    Authors: Lise-Lotte Jonasson, Angela Bångsbo, Annika Billhult and Maria Wolmesjö
    Citation: BMC Geriatrics 2023 23:762
    Content type: Research Published on: