Neighbourhood deprivation in childhood and adulthood and risk of arterial stiffness: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY Limited data is available about the association between neighbourhood deprivation and arterial stiffening. We prospectively examined whether neighbourhood deprivation in childhood and adulthood predicts arterial stiffness indicated by pulse wave velocity (PWV) in 1,761 participants aged 3-18 years at baseline (1980) from the longitudinal Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns cohort study. PWV was measured by whole-body impedance cardiography at ages 30-45 years. Cumulative lifetime neighbourhood deprivation was assessed using data from socioeconomic circumstances in participants' lifetime residential neighbourhoods, categorised as low versus high deprivation. high lifetime neighbourhood deprivation was associated with high PWV in adulthood independently of childhood parental SES and adulthood individual SES. Low individual SES in adulthood was also associated with higher PWV in adulthood and this association was robust to adjustment for parental SES in childhood and lifetime neighbourhood deprivation. These findings suggest that neighbourhood deprivation and low adulthood socioeconomic status are independent risk factors for increased arterial stiffness in adulthood. Purpose: Individual socioeconomic status is associated with increased arterial stiffness, but limited data are available on the relations of neighbourhood deprivation with this vascular measure. We prospectively examined whether neighbourhood deprivation in childhood and adulthood predicts arterial stiffness indicated by pulse wave velocity (PWV). Materials and methods: The study population comprised 1,761 participants aged 3-18 years at baseline (1980) from the longitudinal Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns cohort study. PWV was measured in 2007 by whole-body impedance cardiography at ages 30-45 years. Cumulative lifetime neighbourhood deprivation was assessed using data from socioeconomic circumstances in participants' lifetime residential neighbourhoods, categorised as low versus high deprivation. Results: High deprivation in childhood and adulthood was associated with higher PWV in adulthood after adjustment for age, sex, and place of birth (mean difference = 0.57 m/s, 95%CI = 0.26-0.88, P for trend = 0.0004). This association was attenuated but remained statistically significant after further adjustment for childhood parental socioeconomic status and adulthood individual socioeconomic status (mean difference = 0.37 m/s, 95%CI = 0.05-0.70, P for trend 0.048). Also, low individual socioeconomic status in adulthood was associated with higher PWV when adjusted for age, sex, place of birth, parental socioeconomic status in childhood, and lifetime neighbourhood deprivation (mean difference = 0.54 m/s, 95%CI = 0.23-0.84, P for trend 0.0001). Conclusion: These findings suggest that lifetime neighbourhood deprivation and low adulthood socioeconomic status are independent risk factors for increased arterial stiffness in adulthood.