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Family socioeconomic status and child telomere length among the Samburu of Kenya

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  • Needham, Belinda L.
  • Straight, Bilinda
  • Hilton, Charles E.
  • Olungah, Charles Owuor
  • Lin, Jue

Abstract

Previous research in high-income countries suggests that children from families with lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have shorter telomere length – a biomarker of stress and cell aging – than children from families with greater social and economic resources. However, little is known about predictors of child telomere length in low-income settings. Data for the current study are from a sample of 214 Samburu children aged 1–9 years. The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists who live in the Rift Valley of north-central Kenya. Samburu livelihood is based primarily on livestock, and polygynous marriage is common. Drawing on prior ethnographic research, we measured 14 culturally relevant indicators of family SES, including mother's education, head of household's education, whether the child is currently attending school, household spending, mother's employment history, head of household's employment history, mother's perceived wealth, whether the child lives in a modern house, livestock holdings (total, cows, sheep/goats, and camels), mother's wife number, and whether the child lives in a polygynous household. Telomere length was measured in salivary DNA by the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. Using latent class analysis, we identified four groups of children that are similar based on the 14 indicators of family SES: Lower SES; Middle SES, Traditional; Middle SES, Modern; and Higher SES. SES classes were not significantly associated with child telomere length. In models examining individual indicators of SES, we found that telomere length was 0.57 standard deviations greater for children who lived in families in the lowest quartile of total livestock holdings compared to those in the highest quartile (b = 0.57, p = 0.03). While additional research is needed to identify the mechanisms underlying this counterintuitive finding, the current study highlights the importance of cultural context in shaping the social gradient in health.

Suggested Citation

  • Needham, Belinda L. & Straight, Bilinda & Hilton, Charles E. & Olungah, Charles Owuor & Lin, Jue, 2021. "Family socioeconomic status and child telomere length among the Samburu of Kenya," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:283:y:2021:i:c:s0277953621005141
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114182
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Needham, Belinda L. & Fernandez, Jose R. & Lin, Jue & Epel, Elissa S. & Blackburn, Elizabeth H., 2012. "Socioeconomic status and cell aging in children," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(12), pages 1948-1951.
    2. Kozyrskyj, A.L. & Kendall, G.E. & Jacoby, P. & Sly, P.D. & Zubrick, S.R., 2010. "Association between socioeconomic status and the development of asthma: Analyses of income trajectories," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(3), pages 540-546.
    3. Needham, Belinda L. & Adler, Nancy & Gregorich, Steven & Rehkopf, David & Lin, Jue & Blackburn, Elizabeth H. & Epel, Elissa S., 2013. "Socioeconomic status, health behavior, and leukocyte telomere length in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 1-8.
    4. Stratton, Leeanne & O'Neill, Marie S. & Kruk, Margaret E. & Bell, Michelle L., 2008. "The persistent problem of malaria: Addressing the fundamental causes of a global killer," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(5), pages 854-862, September.
    5. Elizabeth H. Blackburn, 2000. "Telomere states and cell fates," Nature, Nature, vol. 408(6808), pages 53-56, November.
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    1. Xi Qiao & Bilinda Straight & Duy Ngo & Charles E. Hilton & Charles Owuor Olungah & Amy Naugle & Claudia Lalancette & Belinda L. Needham, 2024. "Severe drought exposure in utero associates to children’s epigenetic age acceleration in a global climate change hot spot," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.

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