Education Moderates the Negative Effect of Apolipoprotein E ɛ4 on Response Inhibition in Older Adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Yu-Ling Chang ◽  
Yi-Yuan Zhuo ◽  
Di-Hua Luo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Apolipoprotein E ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Apoe Genotype ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
High Educational Attainment ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
High Educational

Background: Studies have reported that apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE ɛ4) has adverse effects on executive functions (EFs) in late adulthood. However, the results have been inconsistent. Insufficient measurements of executive functioning, uncontrolled clinical and demographic confounders, and moderation effects from other environmental factors are suspected to account for the inconsistency. Objective: This study used aggregate measures to examine the effects of APOE ɛ4 on four components of EFs, namely switching, working memory, inhibition, and reasoning. We further investigated whether high educational attainment, a proxy measure for cognitive reserve, moderates the adverse effects of ɛ4 on EFs. Methods: Cognitively unimpaired older participants were divided into groups based on APOE genotype and into subgroups based on educational attainment level. The demographic and clinical variables were matched between the groups. Four core components of the EFs were measured using a relatively comprehensive battery. Results: The results revealed that although no main effect of the APOE genotype was observed across the four EF components, the potentially adverse effects of ɛ4 on inhibition were alleviated by high educational attainment. A main effect of education on the reasoning component was also observed. The moderation analysis revealed that for older adults with 12 years of education or fewer, the relationship between the APOE ɛ4 genotype and inhibition performance became increasingly negative. Conclusion: This study highlights the distinctive role of response inhibition in the gene–environment interaction and underlines the importance of considering factors of both nature and nurture to understand the complex process of cognitive aging.

Population differences in health-related quality of life between cancer survivors and controls: Does low educational attainment widen the gap?

2020 ◽  
pp. 140349482090875
Author(s):  
Finn Breinholt Larsen ◽  
Jes Bak Sørensen ◽  
Claus Vinther Nielsen ◽  
Anne-Mette Hedeager Momsen ◽  
Karina Friis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
High Educational Attainment ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
High Educational

Aims: This study aimed to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among cancer survivors and controls in the Danish population, with special attention given to the impact of low educational attainment. Comparisons were made at population level and for subgroups stratified by education. Furthermore, comparisons were made for all cancer diagnoses combined and for the 14 most prevalent cancer sites and ‘other cancer sites’. Finally, the importance of time since initial diagnosis was examined. Methods: HRQOL was measured using the physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS) of the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey version 2 in a population-based survey. By linking data with the Danish Cancer Registry, 11,166 cancer survivors and 151,117 individuals with no history of cancer were identified. Results: HRQOL was reduced in cancer survivors for all cancers combined and most cancer sites. Differences were found at population level and stratified by educational attainment. PCS was reduced to a similar extent in the three educational groups, whereas MCS was reduced slightly more in the low than in the high educational attainment group. HRQOL increased with time since initial diagnosis during the first years. Conclusions: Cancer survivors had lower HRQOL than controls, and HRQOL was lower in the low than in the high educational attainment group. However, low educational attainment did not widen the gap in HRQOL following a cancer diagnosis. Despite this, the combined effect of low educational attainment and a cancer diagnosis markedly reduced HRQOL in some cancer survivors. The study identified groups of cancer survivors with low HRQOL who may have unmet rehabilitation needs.

scholarly journals Inequalities in women’s mortality by education / Neenakosti v umrljivosti žensk po izobrazbi

2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-86
Author(s):  
Mateja Rok Simon ◽  
Sonja Tomšič ◽  
Jožica Šelb Šemerl ◽  
Petra Nadrag ◽  
Barbara Mihevc Ponikvar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
Vehicle Accidents ◽  
High Educational Attainment ◽  
Socioeconomic Gaps ◽  
Rate Ratios ◽  
Relative Differences ◽  
High Educational

Abstract Background: Researchers have found that mortality is decreasing in all socioeconomic population groups but the relative differences in mortality between lower and higher social classes remain unchanged or have even increased. In Slovenia this has not yet been studied. Methods: The analysis included all women in Slovenia who died in the 2005-2010 period and were recorded in the Registry of deaths. Cause of death data was linked to data on the educational attainment of the deceased person, which was applied successfully in 98.8% of cases. The rate ratios (RR) for age-standardised death rates were calculated for women with a low and high educational attainment. Results: The calculated gap in life expectancy at age 30 between women with low and high educational attainment stood at 5.5 years. Women aged 0-84 with a low educational attainment had a statistically significant higher risk of death than women with a high educational attainment (RR=1.65; 95% CI: 1.57-1.73). Inequalities in premature mortality were even greater (1.78; 1.65-1.93). Educational inequalities in premature mortality were revealed in the majority of causes of death, e.g. cervical cancer (1.99; 1.22-3.67), lung cancer (1.70; 1.30-2.26), cardiovascular diseases (3.02; 2.41-3.91), causes directly attributable to alcohol (7.34; 4.96-12.27), motor vehicle accidents (2.23; 1.21-4.45) and suicide (1.68; 1.19-2.41). Conclusions: Significant socioeconomic gaps in women’s mortality in Slovenia obligate us to more systematic monitoring of health inequalities in the future. Further research is required in order to clarify specific reasons for the major gaps in mortality from specific causes of death.

scholarly journals A national survey assessing public readiness for digital health strategies against COVID-19 within the United Kingdom

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viknesh Sounderajah ◽  
Jonathan Clarke ◽  
Seema Yalamanchili ◽  
Amish Acharya ◽  
Sheraz R. Markar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
High Educational Attainment ◽  
Digital Exclusion ◽  
High Educational

AbstractThere is concern that digital public health initiatives used in the management of COVID-19 may marginalise certain population groups. There is an overlap between the demographics of groups at risk of digital exclusion (older, lower social grade, low educational attainment and ethnic minorities) and those who are vulnerable to poorer health outcomes from SARS-CoV-2. In this national survey study (n = 2040), we assessed how the UK population; particularly these overlapping groups, reported their preparedness for digital health strategies. We report, with respect to using digital information to make health decisions, that those over 60 are less comfortable (net comfort: 57%) than those between 18 and 39 (net comfort: 78%) and lower social grades are less comfortable (net comfort: 63%) than higher social grades (net comfort: 75%). With respect to a preference for digital over non-digital sources in seeking COVID-19 health information, those over 60 (net preference: 21%) are less inclined than those between 18 and 39 (net preference: 60%) and those of low educational attainment (net preference: 30%) are less inclined than those of high educational attainment (net preference: 52%). Lastly, with respect to distinguishing reliable digital COVID-19 information, lower social grades (net confidence: 55%) are less confident than higher social grades (net confidence: 68%) and those of low educational attainment (net confidence: 51%) are less confident than those of high educational attainment (net confidence: 71%). All reported differences are statistically significant (p < 0.01) following multivariate regression modelling. This study suggests that digital public health approaches to COVID-19 have the potential to marginalise groups who are concurrently at risk of digital exclusion and poor health outcomes from SARS-CoV-2.

Environmental smoke exposure among daily smokers with low vs. high educational attainment

2017 ◽  
Vol 171 ◽  
pp. e202
Author(s):  
Jennifer W. Tidey ◽  
Rachel Denlinger ◽  
Dorothy Hatsukami ◽  
Eric Donny
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Smoke Exposure ◽  
High Educational Attainment ◽  
High Educational

scholarly journals The Intergenerational Transmission of Education: A Case Study from Iceland

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-260
Author(s):  
Emil Dagsson ◽  
Þorlákur Karlsson ◽  
Gylfi Zoega
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Intergenerational Transmission ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
High Educational Attainment ◽  
Intergenerational Transmission Of Education ◽  
Over Time ◽  
High Educational ◽  
Parents Education

We estimate the relation between parents’ education and the education of their children, using survey data from Iceland. We find a positive correlation between the education of parents and their children, as well as a positive correlation between parents’ emphasis on the importance of education and their children’s education. Parents with strong educational emphasis do not necessarily need to have high educational attainment in our sample. The mother’s education appears to matter somewhat more than that of the father. In a multiple regression analysis, we find a positive and statistically significant effect of both the mother and the father’s education on the educational attainment of children as well as an effect of the mother and the father’s emphasis of the importance of education, while controlling for gender, age and residence. The results show that parents’ emphasis on education has almost the same effect on children as the parents’ education level. We attempt to make a comparison between the correlation in Iceland and in other countries, in particular the four Nordic countries that have a weaker transmission between generations than most other nations. We find that it is lower in Iceland than the Nordic average. Finally, we find that the influence of parents has not changed much over time by omitting the youngest cohort between the ages of 24 and 35.

scholarly journals Educational Attainment and Tobacco Harm Knowledge Among American Adults: Diminished Returns of African Americans and Hispanics

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari ◽  
Mohsen Bazargan
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
High Educational Attainment ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
High Educational

Background and aims: Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) refer to the smaller effects of educational attainment for ethnic minorities compared to the majority group. As a result of MDRs, research has documented more than expected tobacco use among Hispanics and African Americans (AAs) with high educational attainment. In theory, some of this increased risk may be due to lower tobacco harm knowledge. Accordingly, the present study compared ethnic groups for the association between educational attainment and tobacco harm knowledge among American adults in order to better understand a potential mechanism behind MDRs of educational attainment on tobacco use of Hispanics and AAs. Methods: The current cross-sectional study used baseline data of 27,405 adults, which were obtained from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (2013) study a nationally representative survey in the United States. The independent and dependent variables were educational attainment and tobacco harm knowledge, respectively. In addition, age, gender, employment, and poverty status were the covariates and ethnicity was the moderator. Finally, linear regression was used to analyze the data. Results: Educational attainment was inversely associated with tobacco harm knowledge in the pooled sample (b=0.11, 95% CI=0.09 - 0.13). Ethnicity showed a statistically significant interaction with educational attainment (b=-0.05, 95% CI=-0.10 - 0.00 for AAs and b=-0.14, 95% CI=-0.19 - -0.09 for Hispanics versus non-Hispanics), suggesting that the effect of educational attainment on tobacco harm knowledge was smaller for Hispanics and AAs compared to non-Hispanics and Whites. Conclusion: In general, although high educational attainment increases tobacco harm knowledge, highly educated Hispanics and AAs still report a disproportionately low level of tobacco harm knowledge. Eventually, the MDRs of educational attainment on tobacco harm knowledge may explain why highly educated Hispanics remain at high risk of tobacco use.

scholarly journals Shoring up economic refugees: Venezuelan migrants in the Ecuadoran labor market

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Olivieri ◽  
Francesc Ortega ◽  
Ana Rivadeneira ◽  
Eliana Carranza
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Labor Market Outcomes ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
The Third ◽  
High Educational Attainment ◽  
Native Workers ◽  
Large Survey ◽  
High Educational ◽  
Low Wages

Abstract Ecuador became the third largest receiver of the 4.3 million Venezuelans who left their country in the last five years, hosting around 10 per cent of them. Little is known about the characteristics of these migrants and their labor market outcomes. This article fills this gap by analyzing a new large survey (EPEC). On average, Venezuelan workers are highly skilled and have high rates of employment, compared with Ecuadorans. However, their employment is of much lower quality, characterized by low wages, and high rates of informality and temporality. Venezuelans have experienced significant occupational downgrading, relative to their employment prior to emigration. As a result, despite their high educational attainment, Venezuelans primarily compete for jobs with the least skilled and more economically vulnerable Ecuadoran workers. Our simulations suggest that measures that allow Venezuelans to obtain employment that matches their skills, such as facilitating the conversion of education credentials, would increase Ecuador’s GDP between 1.6 and 1.9 per cent and alleviate the pressure on disadvantaged native workers. We also show that providing work permits to Venezuelan workers would substantially reduce their rates of informality and increase their average earnings.

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