New Findings from University of Oregon Update Understanding of Leukocytes (Socioeconomic Status, Financial Strain, and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a…

Health & Medicine Week

New Findings from University of Oregon Update Understanding of Leukocytes (Socioeconomic Status, Financial Strain, and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a Sample of African American Midlife Men)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Week -- Research findings on Cell Research - Leukocytes are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting from Eugene, Oregon, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, "African American men in the USA experience poorer aging-related health outcomes compared to their White counterparts, partially due to socioeconomic disparities along racial lines. Greater exposure to socioeconomic strains among African American men may adversely impact health and aging at the cellular level, as indexed by shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL)."

Financial support for this research came from National Institute on Aging (see also Cell Research - Leukocytes).

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the University of Oregon, "This study examined associations between socioeconomic factors and LTL among African American men in midlife, a life course stage when heterogeneity in both health and socioeconomic status are particularly pronounced. Using multinomial logistic regression, we examined associations between multiple measures of SES and tertiles of LTL in a sample of 92 African American men between 30 to 50 years of age. Reports of greater financial strain were associated with higher odds of short versus medium LTL (odds ratio (OR)=2.21, p = 0.03). Higher income was associated with lower odds of short versus medium telomeres (OR=0.97, p =0.04). Exploratory analyses revealed a significant interaction between educational attainment and employment status (chi(2) = 4.07, p = 0.04), with greater education associated with lower odds of short versus long telomeres only among those not employed (OR=0.10, p = 0.040). Cellular aging associated with multiple dimensions of socioeconomic adversity may contribute to poor aging-related health outcomes among African American men. Subjective appraisal of financial difficulty may impact LTL independently of objective dimensions of SES."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Self-appraised success in fulfilling traditionally masculine gender roles, including being an economic provider, may be a particularly salient aspect of identity for African American men and have implications for cellular aging in this population."

For more information on this research see: Socioeconomic Status, Financial Strain, and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a Sample of African American Midlife Men. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2018;5(3):459-467. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities can be contacted at: Springer International Publishing Ag, Gewerbestrasse 11, Cham, Ch-6330, Switzerland.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting J.M. Schrock, University of Oregon, Dept. of Anthropol, Eugene, OR 97403, United States. Additional authors for this research include N.E. Adler, E.S. Epel, A.M. Nuru-Jeter, J. Lin, E.H. Blackburn, R.J. Taylor and D.H. Chae.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-017-0388-3. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Eugene, Oregon, United States, North and Central America, Cell Nucleus Structures, Investment and Finance, Chromosome Structures, Health and Medicine, Intranuclear Space, Cell Research, Blood Cells, Leukocytes, Immunology, Telomere, Genetics, University of Oregon.