Social and Physical Predictors of Inflammation in U.S. Children Aged 6-17

Jennifer Dowd, Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
Allison Aiello, University of Michigan

Inflammation may link early environments to later life patterns of chronic disease and aging. Socioeconomic differences in inflammation exist in U.S. adults, and potential influences of childhood SES on adult inflammation have been suggested. Little is known about what factors are associated with inflammation in U.S. children and whether differences in inflammation by socioeconomic factors emerge in childhood. This paper will use data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from years 1999-2000, to (1.) describe the distribution of C-reactive (CRP) protein in U.S. children ages 6-16 by age, gender and race/ethnicity; and (2) examine the association between markers of household socioeconomic status, low birth weight, infections, household smoking and body mass index with high-sensitivity (CRP) in U.S. children aged 3-16. The results will help shed light on whether socioeconomic differences in inflammation begin early in life in the United States, and if so, what the potential pathways may be.