Citation

Hart CL, Taylor MD, Davey Smith G, Whalley LJ, Starr JM, Hole DJ, Wilson V, Deary IJ. Psychosom. Med. 2003; 65(5): 877-883.

Affiliation

Public Health and Health Policy, Division of Community Based Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland. c.l.hart@udcf.gla.ac.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, American Psychosomatic Society, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

14508035

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how childhood mental ability (IQ) is related to mortality and morbidity risk, when socioeconomic factors are also considered. METHODS: Participants were from the Midspan studies conducted on adults in the 1970s; 938 Midspan participants were successfully matched with the Scottish Mental Survey 1932 in which children born in 1921 and attending Scottish schools on June 1, 1932, took a cognitive ability test. Mortality, hospital admissions, and cancer incidence in the 25 years after the Midspan screening were investigated in relation to childhood IQ, social class, and deprivation. RESULTS: The risk of dying in 25 years was 17% higher for each standard deviation disadvantage in childhood IQ. Adjustment for social class and deprivation category accounted for some, but not all, of this higher risk, reducing it to 12%. Analysis by IQ quartile showed a substantial increased risk of death for the lowest-scoring quarter only. Structural equation modeling indicated that the effect of childhood IQ on mortality was partly indirectly influenced by social factors. Cause-specific mortality or hospital admission showed that lower IQ was associated with higher risks for all cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. Cause-specific mortality or cancer incidence risk was higher with decreasing IQ for lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Lower childhood IQ was related to higher mortality risk and some specific causes of death or morbidity. Childhood IQ may be considered as a marker for risk of death or illness in later life in similar and complementary ways to social class or deprivation category.

Language: en