Socially isolated children may become unhealthy adults
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:
Social isolation in childhood may be associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease in adulthood, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Adults who lack social support have been shown to be at higher risk for coronary artery disease and have a poorer prognosis once they develop the condition.
In addition, evidence from an emerging field known as life-course epidemiology is beginning to suggest that early life experiences are also important in determining risk factors for disease in adulthood.
Avshalom Caspi, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, and King's College, London, England, and colleagues studied 1,037 children from birth through age 26 years.
A final physical examination and evaluation was conducted at age 26 years.
This association remained significant even when the researchers considered established childhood risk factors for poor cardiovascular health, such as low socioeconomic status, low IQ and being overweight.
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