We investigate whether childhood exposures influence adult chronic inflammation and mortality risk via adult health characteristics and socioeconomic status (SES) and whether gender moderates these relationships. Analyzing a longitudinal national sample of 9,310 men and women over age 50, we found that childhood SES, parental behaviors, and adolescent behaviors were associated with adult chronic inflammation via health characteristics and SES in adulthood. The process of disadvantage initiated by low childhood SES (i.e., adult health risk factors, socioeconomic disadvantage, and chronic inflammation) subsequently raised mortality risk. In addition, gender moderated the mediating influence of childhood SES via unhealthy behaviors and parental behaviors via adult SES. Demonstrating how social forces shape biological health through multiple mechanisms informs health policies by identifying multiple points of intervention in an effort to reduce the lasting consequences of childhood disadvantage.

我们调查儿童暴露是否通过成人健康特征和社会经济地位 (SES) 影响成人慢性炎症和死亡风险，以及性别是否会调节这些关系。通过分析 9,310 名 50 岁以上男性和女性的纵向全国样本，我们发现儿童期 SES、父母行为和青少年行为通过健康特征和成年期 SES 与成人慢性炎症相关。由低儿童 SES（即成人健康风险因素、社会经济劣势和慢性炎症）引发的不利过程随后增加了死亡风险。此外，性别通过不健康行为和父母行为通过成人 SES 调节儿童 SES 的中介影响。