03.05.2019Talk by Dr. Cristian Carmeli

In the context of a rapidly aging world population, global health strategies have considered healthy aging as a public health priority. The World Health Organization Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, for example, has set member states a goal by 2025 to reduce premature mor-tality from chronic diseases by 25%. This is to be achieved by targeting high alcohol consumption, insuffi-cient physical activity, tobacco use, high blood pressure, excess salt intake, diabetes, and obesity. Recent studies suggest that targeting disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances in addition to these risk factors might lead to additional gains in longevity or reductions in morbidities.

In this talk, first I will describe findings from a multi-cohort study with data from twenty-four countries where adulthood socioeconomic position is shown to have similar predictive value for physical functioning as es-tablished non-communicable disease risk factors.

Second, I will describe a study from two Swiss cohorts aimed at examining the life-course socioeconomic aetiology of adult systemic low-grade inflammation, a predictor of several diseases. By disentangling path-specific effects on inflammation across childhood, emerging adulthood and adulthood socioeconomic exposures we identify risk factors that may be targeted for public health interventions.

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