Elleni M Hailu1, Tené T Lewis2, Belinda L Needham3, Jue Lin4, Teresa E Seeman5, Mahasin S Mujahid1. 1. Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, USA. 2. Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 3. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. 4. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, USA. 5. Department of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: We aimed to examine if neighborhood social cohesion moderated longitudinal associations between baseline reports of discrimination and 10-year changes in leukocyte telomere length (LTL). METHODS: Data are from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (N = 1064; age range 45-84 years). Baseline discrimination was measured using the Major Experiences of Discrimination Scale (MDS; none, 1 domain, ≥2 domains) and the Experiences of Discrimination Scale (EDS; none, moderate, high). Neighborhood social cohesion at baseline was assessed via a community survey within census tract-defined neighborhoods. 10-year change in LTL was defined as regression to the mean-corrected 10-year difference in the ratio of telomeric DNA to a single-copy gene (T/S). RESULTS: In linear mixed-effects models, we found that neighborhood social cohesion modified the effect of baseline reports of MDS on 10-year changes in LTL, independent of sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and health conditions (p(χ 2) = .01). Among those residing in neighborhoods with low social cohesion, experiencing major discrimination in ≥2 domains was associated with faster LTL attrition over 10 years, compared to reporting no discrimination (β = -0.03; 95% confidence interval: -0.06, -0.003). We found no main associations for either discrimination measure and no interaction between EDS and neighborhood social cohesion. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that neighborhood social cohesion is an important dimension of the neighborhood context that may moderate the impact of major experiences of discrimination on telomere length attrition. These findings help advance our understanding of the integral role that neighborhood environments play in attenuating the effect of discrimination on accelerated cell aging.
BACKGROUND: We aimed to examine if neighborhood social cohesion moderated longitudinal associations between baseline reports of discrimination and 10-year changes in leukocyte telomere length (LTL). METHODS: Data are from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (N = 1064; age range 45-84 years). Baseline discrimination was measured using the Major Experiences of Discrimination Scale (MDS; none, 1 domain, ≥2 domains) and the Experiences of Discrimination Scale (EDS; none, moderate, high). Neighborhood social cohesion at baseline was assessed via a community survey within census tract-defined neighborhoods. 10-year change in LTL was defined as regression to the mean-corrected 10-year difference in the ratio of telomeric DNA to a single-copy gene (T/S). RESULTS: In linear mixed-effects models, we found that neighborhood social cohesion modified the effect of baseline reports of MDS on 10-year changes in LTL, independent of sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and health conditions (p(χ 2) = .01). Among those residing in neighborhoods with low social cohesion, experiencing major discrimination in ≥2 domains was associated with faster LTL attrition over 10 years, compared to reporting no discrimination (β = -0.03; 95% confidence interval: -0.06, -0.003). We found no main associations for either discrimination measure and no interaction between EDS and neighborhood social cohesion. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that neighborhood social cohesion is an important dimension of the neighborhood context that may moderate the impact of major experiences of discrimination on telomere length attrition. These findings help advance our understanding of the integral role that neighborhood environments play in attenuating the effect of discrimination on accelerated cell aging.
Authors: Erin Lebow-Skelley; Lynne Young; Yomi Noibi; Karla Blaginin; Margaret Hooker; Dana Williamson; Martha Scott Tomlinson; Michelle C Kegler; Melanie A Pearson Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2022-04-12