b'CHAPTER 4 | CROSS-NATIONAL HEALTH DISPARITIES AND US DISADVANTAGEBowen (2009) finds that Black parents ofindicating risk for a range of health conditions,research examines the potential impact of the HRS participants had lower education than Whiteespecially heart disease. Those with childhooddisease environment of HRS participants when parents, and Black fathers had lower occupationaladversity are almost three times as likely to havethey were children. Linking to census region-level status. Accounting for relevant risks, theseexperienced trauma as an adult. Childhood ad- information on mortality from typhoid, malaria, measures of childhood disadvantage explain partversity and adulthood trauma are independentlymeasles, influenza and diarrhea, Case and Paxson of the racial disparity in adult disabilities. Haasassociated with elevated inflammation. Another(2009) find evidence that those who grew up in (2008) examines the impact of both childhoodstudy suggests a genetic mechanism. M. Levine etregions of the country with higher disease-specif-health and socioeconomic disadvantage onal. (2015) show that childhood trauma increasesic and overall infant mortality have lower scores trajectories of change in functional limitations.the expression of genes that determine inflam- on cognitive tests in old age.Accounting for chronic diseases in adulthoodmation. Having low SES in adulthood has the and adult SES at the beginning of the study,greatest effect on inflammatory gene expression greater childhood health problems and worsefor those who had traumatic events in childhood.socioeconomic conditions in childhood predictsOther studies evaluate effects on cognitive a faster decline in physical functioning. Becausefunctioning. Examining the influence of psychi-of the importance of childhood health on lateratric history on cognitive functioning at older life outcomes, the HRS is now expanding itsages, Brown (2010) finds that childhood health measurement. influences later life cognition through its effect Using data on biomarkers in the HRS, Lin eton later life health. Another study finds that adult al. (2015) find a link between traumatic eventsSES affects the relationship between childhood in adulthood and inflammation, indicated by ele- SES and cognitive function. Those with higher vated levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein.cumulative SES have an advantage in cognitive Bodily inflammation is an important biomarkerfunction. Childhood SES and adult SES are both related to cognitive status and to cognitive changes at older ages (Lyu and Burr 2016). Other Those who grew up in regions of the country with higher disease-specific and overall infant mortality have lower scores on cognitive tests in old age.81'